Getting the Pharmacy ready for the Meditech go-live on May 1, 2019, is no small task, but Tim Keaney and his team are up for the task.
In his role as Pharmacy director, Tim, along with a core implementation team within his department, have been devoting untold hours to Meditech planning, preparation, and training over the past several months, and this pace will continue through the spring. It’s a rigorous process, but the end result will be worth the extra effort. When fully up and running, the new Meditech electronic health information system will streamline Pharmacy workflows, leading to care that is safer and more efficient for both staff and patients alike.
“There’s a tremendous amount of work going on right now related to building the medication dictionary,” says Tim. “There are almost 3,000 medications that need to be entered into the system in a number of different applications, which is a very complex and time consuming process.” The Pharmacy is also represented on numerous teams and advisory committees related to the new health information system, and staff members have collectively completed hundreds of hours of training.
Among the biggest benefits of the Meditech system from a Pharmacy perspective will be its integration with the Emergency Center. This, says Tim, will improve communication and throughput between departments, enhance overall transparency, and expedite turnaround times for critical medication orders.
Another key attribute of the new platform will be the installation of tracking boards to display medication orders to Pharmacy staff and help prioritize orders for STAT and compounded intravenous medications.
Meditech will also feature a number of enhanced documentation and labeling capabilities, as well as the ability to check medication allergies and conflicts in real-time. Additionally, the system will enable most discharge prescriptions to be submitted electronically directly to the patient’s pharmacy.
“The Pharmacy department looks forward to having the nursing and provider electronic record experience improved,” says Tim. “This will ultimately enhance Pharmacy efficiencies and productivity and lead to care that is safer, more efficient, and better coordinated.”