VA CMOPs: producing a pattern of quality and efficiency in government.

Objective: To describe the modern, highly efficient, and effective production of prescriptions in a contemporary pharmacy practice setting using large-scale automated dispensing systems.

Setting: 83,000-square-foot Department of Veterans Affairs Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (VA CMOP) facility in Tucson, AZ.

Practice Description: The Tucson VA CMOP is one of seven highly automated, large-volume mail service pharmacy operations that prepare, dispense, and mail approximately 100 million prescriptions annually to veterans throughout the United States.