Vandalia Health makes significant investment in pharmacy services
Upgrading and expanding automated dispensing cabinets on inpatient nursing units, installing dispensing robots in retail pharmacy locations and adding pharmacists at to outpatient clinics are just some of the enhancements Vandalia Health is making to improve access and efficiencies for patients.
Automated dispensing cabinets and anesthesia carts in some facilities have been converted to new Pyxis MedStation ES and Pyxis Anesthesia System ES. This upgrade is necessary because the current equipment is at the end of its life. The new system will increase capacity to house more medications promoting faster medication turnaround time and provide new functionality allowing queuing of medication dispenses remotely.
Additionally, the organization took this opportunity to standardize its vendor for this equipment, leaving only one hospital not on the same platform.
Vandalia Health also has been focused on retail pharmacy services.
In March, the retail pharmacy in Cowen, West Virginia was relocated to the Cowen Clinic providing the pharmacy and patients with a new and modern pharmacy facility. In May, the retail pharmacy at Vandalia Health CAMC Memorial Hospital moved into a new, larger location in the medical staff office building on the hospital campus and installed a ScriptPro robot for dispensing.
This robotic system allows for faster turnaround time and accurate prescription dispensing, allowing more time for pharmacy technicians to deliver medications to the patients before leaving the hospital as part of the meds to beds program. Vandalia Health has invested in three of these robots for its busiest retail pharmacies.
Vandalia Health has added pharmacists into outpatient clinics such as rheumatology, internal medicine and heart failure to assist patients with their drug regimens and provide clinical support for providers. The organization plans to embed pharmacists in additional clinics as well.
“These changes are significant investments by or organization and will automate and streamline pharmacy services,” said Brian Sayre, PharmD, Vice President Vandalia Health Pharmacy Services. “A lot of great things are happening and will continue to happen as we move forward.”
Additionally, the specialty pharmacy at the CAMC Cancer Center – Charleston was recently recognized by the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) as an accredited specialty pharmacy for an additional three-year accreditation cycle. Vandalia Health’s other URAC accredited specialty pharmacy is at Davis Medical Center. These pharmacies are recognized for meeting very high-quality standards of patient care involved in managing specialty medications and monitoring and caring for patients taking those medications.