This week I again find myself talking to a technology company that has the latest and greatest in clinical pharmacy practice. I get these types of inquiries at least a few times a week, as is the case with many of you as well. The burning question becomes: How do I evaluate this technology without installing it and using it?

Many times we purchase technology based on information we receive from the vendor. Just like when we buy a new car, the job of the sales representative is to use your "awe" to help open your wallet. We must resist this temptation, and attempt for formulate a snapshot of how the technology would integrate with current systems. This requires a great deal of insight and understanding of current operations, including workflow and capabilities of existing applications. Some administrators might not realize how the applications they own truly interact with the end user. This can be a setup for disaster, as often the administrators have a majority of the interaction with new technology companies. Partnership and review with department subject matter experts is a good place to start.

HHS Accelerates Use of E-prescribing and Electronic Health Records

Now this is good news for both pharmacist and patient. We all know this has cost and adoption ramifications for the healthcare industry, but it is for the good of our society. The transcription errors saved alone should justify the move.

The best part of this article is the portion that addresses standards for e-prescribing. Standardization has been one of the major factors in adoption by many organizations and independent pharmacies. Interfacing these applications becomes a nightmare, and the buyer ends up with separate products, support contracts/contacts, and poor integration. How do you feel about e-prescribing and standardization?

Studies Show Electronic Medical Records Make Financial Sense

The article provides statistics that show a potential savings of $162 billion per year in the US alone.

Is there anyone out there that does not think EHR is the best move for healthcare?

I think portability is the most critical piece. Most of us see more than one provider, and may even visit multiple hospitals. The ability to easily obtain records at various sites is the important and challenging piece of the puzzle.

What do you

From health care fortress to IT showcase:

In bringing users onto the electronic medical records system, the Cook County Bureau of Health Services used a soft-sell approach.First, staffers made the system view-only, so employees could experiment with it. Then they poured terabytes of live data, including charts, notes and orders, into the system."So when we said, 'Great. Start placing orders,' they understood they weren't using the system just so that we could replace a clerk, but so they could benefit from the information," said Mike Sommers, the bureau's chief information officer.

PCMA Article:

"WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- New studies released today finding that widespread adoption of health information technology (IT) -- including electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) -- has the potential to save billions of dollars annually on health care costs and prevent more than two million adverse drug events underscore the need for uniform, national e-prescribing standards that will accelerate adoption of these systems throughout the entire health care system, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today. PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)."

Dvorak Uncensored � The Digital Hospital:

"Aside from possible privacy issues, a potential problem with this would have shown up in New Orleans. You need power to access electronic records.Government push might spell the end of paper records � If President George W. Bush has his way, every American patient should have an electronic medical record by 2015 as part of an executive order released April 27 that includes the formation of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology."

Other national and regional pharmacy chains are jumping on the APM bandwagon. You can read the article from Business Wire here. The article mentions a couple of vendors offering these products in the United States. One of the vendors, ddn corp., has an overview on their website.
The features include:
? Over 1,000 "standard" item capacity
? Small footprint
? Bar code verification at initial loading and pickup
? "Smart" package identification
? Auto inventory verification upon bulk loading
? Digital imaging camera
? Attractive appearance
? Quiet operation
? Front and rear access
? 17" color touch screen
? Back-lit signature pad
? Quick access to printer
? Manual override access in case of power failure

Another spin on APM's

It looks like other community chain pharmacies are jumping on the pseudo-APM bandwagon. This pharmacy in New York State is installing them in their stores. They have the ability to video conference between the pharmacist and the patient. No drugs are housed in the machine, it just gives you the ability to request refills, fax new prescriptions to the pharmacy of your choice, and speak with a live pharmacist. This is very interesting.

What are your thoughts?

Interested in knowing what those Pharmaceutical Reps that visit your pharmacies are really like? Want to know what they talk about when they are among their colleagues?

You have got to scour these forums. I like the Darkened Sample Closet the most. These people truly are crude. Have a look for yourself.

Not to pump the site, but I ran across it this evening. They claim to have some interactive and live video content. I will test it out and post comments. Just another CE site, or the evolution of CE based learning? Let us know! Check it out here