Health Care Department Operations Manual

Cancel

Chapter 3 – Health Care Operations

Article 5 – Pharmacy and Medication Services

View All Sections >

3.5.13 Heat Alert Medications

  • Policy

    • California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) Systemwide Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee shall maintain a list of Heat Alert Medications to prevent patient harm when using Heat Alert Medications.  The Heat Alert Medication List shall be reviewed and updated annually and disseminated to all health care staff.

  • Purpose

    • To ensure the safe and effective use of Heat Alert Medications and the communication and dissemination of the Heat Alert Medication List to all health care staff.

  • Responsibility

    • Statewide

      • The Systemwide P&T Committee Chairperson shall ensure a Heat Alert Medication List is maintained, and that appropriate tools, training, and technical assistance are available to all health care staff to support clinically appropriate use of the list.

    • Regional

      • Regional Health Care Executives are responsible for implementation of this policy at the subset of institutions within an assigned region and shall ensure that the Heat Alert Medications policy and other relevant decision support tools are disseminated and accessible to all health care staff.

    • Institutional

      • The Chief Executive Officer and Warden are responsible for implementation of this policy at the institution level.  Program Leads shall ensure that the institution uses existing forums such as local quality committees to disseminate the Heat Alert Medications policy, procedure, and other relevant decision support tools to all institution health care staff.

  • Procedure Overview

    • CCHCS and CDCR shall maintain a Heat Alert Medication List and take special precautions to prevent heat-related illness in patients prescribed medications that have the potential to impair thermoregulation.  These precautions are documented in a CDCR Heat Plan enforced from May 1 through October 31 each year and whenever temperatures warrant.

  • Procedure

    • The Heat Alert Medication List shall be reviewed and updated annually to provide guidance to health care staff about medications considered Heat Alert Medications and the appropriate handling of Heat Alert Medications to prevent patient harm.

    • The Heat Alert Medication List shall be posted and available on the CCHCS Lifeline Patient Safety.

    • Data shall be drawn from the electronic Health Care Incident Reporting System including, but not limited to, Heat Alert Medication related health care incidents, current medication usage across the health care system, community standards, and be reported to the P&T Committee for consideration for addition to the High Alert Medication List.

    • Heat Alert Medications are identifiable in existing CCHCS patient care tools, which may include the Electronic Health Record System.

    • Decision support tools shall be revised, or new tools developed to help health care and custody staff identify patients who may be at risk of heat related illness (e.g., Heat Meds Custody Report, Heat Medications Registry, Patient Summary, Patient Medication Profile or Patient Risk Profile).

    • Institution staff shall not alter the Heat Alert Medication List.

    • Recommendations to add or remove a medication from the Heat Alert Medication List shall be submitted to PharmacyandTherapeuticsCommunications@cdcr.ca.gov.

    • Heat Medication Reports

      • Designated health care and custody staff shall obtain a Heat Medication Report of all patients currently prescribed a Heat Alert Medication on a daily basis between May 1 and October 31 and whenever temperatures warrant.

        • The Heat Medication Report shall identify all patients on heat medications while their medication order is active and for a period of time after discontinuation.

        • The period of time that heat medication alerts continue after a medication has been discontinued shall be determined at the time of review of the Heat Alert Medication List. Any additions or deletions shall be made as appropriate based on available data including, but not limited to, clinical evidence and pharmaceutical parameters.

      • Care Teams and other appropriate health care staff shall monitor patients listed on the Heat Medications Registry to identify those who may require follow-up health care services or a change in drug therapy due to a heat alert.  This registry is available on the Quality Management Portal at the following link: https://qmtools.accounts.cdcr.ca.gov/Reports/report/QM/Tools/HeatMedications

      • Custody staff shall identify and locate all patients who are on the Heat Meds Custody Report during Heat Plan activation.  This report is available on the Quality Management Portal at the following link: https://qmtools.accounts.cdcr.ca.gov/Reports/report/QM/NonClinical/HeatMedicationsCustody

  • References

    • Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Subtitle A, Subchapter C, Part 160, Subpart A, Section 160.103, Definitions

    • Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Subtitle A, Subchapter C, Part 164, Subpart E, Section 164.501, Definitions; Section 164.502, Uses and disclosures of protected health information: General Rules; Section 164.506, Uses and disclosures to carry out treatment, payment, or health care operations

    • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 1, Article 2, Section 1.2.6, Statewide Patient Safety Program

  • Revision History

    • Effective: 05/2007
      Revised: 10/16/2023 Reviewed: 07/08/2025