A second set of eyes cuts errors at HCMC

Institute for Safe Medication Practices gave its 13th annual "Cheers Award" to Hennepin County Medical Center. Through their system of assigning pharmacists to check discharge orders before patients are released, the hospital's pharmacy services director and his colleagues dropped a 92 percent rate of medication errors in 2008 to 2009 to almost 0 percent in nine months. The 30-day readmission rate also fell to a little more than 5 percent. The award, presented in December, honors "excellence in the prevention" of medication errors.