I recently had a telephone conversation with a competitor. Not usually that noteworthy, but this one stayed with me for a very specific reason.

The competitor noted that he had been to the Hartley website, had read about and viewed some of the equipment we use for endotoxin testing...and then he started talking about the methods that his company was using for endotoxin testing. I was more than a little surprised at what our conversation revealed.

As I began to question him about his methodology, it became evident that there were important things he wasn't aware of and answers he didn't have regarding the intricacies of endotoxin testing - specifically that the active reagent for detection of endotoxins is very sensitive...that both temperature and the nature of certain drugs themselves can adversely effect reagent...that the result of such influence could be the rendering of a false negative.

The fact here is that the drug actually interacts with the lysate and prevents it from performing the reaction my competitor expected. He was unaware of this interaction.

We continued our talk, which included my comments and pointed suggestions. He was grateful for my input, which led to a beneficial reconsidering of his current and his previously unquestioned methodology. I'm thinking that he is not alone...that there are pharmacists out there with similar perceptions of products promising to reduce testing to a button down process of "tube it, temp it and send it on its way."

It speaks to a perhaps widespread lack of understanding and awareness of the actual science behind endotoxin testing - and it bears further investigation.

I'll let you know what I find out.

DID YOU KNOW...There are pharmaceutical professionals out there using "incubators" that are nothing more than metal boxes with a plug and a light bulb as a heat source?

The ideal incubator is a convection oven with a digital outread. It circulates the heat evenly throughout the device.  With a light bulb box, you're going to have hot zones and cooler zones. How do you know where those zones are with a light bulb heat source? You don't. Bacteria grow in different temperatures. Some prefer slightly over room temp, some prefer body temp ... and this guy throwing his test tubes into an incubator with a light bulb apparently prefers to remain in the dark.

Born and raised in Orange County, CA, and hired fresh out of USC Pharmacy School, Julie has been with Hartley for almost three years.  Originally a pre-med student, Julie completed a summer pharmaceutical research internship at Allergan her first year out and she was hooked. She changed her focus to Pharmaceuticals and eventually embraced pain management and sterile compounding because they challenged her.  What you need to know about Julie Mai is that she thrives on challenge.

Motivated, focused and fearless, Julie brings to her position an insatiable hunger for learning, the highest sense of personal responsibility and an uncanny attention to detail - the ability to see things that others might overlook.

In her own words...

"Each time I work with a prescription, I look at it as if I am the first person and the last person to see it - because I know that each syringe will impact someone's life."

Julie's duties at Hartley are optimized by (and dependant upon) this professional philosophy. Upon receiving a prescription, she carefully prepares the compounding document, double checks the dosage and prescription for accuracy, compares the prescription to the patient profile to ensure a match, reviews allergies and makes any necessary adjustments along the way.  She then checks the dosage again, also checking the label before entering the IV room where it is again reviewed by fresh eyes.  It is then, and only then, that the compounding process begins - volumes are drawn, double-checked by another pharmacist, the label verified.

"I love my job. I'm honored to be a part of Hartley Medical. Not everyone does what we do - especially in accordance with such high standards. There really is a difference, and it's us - a skilled team of sharp, focused individuals that respect and trust one another - and is up to the challenge of sterile compounding and responsible pain management."

Thank you, Julie, for embodying the standards that make Hartley Medical the national leader in our field.