Optimizing Technology Solutions Grant Program Awards First Recipients

The Optimizing Technology Solutions Innovation Grant Program has awarded 2 researchers funding. Funded by Omnicell, the grant program is part of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation, in collaboration with the ASHP Innovation Center.

Kari Olson, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Kaiser Permanente, Denver, and Kamakshi Rao, PharmD, BCOP, FASHP, assistant director of pharmacy at the University of North Carolina Medical Center, were named the program's inaugural grant recipients. Olson’s project will evaluate a blood pressure monitoring program that is pharmacist-led, and enabled by smartphone technology, and electronic health record technologies. Rao’s project will develop a predictive model to guide pharmacist prioritization in the care of medically complex patient populations.

A goal of both projects is to stimulate and demonstrate the impact of optimizing health information technology that enhances medication safety, and to improve patient outcomes, according to ASHP.

“As hospital and health-system pharmacists continue to lead in the development, implementation, and effective use of new and emerging technologies to optimize medication use and improve patient outcomes, there will be more and more opportunities for pharmacists to develop additional creative solutions to today’s health care challenges,” said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD (Hon), FASHP, in a prepared statement. “The ASHP Innovation Center seeks to encourage the innovative use of technology and drive meaningful advancements in pharmacy practice that will improve the lives of our patients.”

Launched in 2019, the partnership between the ASHP Foundation and ASHP Innovation Center evaluates the vital roles that hospital and health-system pharmacy practitioners play in emerging science and the further digitalization of health care delivery.

“The innovation grant program reflects our commitment to supporting ASHP’s efforts to empower pharmacists to further their leadership in digitally transforming medication management and optimizing patient outcomes,” said ASHP Foundation CEO Steven A. Rubloff, in a prepared statement. “We hope that the results of these studies help pharmacists continue to advance pharmacy practice and improve patient care in all settings.”

REFERENCE

ASHP Foundation and ASHP Innovation Center Announce Optimizing Technology Solutions Grant Recipients [news release]. Bethesda, MD; July 30, 2020: email. Accessed July 30, 2020.