UC San Diego Health: Excellence in Medication Safety, Pharmacy Practice

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UC San Diego Health is the first organization to be recognized as a Certified Center of Excellence in Medication-Use Safety and Pharmacy Practice (COE) by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHSP).

The certification, good for three years, recognizes UC San Diego Health’s pharmacy department for its “innovations, high quality, and safe and effective patient care and pharmacy services and contemporary use of best practices for hospital and health-system pharmacy practice.”

“This award recognizes the hard work of our entire pharmacy team and professional colleagues over several years,” said Charles E. Daniels, PhD, pharmacist-in-chief at UC San Diego Health and associate dean and clinical professor at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Our practices provide excellent care for patients, but also set a high standard for all of our students, residents, and other learners. We look forward to ongoing innovation, and continuing to lead the way.”

Organizations pursuing designation as a COE undergo a formal review process to assess performance in key areas of focus, including patient care services, medication-use safety and pharmacy operations. UC San Diego Health was surveyed from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 2021, recommended for certification by the ASHP Pharmacy Practice Accreditation Commission on Nov. 18, 2021, and granted the certification on Jan. 20, 2022.

UC San Diego Health offers comprehensive pharmacy services to patients. The academic health system serves as a primary teaching site for pharmacy residents, UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students, UC San Diego School of Medicine students and other professional programs in the health sciences.

To learn more about the ASHP Center for Excellence certification, visit www.ashp.org/COE.