News for ACEP Members

Joint Commission Revises Medication Reconciliation Standard
The Joint Commission clarified its expectation of medication reconciliation in the emergency department. In a January 2007 update to its National Patient Safety Goals FAQs, the Joint Commission said it would accept three levels of intensity of the medication reconciliation process in the ED:

• “Screening reconciliation” for all ED patients should include routinely obtaining from each patient at each ED visit a list of the patient’s current medications (usually done by the triage nurse).
• “Focused reconciliation,” as directed by the emergency physician, based on medical relevance, should include seeking additional information about the patient’s medications (exact drug list, dosage/route, etc.) from the patient’s pharmacy, primary care physician, family, etc.
• “Full reconciliation” for admitted patients should be completed by the receiving inpatient unit and pharmacist.

(This information is current as of January 2007. The Joint Commission may change or amend its FAQs, and accuracy should be confirmed by visiting its National Patient Safety Goals website.)

This revision was the consensus recommendation from ACEP, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).