Starting Healthy Living

Medication reconciliation is a practice done at every visit to your provider, hospital, or emergency room to keep your medication list safe and right for you. This National Patient Safety Goal is often referred to as a "Medication Review". Because you know what medications, vitamins, herbals, and supplements you are taking, it is important that you share this information with your healthcare team. This is how it goes:

• You tell your provider about all your medications, herbals, supplements, vitamins

• Your provider compares your medication list with what is in your VA medical record. Is it the same?

• Your provider looks for medications that may be unsafe for you to take or might not have any benefit

• You and your provider come up with a final list that includes changes you have decided on together.

• You leave the VA with this list and bring a copy to any of your non-VA providers

Healthy Living (MedlinePlus)

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Updated May 2011
Clinical Advisory Board Sponsor: Rose Mary Pries, PhD
Clinical Subject Matter Experts: Maureen Layden, MD, MPH; Eric Spahn, PharmD
Patient Education Subject Matter Experts: Kathy Horvath, PhD