Bolstering Online Pharmacy Verification Through Continuous Quality Improvement
PharmacyChecker, America’s only independent company that monitors and verifies the safety credentials of international online pharmacies, has recently applied formal continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives within our pharmacy verifications. What started in 2002 as a check of five criteria for online pharmacy safety, the PharmacyChecker Verification Program has grown to over 85 separate audits to ensure online pharmacies that cater to an international customer base meet only the highest standards of internet pharmacy practice. I’m very proud of how the program has evolved over the years.
Pharmacies accredited through PharmacyChecker Verification Program are located in Canada, Australia, India, Mauritius, New Zealand, Turkey, the UK, and the United States. For pharmacies in countries that meet high standards of practice, but where government enforcement of regulations may be less thorough than in Canada, the U.S., or the European Union, for example, PharmacyChecker conducts onsite pharmacy inspections. Led by Jeffrey Poirier, RPh, a licensed pharmacist in New Hampshire, each PharmacyChecker onsite inspection now includes a review on the benefits of CQI, encouraging pharmacy staff participation in process improvements. Several pharmacies have voluntarily developed notable CQI initiatives driven by staff input and have demonstrated to PharmacyChecker that these ideas are improving their processes. Jeff recently let me know his thoughts:
“It’s very rewarding to share this knowledge and see the positive outcomes resulting from CQI initiatives by international pharmacies. Your goal is to be continuously better at each remeasurement. When successful, and staff can see objectively that the implemented strategies are working, the process can be contagious.”
Peer-reviewed research shows that well-credentialed online pharmacies, including those accredited through the PharmacyChecker Verification Program, can be trusted to facilitate safe international mail-order pharmacy services. Patients, their providers, and caregivers rely on the information published on PharmacyChecker’s website in order to avoid dangerous websites.
