Healthcare Professional Resources

American Medical Association (AMA)
515 N. State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
Phone: (800) 621-8335
E-mail: Can e-mail the AMA directly through the site
Web site: www.ama-assn.org
The AMA's envisioned future is to be an essential part of the professional life of every physician and an essential force for progress in improving the nation's health. AMA offers a Quality of Care Campaign with activities that fall under four primary categories: Safety, Advocacy, Measurement and Education. Through awareness programs, confidential error-reporting systems and patient education efforts, AMA is working to promote a culture of patient safety.

DrugIntel
PMB 311, 303 W. Lancaster Avenue
Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087
Phone: (610) 971-0611
Web site: www.drugINTEL.com
The publicly accessible section of the DrugIntel Web site focuses on resources for people purchasing and using prescription medications and includes ways to address side effects and adverse reactions, including errors.

Institute of Medicine (IOM)
500 Fifth Street NW
Washington DC 20001
Phone: (202) 334-2352
Web site: www.iom.edu
The IOM provides unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large. IOM’s “To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System” report lays out a comprehensive strategy by which government, healthcare professionals, industry, and patients can reduce preventable medical errors.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
1800 Byberry Road, Suite 810
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006
Phone: (215) 947-7797
Web site: www.ismp.org
ISMP is a non-profit agency of pharmacists, nurses and physicians with the mission of learning about medication errors, understanding their system-based causes and disseminating recommendations on error prevention. It is not a regulatory, licensing, inspecting or accrediting agency. Products and services include: professional and patient newsletters; educational programs on medication safety; posters, videos, patient brochures, books and other drug safety tools; and on-site risk assessments of medication safety in healthcare facilities.

National Coordinating Center for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP)
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: (301) 827-3246
E-mail: No general e-mail address, but the site provides contact information for the group’s officers.
Web site: www.nccmerp.org
NCCMERP, a coalition of 20 national organizations, offers general information on medication error, as well as a detailed classification of medication errors. The Web site also offers a variety of formal recommendations and information on how to report medication errors.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857-0001
Phone: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
E-mail: E-mail the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research directly from the site
Web site: www.fda.gov
Patient safety site: www.fda.gov/cder/drug/MedErrors/ (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
Patient education: http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/DPAdefault.htm
The patient safety site includes medication error reports, a list of specific drugs associated with errors, directions for reporting a medication error and federal guidelines. Downloadable resources are available on the patient education page. For information on individual drugs, visit the Consumer Drug Information page.

United States Pharmacopeia Convention (USP)
12601 Twinbrook Parkway
Rockville, Maryland 20852-1790
Phone: 800-227-8772
E-mail: No general e-mail address, but the site provides many addresses, depending on specific needs.
Web site: www.usp.org
USP is the official public standards–setting authority for all prescription and OTC medicines, dietary supplements and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the United States. USP disseminates its standards to pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacists and other users through its publication, United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP–NF), other publications, official USP Reference Standards materials and educational courses. In addition, the Medication Errors Reporting Program allows healthcare professionals to directly report medication errors to USP, while MEDMARX®, an Internet-based medication error and adverse drug reaction reporting program, is designed for use in hospitals and health systems.