Planning and coordinating pharmaceutical purchasing

The planning and coordination of the pharmaceutical purchasing process are discussed. Planning for pharmaceutical purchasing should begin with decisions regarding why a purchasing policy is needed, what the institution's purchasing policy will be, and what departments will be involved in purchasing. General goals of purchasing and procedures for revising purchasing functions are presented, and the role of the pharmacy department, materials management, and other hospital departments in purchasing is discussed. Coordinating input on purchasing decisions from medical staff, administration, and clinical and technical pharmacy personnel to achieve purchasing goals and objectives is discussed. A well-designed pharmaceutical purchasing system provides for planned and scheduled purchases, competitive bidding, product standardization, group purchasing, information sharing, internal accountability, and quality assurance.