Regardless if an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is in pre-construction or has been operating for years, it is essential to ask questions of any prospective pharmacy service partner

1. What ASC pharmacy service expertise do you bring to the table?

2. Have other ASCs found suggestions your pharmacy service team has given to have been particularly helpful? What were they, and why were they beneficial to their surgery center?

3. We just started construction on our new ASC. Is your pharmacy service team able to provide enough guidance for all the pharmacy-related steps that my ASC needs to take to open?

4. My ASC has been in business for a few years, we only need a pharmacy service provider for our medication audits. Are your pharmacy services able to be tailored for that option?

5. Our surgery center is having a hard time ordering certain medications and we don’t know what therapeutic substitutes to order and use in their place. Are your pharmacy professionals experienced with medication substitutions?

6. Do your pharmacy service provide guided assistance obtaining a DEA License and a Controlled Substance (CS) License for my Ambulatory Surgery Center?

   • Follow up Question: Can your pharmacy services provide assistance with renewing DEA and CS licenses for my ASC?

7. Can your pharmacy services support our ASC with the medication-related forms, policies & procedures, as well as, other pharmacy documentation?

   • Follow up question: If my surgery center needs to UPDATE any of these pharmacy related forms will your team walk us through that process?

8. Other than a pharmacist who comes to my ASC, what other beneficial pharmacy resources will you provide my Ambulatory Surgery Center?

9. Can your pharmacy service help with my ASC’s formulary?

   • Note: This could be for the creation of the formulary OR a restructuring of the formulary

   • Follow up Question: Considering my ASC, what are your pharmacy services recommendations for the best practices in avoiding medication errors.

10. What should my ASC do with expired drugs?

The More Questions ASKED, The Better

Asking More Questions of any Potential Pharmacy Partner will Offer the Surgery Center Valuable Insight if That Partnership Can Benefit their ASC’s Functionality & Efficiency

Where an Ambulatory Surgery Center is located, it’s state of construction, and if it’s currently in operation will change the types of questions needed to be asked of potential pharmacy service partners. The Best Pharmacy Partners do NOT have a Rigid Method of Operation, but they operate with Flexibility that Allows their Pharmacy Services to Mold & Fit Each Individual ASC’s needs

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