Emily Buchanan

Her Story
Emily Buchanan, PharmD, BCPS, is the Medication Safety Officer and Clinical Manager for the SSM Health system based out of St. Louis, Missouri. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Creighton University and completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. After completing residency training, she joined the SSM Health system and has served as a front-line clinical pharmacist, a clinical manager, and started a PGY1 residency program serving as the residency program director. She has practiced in a variety of settings including internal medicine, inpatient and ambulatory anticoagulation management, and surgery. Medication safety is her passion. Additional interests and areas of focus include high reliability organizing and residency program growth and development.

Overview of Facility/Health System
SSM Health is a not for profit, Catholic health system based out of St. Louis, Missouri with locations across four states. SSM Health offers pharmacy services to patients across the continuum of care at 23 hospitals, 28 community pharmacies, in post-acute, home infusion, and ambulatory locations.

Significant Projects
Recently I optimized the health system's approach to heparin management, aligning to a single adult heparin nomogram, transitioning to weight-based dosing units, and implementing a customized heparin MAR calculator. I've also implemented improvements to the event reporting software, which created meaningful and actionable data. Current projects include 1) increasing event reporting across the organization by creating visibility and promoting psychological safety and, 2) continuation of a quality improvement project focused on reduction of severe hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients. Other active medication safety projects include pediatric electronic health record standardization and implemnentation of high alert medication strategies.
I also serve as the chair of our system residency advisory committee and have worked toward programmatic improvement including standardization of policy and manual, optimization of pass through funding, alignment of projects and strategy, and growth and expansion.

Initial Involvement in ASHP
I am a member of the Section of Inpatient Care Practitioners, Advisory Group on Medication Safety and recently presented at the 2023 Midyear Clinical Meeting during the Medication Safety and Quality Pearls session.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?
I became involved with ASHP as a student seeking a residency program. Later as a residency program director, I began using more of the available resources. During my first accreditation survey, I truly realized the value of being a member of the organization.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?
The resources available for residency programs and program directors is invaluable. ASHP is focused on improving programs, organizations, and advancing patient care and the pharmacy profession. The Medication Safety Resource Center has everything a new or seasoned practitioner would need to optimize the safe medication use system at an organization. The section advisory groups and ASHP Connect have linked me with brilliant individuals and put critical information at my fingertips.

What kind of advice would you provide for someone new to your specialty area?
Remember safety first. Safety touches everything! The more operationally excellent, financially responsible, and psychologically safe we become, the better we can care for patients.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?
ASHP represents pharmacy in a public and visible manner. They push for better representation and expansion of pharmacy services at the national level. Their advocacy for the profession serves all pharmacists. ASHP also connects clinicians and improves accessibility of information that is critical to improve the quality of care we deliver to patients.