Mercer County Hospital's Pharmacy department offers expertise in both clinical services and operational functions.

Clinical service includes drug utilization, providing patients with the proper medication and dosages at the right time for a reasonable cost. Other aspects of clinical service include:

• Drug therapy selection and review screening for allergies, drug/drug interaction and food/drug interactions.
• A pharmacy and therapeutic committee reviews state-of-the-art drug therapy, drug information, formulary service and antidote information.
• An educational program provided to patients and hospital staff, and pharmacy staff development that includes continuing education, a pharmacy intervention workshop and continuous training and competency assessment.

Operational functions include:

• Drug procurement, contracting and purchasing for special drug orders; for example,
  chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients.
• Drug packaging to decrease waste and ensure convenient administration.
• Unit-dosed drug distribution to prevent error.
• Drug preparation that includes IV admixture and special compounding.
• Administrative compliance with state and federal law and with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Federal Drug Administration, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Pharmacy Practice Act.
• Quality assurance functions that include unit inspections for drug safety, tracking of medication errors and adverse drug reactions and participation in the FDA's Medwatch program.