The National Hemophilia Foundation’s (NHF) Medical and Scientific Advisory Council (MASAC) issued its first “Standards of Service for Pharmacy Providers of Clotting Factor Concentrates for Home Use to Patients with Bleeding Disorders” after the recommendations were approved by MASAC on April 17, 2008, and adopted by NHF’s Board of Directors on June 15, 2008. The document established standards in the following areas: pharmacy staff knowledge of products and supplies; availability of a full range of products; prescription order processing; hours of operation and access to staff; delivery of orders; and recordkeeping, billing and product recall procedures.

“We’ve long promoted the importance of having safe, effective treatments,” said Craig Kessler, MD, Chair of MASAC. “With this recommendation, we are recognizing that the manner in which factor is provided also has an impact on patient health.”

The standards were the result of a two-year effort by a working committee of the Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation in Milwaukee, with additional input from a wide range of consumer, professional and provider groups across the country. “Having input from such a broad group, including consumers and healthcare providers, allowed us to create standards that genuinely address the needs of patients,” Kessler said.

NHF will distribute the document to all interested parties—consumers, NHF chapters, hemophilia treatment center staff and other healthcare providers, homecare companies and specialty pharmacies

“We’ve been very concerned that all of the changes in the marketplace during the last few years could lead to poor service from some pharmacies that either currently provide factor or may do so in the future,” said Val Bias, NHF CEO. “Of course, we encourage all providers to offer the highest level of service possible. These standards make clear what the minimum expectations are for anyone selling factor products.”

Read MASAC Document #181.