Practical tools for ASC pharmacy teams.

Free resources to help your surgery center understand, assess, and strengthen its pharmacy program.

20 Pharmacy Questions Every ASC Should Answer Before the Surveyor Asks.

A quick readiness check for ASC leaders who want fewer surprises, including 5 questions a DEA investigator will ask.

A few of the 20

  • →Why is this multi-dose vial on the anesthesia cart?
  • →Can you produce two years of fentanyl records in 30 minutes?
  • →Where is your dantrolene, and can your team start the protocol?
  • +17 more, with the answers your team should already know.

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Insights for ASC leaders and clinical directors.

Survey readiness, DEA compliance, drug diversion prevention, and pharmacy best practices, written for the people who are actually running ambulatory surgery centers.

QAPI

The 8 Most Commonly Cited Pharmacy Deficiencies in ASC Surveys

Surveyors cite the same gaps year after year. Here is exactly what they look for, and what a solid program looks like in each area.

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SURVEY READINESS

What DEA Registration Requires Before Opening Day

Every ASC that handles controlled substances needs a valid DEA registration before opening day. Here is what the process requires.

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DEA

What TSBP Actually Requires of Texas ASCs

Texas ASCs operate under two overlapping regulatory frameworks. Most programs are built for one of them. Here is what TSBP actually requires.

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DE NOVO ASC

The Pharmacy Steps in De Novo ASC Development

The pharmacy program is one of the most underestimated components of the de novo ASC development process. Here is every step, in the right sequence.

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DRUG DIVERSION

Building a Defensible Drug Diversion Program

Detection protocols, staff accountability, and the documentation that creates a defensible chain of custody before suspicion becomes crisis.

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Live and on-demand education for ASC teams.

10 Pharmacy Questions Every ASC Should Answer

Survey readiness starts with knowing what surveyors ask. Walk through the 10 questions that catch centers off guard and how to be ready for each one.

Controlled Substance Audit Readiness for ASCs

A practical walkthrough of what a controlled substance audit covers, what documentation is required, and what most centers get wrong.

What Surveyors Look For in an ASC Pharmacy Program

A plain-language breakdown of the pharmacy standards surveyors use, what they expect to see, and where most programs fall short.

Diversion Does Not Announce Itself

How drug diversion happens in ambulatory surgery centers, the behavioral and documentation signs, and how to build a culture of accountability.

DEA Readiness Basics for Surgery Centers

What the DEA expects from an ASC, how an investigator approaches a visit, and what to have ready before you are ever notified.

The Hidden Pharmacy Role in Your ASC

How pharmacy oversight intersects with infection control, patient safety, QAPI, and accreditation readiness in ways most centers do not anticipate.

Register for the next webinar or request a replay at hello@ambulatorypharmacist.com

Common questions about ASC pharmacy programs.

Does an ambulatory surgery center need a consultant pharmacist?
Yes. Most accreditation standards and state regulations require a licensed consultant pharmacist for ASC pharmacy oversight. But having a pharmacist is not the same as having a pharmacy program. A pharmacist who visits occasionally and signs off on logs is meeting a minimum requirement. A pharmacy program builds on those visits with staff education, corrective action tracking, QAPI reporting, and documented improvement over time.
What is the difference between a consultant pharmacist and a pharmacy program?
A consultant pharmacist visits, reviews, and documents. A pharmacy program adds structure, staff education, follow-through tracking, QAPI reporting, and documented improvement over time. The difference shows up when a surveyor asks what changed after the last finding, how the team was trained, and what the trend looks like over the last year. A pharmacist visit cannot answer those questions. A program can.
How do we get our ASC pharmacy ready for a survey?
Survey readiness comes from consistent pharmacy oversight, documented staff education, controlled substance accountability, and corrective action follow-through built into every quarter. It is not a sprint you run the week before notification. Centers with the strongest survey results run a structured pharmacy program year-round and treat each visit as a documentation and education opportunity, not just an inspection.
Can Ambulatory Pharmacist Partners help with DEA and controlled substance compliance?
Yes. DEA audit readiness and controlled substance oversight are core parts of every Ambulatory Pharmacist Partners program, including mock DEA audits, accountability documentation, and diversion awareness training. We help centers build the documentation, procedures, and staff knowledge that a DEA investigator would expect to find, so there are no surprises if a visit occurs.
Which accreditation bodies apply to ASC pharmacy programs?
The primary accreditors for ASCs are AAAHC, The Joint Commission, QUAD A, ACHC, and CMS. State licensing boards and the DEA also apply. Each accreditor has its own pharmacy standards, and they overlap in some areas and diverge in others. Ambulatory Pharmacist Partners builds programs that meet and exceed the standards of all major accreditors, so your center is prepared regardless of which body surveys you.