What Preferred Care is Doing to Improve Patient Safety

Preferred Care is dedicated to protecting the health of our members. That's why we participate in local and national activities to reduce medical errors and increase patient safety.  We offer these programs to help members take charge of their health, and tools to help doctors provide the highest-quality care:

1) Medication Safety Toolkit

Together with the Rochester Health Commission we developed a Medication Safety Toolkit that includes:

• Information for doctors on prescription writing safety practices.
• A form for doctors to fill out to help patients understand instructions for taking medication
• Tip sheets for doctors and patients on how to get the most out of every office visit.

The Toolkit tip sheets are posted here on Preferred Care's Web site:

• 10 Steps to Safer Health Care for Patients
• 10 Steps to Safer Health Care for Doctors

2) Medicine Bag Review

Several years ago we launched the Medicine Bag Review program as part of Health Commission's Outpatient Safety Drug program. Presented with Wegmans pharmacies, the Medicine Bag Review gives members a chance to talk one-on-one with a Wegmans pharmacist who can identify drug interactions, answer questions about medication schedules, and make sure that members take medications as directed. The program is free to Preferred Care members.

• Medicine Bag Review information and schedule

3) Leapfrog Initiative

Preferred Care also has been involved in the Leapfrog Initiative, part of a national group dedicated to improving patient safety and the value of health care. We work with area hospitals to increase awareness of patient safety measures, and to report safety data online to help educate consumers.

• Leapfrog Group Web site

 4) Lead Poisoning Prevention

As an active participant in the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, Preferred Care is involved in raising awareness of the dangers of childhood lead poisoning, and promoting resources that can help members and the community to prevent and/or treat lead poisoning.

The Monroe County Health Department's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Web site offers links to Web sites and online documents on the hazards of lead.

The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning consists of individuals and organizations that share a commitment to ending childhood lead poisoning in Monroe County , New York by the year 2010 .  The Coalition's Web site provides information for parents and health care providers on the hazards of lead, along with updates on local activities to prevent lead poisoning.

5) FastFaxes for health care Providers

The FastFax program is our main communication link to hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, and doctors' office staffs. Since the year 2000, we've been quickly notifying providers by fax (sometimes daily) of potentially harmful drug interactions, drug recalls, new drug warnings, and other important health care information.

6) Prior Justification Program for Safety

For certain drugs that we know are commonly overused or sometimes used when not medically necessary, Preferred Care requires "prior justification"  - or approval before being prescribed - to both protect patients' safety and to manage drug costs wisely.

We also must approve the use of any new drug for at least the first six months that it is on the market. There have times when a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) caused harm to people shortly after becoming available. To protect the health of our members, we require approval before a new drug is prescribed:

• To be sure that other therapies have been tried
• Until there is more solid clinical evidence that a new drug is safe

7) Enhanced and Care Management Programs - Patient Safety Assessments and Intervention Activities

Our Enhanced Management and Care Management Programs help improve the health and quality of life for our members with chronic health conditions. Our team of nurses, social workers, and respiratory therapists work with members to:

• Find and get needed medical services
• Teach how to take the best care of themselves
• Locate other useful community programs
• Refer them to our You're in Charge!sm health and wellness programs and services
• Work as a partner with their doctors
• Assess safety needs of our members

For more information on any of the above programs, call Member Services Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time at (585) 325-3113 or (800) 950-3224. TTY users may call (585) 325-2629 or (800) 252-2452.

Last updated: April 27, 2006