Automation Eliminates Manual Rx Filling

Omnicell Inc's medication-use technologyhas helped increase patientsafety, reduce costs, and improve pharmacystaff productivity at the 248-bedChambersburg Hospital in Chambersburg,Pa.

"To fill medication orders, we wouldstart the process the night before, withtechnicians filling the medicationdelivery carts. A pharmacist wouldcheck to verify manually that it wasthe right medication for the rightpatient. The process took 7 hours,"explained Dave Grant, the hospital'sdirector of pharmacy.

Now, the hospital has implementedOmnicell's WorkflowRx software tohelp dispense 1200 patient medicationdoses in about 90 minutes. It is barcode-controlled to discourage dispensingerrors. The SafetyPak system packageseach patient's oral solid medicationsindividually and applies a barcode. Grant said that as a final check tohelp ensure that patients are gettingthe correct medication, the new technologypermits bedside scanning bythe nurse prior to administering themedication.