Inova has established in-house retail pharmacy services for the convenience of patients, the local community and Inova team members. There are retail pharmacy locations at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular at Fairfax Hospital and the Inova Schar Cancer. The Schar Cancer pharmacy is both a retail and an ACHC and URAC accredited specialty pharmacy where patients can fill prescriptions for medications used to treat chronic conditions such as cancer.

Our staff coordinates with providers to ensure continuity of care. Inova's retail pharmacies have practice agreements with many providers to manage the Prior Authorization process for many specialty medications. We provide medication therapy management for all patients with an emphasis on our specialty medication patients. Our pharmacies also have a Meds-to-Beds program in which patients’ prescriptions are filled at our retail pharmacies and delivered to the patients when they are ready to leave the hospital.

Our pharmacies work closely with many Inova departments: transplant, endocrinology, neurology, infectious disease/HIV clinic and infusion and oncology clinics to provide patients with the medication, resources and education to manage their conditions. All locations offer immunizations to employees, volunteers and the community.

Training future pharmacy professionals

Our PGY1 Community-Based residency program was established in 2020 and fully accredited by ASHP and APhA in the Spring of 2022. Our residents are prepared to develop and provide advanced patient care services with an emphasis on specialty medication delivery and patient education. At program completion, the resident will possess the knowledge, skills and experience to assume a patient care role as a clinical or community pharmacist or matriculate into a PGY2 residency, such as the PGY2 Ambulatory Care residency at Inova.

There is currently one PGY1 Community-Based Residency position available. See program details

Inova retail pharmacy locations

Note: In addition to the retail pharmacy locations at Inova Schar Heart and Vascular and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, and the specialty pharmacy located at Inova Schar Cancer, students also practice at various clinics and departments (oncology, endocrinology, infectious disease) located at our hospitals.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Award

Inova's pharmacy medication team has been recognized for successful implementation of error-reduction strategies around insulin administration. The ISMP Cheers Awards honor work that is setting a standard of excellence in the prevention of medication errors and adverse drug events.

The pharmacy medication team collaborated with other disciplines to implement error-reduction strategies, including restricting regular insulin to the IV route, requiring regular insulin prescribing via order sets with dosing limits, linking orders for IV push regular insulin to ensure dispensing of an appropriate needleless luer lock insulin syringe, and including an image of the appropriate syringe to be used for administration in the medication administration record. Learn More