Board OKs High Tech Drug Dispensary

DAYTON - In anticipa- tion of tightening regulations and changes in technol- ogy in the health care indus- try, the Columbia County Health System board voted on Thursday, Oct. 25, to purchase a new intravenous (IV) mixing hood and automatic dispensing machines that will be complete with a round-the-clock tele-phar- macist.

Sean Thurston, a doctor of pharmacy for Elk Drug in Dayton, presented two new styles of machines that will help expedite and organize the distribution of medica- tion to patients in the hospital district.

The first purchase Thur- ston presented is an intrave- nous fluid mixing hood.

The current intravenous fluid mixing hood is a lami- nar flow machine, Thurston said. This machine blows clean air at the worker to avoid air quality issues. In- stead, to meet air quality requirements that are likely to be imposed on the hospital in the coming years, the hood can be replaced with new technology that will allow the hood to keep air quality up to required levels, he said.

"(The IV hood) bring us up to par with where other hospitals and institutions are," Thurston said.

The state isn't requiring these upgrades yet but it will soon, Thurston said.

The new IV hood will allow more efficient options for IV therapy, including the option of mixing IVs for patients whose stomachs cannot absorb essential nutrients, Thurston said.

The new IV hood will cost $12,000 to $13,000 and has already been factored into the 2013 preliminary budget. The new equipment is pro- jected to increase revenue by adding options for inpatient IVs as well as outpatient care.

Chief Operations Officer Shane McGuire said the hood will allow the hospital to provide a better level of care for a wide spectrum of patients including ones who formerly had to leave the area for their required care.

The hood was approved by the board at the meeting and it will be the first of the upgrades Thurston proposed at the meeting to be implemented.

Thurston also presented Automated Dispensing Machines with round-the-clock pharmacy services to be pur- chased by the health system.

The dispensing machines would cost about $3,000 per month to rent. Thurston said Elk Drug may be able to provide the round-the- clock pharmacists for about $3,000 to $4,000 monthly. Support for the machines is estimated at about $400 to $500 per month.

Currently, controlled medications are kept in the pharmacy, emergency room and nurse's medica- tion room. All locations are locked and the shift charge nurse carries the only set of keys, Thurston said.

Dispensing machine costs have been worked into the preliminary 2013 budget and the board moved to authorize pursuing the dispensing machines.

The dispensing machines would allow strict watch on controlled medications as well as maintain access to an on-call pharmacist who can verify prescriptions re- motely.

With the current system, pharmacists come in every morning and verify medica- tion requests. Thurston said the transition to remote veri- fication and tele-pharmacists would provide the advantage of making sure orders are always entered correctly and smoothing out the prescription verification system.

"This is something we are going to have to do at some point," Thurston said. "The sooner (the system is in place) the better."

The dispensing machines would only allow nursing staff to access medication after orders are verified by the pharmacists. Thurston said there are overrides in emergency situations and there will still be an emer- gency cart.

McGuire said the machines will help reduce the amount of time nurses spend verifying narcotics are ac- counted for.

Thurston said the machines have several options for dispensing medication, but all of the machines will have separate draw- ers for different kinds of medication, limiting access to unnecessary items. The machines would also keep track of inventory, McGuire said.

McGuire said pharmacists don't currently work at night so setting up the remote pharmacists will close the loop on medication.

"This is a proactive step on our part," McGuire said. "I think it's a good step in the right direction."

The dispensing machines are probably six to eight months out, McGuire said.

"We're not looking to jump out of the gate," Mc- Guire said. "It's a very valu-