Jerry Fahrni

Tag: Pharmacy Technology

  • Pharmacy technology – Automated dispensing

    PROmanager-Rx is an automated system from McKesson designed for dispensing unit-dosed oral solids. PROmanager-Rx has a 12,000-dose capacity and uses a conveyor system and bar-code scanner to fill orders generated through the pharmacy information system.

    The system automates storage, dispensing, restocking, and various inventory management functions via the McKesson Connect-Rx software platform. And of course the system interfaces with McKesson’s pharmaceutical distribution system.

    According to the McKesson product brochure:

    The PROmanager-Rxâ„¢ system helps hospital pharmacies get the most out of manufacturer packaged oral solid medications. And relieves the burden of medication packaging.

    It’s the only fully automated system that directly stores and dispenses pre-packaged oral solids. PROmanager-Rx is ideal for patient-centric filling. Bar-code-driven robotics scan every dose for the greatest possible safety and accuracy.

    Pharmacists are freed from packaging and dispensing activities so they can play more integral roles on the clinical care team. Bar-code scanning also simplifies tasks such as managing returns, expired meds, and overall inventory.

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  • Cool Technology for Pharmacy

    The ValiMed Medication Validation System by CDEX, Inc.

    According to the ValiMed website:

    CDEX’s technology stands alone, able to precisely identify medications in real time with its patented Enhanced Photoemission Spectroscopy technology.

    Energy at a preset wavelength interrogates the selected substance, capturing a unique emission spectrum which is then compared to the propriety signature, resulting in a simple “VALIDATED” reading when matched.

    Each medication reveals its own distinct and easily readable signature. By comparing the fingerprint of a tested medication against the signature for that medication in our data library, the ValiMed technology is able to verify a match, presuming there is one.

    The ValiMed Medication and Narcotic Validation System offers superior value to hospital medication safety programs and quality control processes by:

    – Providing immediate, real-time validation of the substance itself.

    – Providing an opportunity to standardize and optimize internal medication safety processes including Training, QA and Regulatory Compliance.

    – Providing a real-time means of validating narcotic returns and mitigating narcotic diversion.

    – Providing pharmacy staff and clinicians with a simple, fast, straightforward and cost-effective way to ensure that the RIGHT drug in the RIGHT dose is administered to the patient.

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  • “What’d I miss?” – Week of January 3rd

    As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.
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  • Year end thoughts for 2009

    2009 brought many new and exciting changes not only in my personal life, but in the world of pharmacy and technology as well. I’ve learned many new things, gained some skills previously absent from my armamentarium, met some great new people, discovered the “real” internet for the first time, traveled more than ever before, discovered I don’t know diddly squat about a great many things, and am more excited about the next year than I can remember in recent history.

    Below is a list of opinions about a great many things that I have seen and done over the past year. Some are pharmacy related, some are technology related, some are personal, and some are just random thoughts.
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  • Technology to prevent medication errors (article)

    Forni A, Chu HT. Technology Utilization to Prevent Medication Errors. Curr Drug Saf. 2009 Oct 7 [ePub]

    This is a nice review article explores current technologies available to healthcare and what role they play in the reduction of medication errors. The article provides a short review of literature to support each technology reviewed. Technologies covered include: Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), Patient Monitoring: Electronic Surveillance, Reminders, and Alerts, Telemedicine, Bar Code Medication Verification (BMV), a.k.a. Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA), Smart Infusion Pumps, and electronic medication administration record (eMAR).

    The article concludes with:

    The implementation of health information technology can result in a reduction in ADEs and can impact the quality of patient care. Systems integration and compliance are vital in achieving a safe medication use process. Hospitals that have extensive computerized technology and have greater automation tend to have better patient outcomes, including fewer complications, reduced inpatient mortality and lower hospital costs. Regulatory agencies and payers are now using performance standards and financial incentives to force practices changes. This may increase the speed and likelihood of technology implementation. While many providers may dismiss technology as being beyond their scope of practice or responsibility, both practitioners and patients should be prepared for these changes.

    It’s time for healthcare system to take note of this and begin planning accordingly. You can’t escape the explosion of technology available, nor can you afford to ignore the implications of choosing not to use it.

  • Quick Hit – “I don’t see the icon”

    blind_computerSeveral times on this blog I have discussed the need to advance pharmacy through the use of new and exciting technologies. Yesterday I experienced something that brings light to the reason pharmacy practice is still in the Stone Age, where it may live forever.

    We had a minor pharmacy system upgrade yesterday. The system was down for about 45 minutes. Although minor, the upgrade required the removal of the previous version of the pharmacy software prior to installing the new version. Overall the process went smoothly. However, within a few minutes of giving the pharmacists the all clear I began receiving phone call after phone call because the upgrade “didn’t work” and they couldn’t “get into Siemens”. The problem: the install client failed to put the shortcut icon for the pharmacy system on their desktop. Seriously, that’s the problem? Wow!

    The “problem” brought the pharmacy to a standstill. So, the next time you talk about carousel technology, automated packaging, or clinical decision support software, remember that many pharmacists still struggle with using a computer; a device that is common in nearly every household in America.

    I bet Steve Jobs doesn’t have these problems. ;-)

  • The tech-check-tech model to improve clinical practice

    pharm_logo2Earlier this year the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy published “A vision statement by the ASHP Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology”. The statement represents thoughts on the current state of pharmacy practice and contains a healthy dose of ideas on how technology can help support and improve pharmacy practice.
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  • “What’d I miss?” – Week of November 15th

    As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.
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  • Cool Technology for Pharmacy

    Researchers from the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a small microchip that can automate the process of testing the activity of cancer drugs against a patient’s tumor cells.

    microchemosensor
    The chip is just a few millimeters in size, but packed with sensors. Here, a ceramic version of the chip is shown.

    The microsensors on the chip record, among other things, changes in the acid content of the medium and the cells’ oxygen consumption; photographs of the process are also taken by a microscope fitted underneath the microtitre plate. All of the data merge in a computer that is connected to the system, and which provides an overview of the metabolic activity of the tumor cells and their vitality.

    The robots and microtitre plates are kept in a climatic chamber, which, through precisely regulated temperature and humidity, provides an environment similar to that of the human body, and also protects the tumor cells against external influences that can falsify the test results.

    After the tumor cells have been able to divide undisturbed for a few hours, the robot applies an anti-cancer substance. If their metabolic activity declines over the next day or two, the active substance was able to kill the tumor cells and the drug is effective. Using the microchips, twenty-four active substances or combinations of active substances can be tested simultaneously in this way.

    The reason that such technology is so important is obvious; treatment with chemotherapy is dangerous and unpleasant for patients. The ability to automate the identification of an ideal chemotherapy regimen not only decreases the patient’s exposure to unnecessary chemotherapy, but speeds up the entire process as well.

  • Dealing with the shortcomings of healthcare information systems

    This week has kept me busy dealing with issues surrounding our various clinical systems and how they fit, or don’t fit, into various processes. If you’ve been reading this blog then you are probably a little too familiar with one of the problems; the dreaded allergy issues which I’ve discussed here and here. The issue runs much deeper then I’m willing to go into here, but suffice it to say that it’s been a real pain in the rear. The other significant issue has to do with bar code medication administration and “things we can’t do” with our current system.

    Anyway, I’ve been in meeting after meeting this week listening to people argue over things that I consider outside of our control and basically spending a lot of time talking about what our systems can’t do. As you can imagine the discussions can become quite energetic. During one particularly heated discussion I asked a key player to forget about what we couldn’t change and asked them to focus on the issues that could be controlled. The end result was a general consensus that we could control and correct approximately 60% of the problem by working within the confines of the systems and deal with the remaining 40% through education and accountability. The arguing took 60 minutes, the ultimate solution took 15.

    Believe me, I am painfully aware of the shortcomings of our various clinical systems, but I really don’t see the need to dwell on things that are outside of my control; a lesson I learned from my wife. Oh sure, I get frustrated and vent every now and then, but the bottom line is that I have to work within the limitations of the systems put in front of me.  You see engineers do it all the time; focus on how to make it better not on what can’t be done. I think healthcare professionals could learn a lot from engineers. Just a thought.