Pharmacists remain the driving force behind the selection of pharmacy information and automated drug dispensing systems in most hospitals and health systems. But as newer technologies emerge, such as computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and bar-coding, pharmacists are increasingly being left out of the decision-making loop.
Reducing the interim between the final entry on a medication administration record and printing out the MAR can result in a significant improvement in patient safety. That's what a small rural hospital in Pennsylvania discovered using a software application that created virtually up-to-the-minute daily MAR printouts. By decreasing lag time from more than two hours to less than 15 minutes, the hospital pharmacy reduced medication errors by 40%.
Does radio frequency identification (RFID) technology have a future in automated drug distribution? This hot technology is rapidly gaining momentum with drug companies, chain pharmacies, and distributors as a way to combat counterfeit drugs. And recently Mountain View, Calif.-based Omnicell Inc. rolled out a p rototype RFID version of its OptiFlex inventory management system.
Hospitals and health systems are under increasing pressure to reengineer their medication use systems and to make the process safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective. In most instances, these types of reengineering initiatives are proprietary. Hospitals aren't in the habit of sharing the details about such projects with their competitors. But what if the data from such a reengineering project were made public for all to see and to learn from?
Technology Update column for Drug Topics issue of Sept. 13, 2004.
Drugstores chains using CenterPost's technology can automatically generate phone calls and e-mails to tell patients their prescriptions are ready for pick-up or to remind them it's time for refills.
New Medicare law to boost electronic prescribing
An exclusive survey shows retail pharmacists have less to spend than their hospital peers but are happier with what they have
An exclusive survey shows retail pharmacists have less to spend than their hospital peers but are happier with what they have
Technology Update column for Drug Topics issue of Aug. 9, 2004.
ASHP 2004 summer meeting tech roundup
infection control/data mining
Story shows how Misys' CPOE system is being used in a New Jersey hospital
Technology Update column for issue of July 12, 2004.
Distributed Delivery Networks Corp. has launched an automated will-call station that lets consumers pay for and pick up their prescriptions without having to stand in line.
Technology Update column for issue of June 7, 2004.
A hospital uses CareFusion's wireless device to reduce its med error rate
The recent FDA bar code announcement, including National Drug Code (NDC) and JCAHO's plan to implement bar-coding prompts vendors to bring out offerings at breakneck speed.
Computerized physician order entry reduces prescribing errors but such systems also require advanced clinical decision support and clincial pharmacist involvement, according to a Northwestern Memorial Hospital study of prescribing errors.
Magee Hospital in Pennsylvania wins award for the Pharmacy Knowledgebase on-line product it created
Drug wholesaler association releases report dealing with which drugs should be first to be bar coded
If physicians are to successfully make the shift from paper to electronic prescribing, the various players in the U.S. healthcare system will have to cooperate, according to a report from the nonprofit think tank eHealth Initiative.
Impact of FDA's bar code requirements on hospital pharmacies. A look at how Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pittsburgh has created its program.
Technology Update column for issue of May 3, 2004.
Saferating.com's web-based "paperless form" technology builds database for patient safety.
Pharmacy owners to delay automating until their script volume justifies the expense have it backwards, says a North Carolina pharmacist whose business has risen 20% since he bought a robot.
Technology Update column for April 5, 2004 issue.
The generic biopharmaceutical market is opening up great opportunities for manufacturers.
The author believes that it's not a good idea for pharmacists to buy their technology products from their drug wholesalers
Highlights of a session on CPOE at the HIMSS meeting
