WFUBMC Department of Pharmacy
The mission of the Department of Pharmacy is to care for patients by optimizing drug therapy and ensuring medication safety.
The vision of the Department of Pharmacy is to be nationally recognized as a quality pharmaceutical care provider. Through our commitment to evidence-based medicine, pharmacotherapy and pharmacoeconomics, we will provide care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered. Our dedication to excellence through research and the development of education and training programs will ensure competent and confident practitioners.
The Department of Pharmacy at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center comprises over 250 staff who provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care programs and services across the continuum. The Department operates with a consolidated expense budget of $141,000,000, which is comprised of $60,000,000 in medication expense. 
Inpatient pharmaceutical care programs are provided from seven specialty care areas, including:
- Central Pharmacy - serves most adult non-critical care areas, including 21 adult medical/surgical units and 3 Day Hospital units. Includes various specialty services including both sterile and non-sterile compounding, nutrition support and controlled substances
- Critical Care Pharmacy - serves 8 critical care areas (BMT, CCU, CTICU, MICU, NSICU, SICU, TICU, and the Burn unit), as well as Intermediate Care
- Pediatrics Pharmacy - serves the NICU, PICU, Intermediate Care and Sedation Suite, as well as Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, General Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine/Surgery, Adolescent Psychiatric Services, and Pediatrics Day Hospital/Short Stay
- Emergency Department Pharmacy - provides 24-hour services to all segments of the Emergency Department, including the Adult/Acute, Pediatrics, and Fast Track areas
- Inpatient Surgery Pharmacy - serves the 26-suite inpatient surgical area and the 7-suite Pediatrics OR
- Outpatient Surgery Pharmacy - serves the 8-suite Outpatient Surgical Center and the 4-suite Minor Procedures area
Pharmacists routinely provide clinical services to patients admitted to more than 30 services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, including:
- Critical Care (MICU, SICU, Trauma, Neuro, CCU, NICU, PICU)
- Cardiology
- Pediatrics
- BMT
- Oncology
- General Surgery
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Kidney/Pancreas Transplantation
- Internal Medicine
- Nephrology
- Infectious Diseases
- Geriatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- Nutrition Support
In addition, the department provides services across the continuum of care including the following:
- Ambulatory Care Clinic – provides anticoagulation and lipid management services and is in the process of expanding to include diabetes management services, all utilizing point of care monitoring
- Retail Pharmacies – Outpatient prescription services are provided from four locations, Main Campus, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Piedmont Plaza, and Downtown Health Plaza. These pharmacies provide comprehensive pharmacy services which include patient education, disease state education, and medication therapy management.
- Long Term Care Pharmacy – provides oral, intravenous, and injectable medications to patients in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Services currently cover 450 beds. A consultant pharmacist is provided to each facility to coordinate care and ensure appropriate use of pharmaceuticals.
- Home Infusion Pharmacy – serves as an alternative to hospitalization for patients who are in need of intravenous or injectable medications. Pharmacists work in collaboration with physicians and nurses to provide care in the comfort of the patients’ home. Each patient receives an individualized plan of care, which includes drug utilization review, laboratory test evaluation, and medication therapy outcomes monitoring.
- Affiliate Institutions – The Department of Pharmacy provides leadership and staffing for three (3) affiliate critical access hospitals.
Departmental centers of excellence include:
- Center for Antimicrobial Utilization, Stewardship and Epidemiology (CAUSE), a nationally recognized center to optimize antimicrobial use at WFUBMC
- Drug Information Service Center
- Pharmacy Clinical Trials Service Center
- Quality Improvement, including Six Sigma and Process Management
- Reimbursement and Financial Management
- Quality of Care and Patient Safety - The Department of Pharmacy demonstrates its continued commitment to improved quality of care through its involvement in many medication safety initiatives and the utilization of automation technologies that allow for a safer medication use process, such as:
¨ Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE)
¨ Robot-Rx with the Envelope Delivery System (EDS)
¨ AcuDose-Rx automated medication dispensing cabinets
¨ NarcStation controlled substances management system
¨ MedCarousel automated dispensing system
¨ Barcode medication verification and charting at the bedside
¨ Fulfill-Rx pharmacy inventory management system
¨ Closed Loop supply chain management technology
¨ Pharmacy 2000 outpatient workflow – bar coding, prescription imaging, and pill imaging.
¨ Parata RDS – automated dispensing robot