Jerry Fahrni

Author: Jerry Fahrni

  • Automated Medication Preparation for Chemotherapy [PP&P December 2013]

    The December 2013 issue Pharmacy Purchasing & Products features a Q&A session with Anne McDonnell, PharmD, BCOP; Caryn Belisle, RPh; and Josephine Leung, PharmD, MBA from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Pharmacy

    I had the opportunity to visit Brigham and Women’s Hospital earlier this year while doing some research for a project I’m working on. It’s a very interesting facility that makes use of a lot of pharmacy automation and technology. Based on what you read below you’d think that everything was perfect. What I saw was interesting, but far from perfection.

    Worth noting in the Q&A session is that the products being used are never defined, i.e. what technology is being used. There’s mention of a robot, but which robot? They speak of gravimetic analysis, but don’t say what system they’re referring to. I know because I’ve been there, but other people might like to know as well don’t you think?

    Here are some of the questions and responses I found particularly interesting in the PP&P article.
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  • Saturday morning coffee [December 28 2013]: Year End Edition

    “Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.” – Goran Persson

    So much happens over the course of a year that it’s often hard to remember what you did, where you went, who you met and what you read, watched and ate. Here are some thoughts and reflections on 2013…

    MUG_SMC
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  • California State Board master formula and sterile compounding logs

    I’ve been looking through a lot of the California State Board of Pharmacy requirements for sterile compounding logs and accompanying master formula records. The information can be found in the California Lawbook for Pharmacy 2013 [PDF], specifically California Code of Regulation (CCR), Article 4.5 Compounding.
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  • Merry Christmas 2013

    Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

    And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch of their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

    Luke 2:8-11

  • Saturday morning coffee [December 21 2013]

    “Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.” - Fran Lebowitz

    So much happens each and every week that it’s hard to keep up sometimes. Here are some of the tabs that are open in my browser this morning along with some random thoughts….

    MUG_SMC

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  • Update on unique device identifiers (UDI) from the FDA’s Jay Crowley, a webinar

    This could be worthwhile, and it’s free. Information from the email I received below.

    Just follow this link if interested in registering.

    unsummit_webinar

     

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  • Gema Kit – NFC-enabled medication compliance tracking for consumers

    GemaKitThis is interesting, the use of NFC tags to track patient’s medication compliance. Makes sense when you consider the ubiquitous nature of NFC on mobile devices these days.

    MedCityNews: “[Gema Kit] features stickers embedded with sensors that link to a patient reporting website. These small circles go on pills, pill bottles or blister packs. The sensor is proximity-based, so when a person’s cell phone is waved at the sticker, it brings up the reporting portal. In addition to recording when a pill was taken, a user can report symptoms, side effects and mood. The touch-to-activate patches include proprietary technology but also meet NFC Forum Type 2 Tag standards. They can be read by any NFC-enabled mobile device including cell phones, tablets or readers.”

    From the website:

    The Gema Kit includes:

    • Dual NFC and bar code/quick response coded “patches” of various sizes that the patient adheres to the outside of their pill bottles and packs
    • Links to a free engagement website
    • Back-end data tracking and reporting service for providers

    Each patch within the kit is paper thin. Through proximity of a user’s mobile device, the patch enables an instantly to a web-based patient system that will:

    • Enable logging of NIH PROMIS guided, quality of life measures at the point of care, as well as
    • Connecting patient’s to other stakeholders that are important them and to their fight.

  • Saturday morning coffee [December 14 2013]

    “Never tell your problems to anyone…20% don’t care and the other 80% are glad you have them.” – Lou Holtz

    So much happens each and every week that it’s hard to keep up sometimes. Here are some of the tabs that are open in my browser this morning along with some random thoughts….

    MUG_SMC
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  • Anesthesia Check – O.R. syringe labeling and medication tracking system

    Got a chance to see the new Anesthesia Check system from KitCheck while at ASHP Midyear. The system is designed using RFID and bar code technologies to provide safety for syringe labeling in the operating room (OR), as well as chain of custody and waste tracking for all medications used by anesthesia during surgery.
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  • #CareFusion jumps into the IV room with new Pyxis IV system

    You can add another player to already crowded IV workflow management system space.

    I heard a rumor that CareFusion had some new technology in their booth at ASHP Midyear this year. Since I’m at ASHP Midyear I decided to wonder over there to take a look, and lo and behold they did indeed have some new stuff. One of the things that caught my eye was their new IV room system.

    The system is like many that I’ve seen, complete with camera and barcode scanning for IV medication preparation. I didn’t have much time to evaluate the system, and it’s virtually impossible to do so in the span of a short demo, but overall the Pyxis IV system hits all the major safety checkpoints for this kind of stuff.

    CareFusion is playing things pretty smart by moving into the IV room. They’re taking a broad approach to managing the entire inpatient pharmacy, i.e. they now have products that cover medication distribution from back door to the patient, including both IV and non-IV medications. Well played.

    So what’s the over-under on how long it will take Omnicell to build or buy an IV room system?

    From the CareFusion newsroom:

    While the greatest percentage of a hospital pharmacy budget is the cost of IV medication, it is estimated that fewer than 10 percent of hospitals use automation within their IV room where infused medication is compounded. The new Pyxis IV system* helps standardize the workflow in the central pharmacy IV room to securely manage a closed-loop pick, prep and check process, while driving efficiency in pharmacy activities. This standardization also helps improve the accuracy and error rate reduction of the IV compounding process, as well as free up pharmacy staff to redeploy to clinical activities. The new Pyxis IV system consists of monitors in the IV room that walk clinicians through each compounding step. The system organizes all similar orders and recommends the proper vial size to use when compounding to help minimize waste. The system also has video cameras to record compounding components to help facilitate remote checking by a pharmacist, which saves time by eliminating the need for clean room entrance and exit processes