Tips and Resources for Medication Reconciliation

Medication errors occur despite best intentions and are often the result of medication discrepancies. Medication reconciliation reduces the likelihood of errors by addressing medication discrepancies that result from multiple points of care, transitions in care, or patient report. Providers and practices may feel overwhelmed by new record systems and regulatory requirements, but multiple resources are available to assist providers to perform medication reconciliation with their patients. Providers and practices should implement medication reconciliation strategies, such as adoption of a multidisciplinary approach, engagement of patients to track medications, and identification of patients who are at high risk for medication list discrepancies and errors. Medication reconciliation will ultimately improve quality of care.