MA pharmacy chain investigated for prescription mistakes
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
June 29, 2005
CVS pharmacies in Massachusetts are under investigation, after health officials learned of prescription errors in their stores, according to reports in the Boston Herald and Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise.CVS has apologized for the incidents and has launched an internal investigation to find out what happened in each case, according to a spokesman quoted in the Sentinel & Enterprise.
In Boston, one woman was mistakenly given a men's hair-loss prescription instead of allergy medication. In Leominster, MA, another patient was given double the dose of her thyroid medication.
Paul Concemi, Director of Pharmacy at the Leominster HealthAlliance Hospital, said pharmacies must remain diligent in preventing errors. Labeling look-alike, sound-alike drugs and using Tallman lettering can help avoid such errors.
To read the Herald article, click here. To read the Sentinel & Enterprise article, click here.
