Ordering Prescription Food Process

Implementation Date: 10/2021

Date of Last Revision: 3/7/2023

Next Review Due: 3/6/2025

 

Reviewed by VTH Administrative Team: 10/2021

Reviewed by VTH Board: N/A

 

Approved by VTH Director: 10/2021

Reviewed by Biosecurity Subcommittee: N/A

Subject to modification by the VTH Director without approval.

Policy

To provide the process for prescribing and dispensing prescription food for dogs and cats from the Caretaker. This policy covers all dog and cat food maintained by the Caretaker staff.
All food being sold will be treated as a prescription product. Prescriptions must be entered in the HIS (Health Information System) for any food being sold. If a sample is being given, it should be entered as an RxOut, which will allow putting in the information about the diet but not charging the client. No food is to be filled without having generated a label in the HIS (Health Information System). This requires that the food be pinned on both the doctor and pharmacy worklist. Labels must be sent to the printer ‘erd’ for caretakers to fill them, unless filling at VMSC. 

Guidelines

• Food prescriptions will only be filled during Medication Dispensary hours (8am – 5pm M-F)
• Labels must be generated for all food before it is filled. This requires pinning by a doctor.
• Put in samples as RxOut in the HIS to document food being dispensed but this does not charge the client.
• When sending food prescriptions outside, enter as an RxOut with documentation on the food diet and where it is sent to. 

Procedure (if applicable)

VTH Clinical Staff

1. Enter a food prescription in the HIS (Health Information System) in the same manner as any other prescription medication. You can enter up to 99 refills if desired.
2. A doctor must pin the food from the doctor worklist.
3. During pharmacy hours, a pharmacist will pin from the pharmacy list and send the label to the care takers. 
4. After hours, the doctor must pin on the pharmacy worklist following the same process as for medications. When the option comes up to print the label, make sure the printer indicates ‘erd’. This should be the default.
5. When the label prints in the caretaker space, the food will be filled, the label placed on the bag and the food left at the SAC front desk. 

VMSC Clinical Staff

1. Enter a food prescription in the HIS (Health Information System) in the same manner as any other prescription medication. You can enter up to 99 refills if desired.
2. A doctor must pin the food from both the doctor and pharmacy worklists. When the option comes up to print the label, either cancel out or change the printer to ‘DIS’
3. If having the caretakers fill the food for pickup at SAC, change the printer to ‘erd’ and print the label.
4. Unless sending the label to the ‘erd’ printer, fill the food from the VMSC food room.

Caretakers

1. Food is only to be filled in accordance with a printed label. 
2. When the label prints, retrieve the food indicated on the label. The label also indicates the quantity. 
3. Attach the label to the food and leave at the SAC front desk.
4. If a food is out of stock, notify dispensary staff to make any necessary charge adjustments and turn off the code so it cannot be ordered.
5. When a food that was previously out of stock is back stocked again, notify dispensary staff to turn on the code.

Dispensary Staff

1. When a food order is pinned, a pharmacist will approve it off the pharmacy worklist and send the label to the caretakers’ printer.
2. Dispensary staff will turn food codes on and off based on stock information from caretakers.

Definitions (if applicable)

HIS: (Health Information System) 

Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH): The collective clinical services of the Large Animal Clinic, Midwest Equine, the Small Animal Clinic, and the Veterinary Medicine South Clinic.