October 3, 2007 – Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, PA said it had great success using the HCS Medication Reconciliation service the first night of service recently in its emergency department.
The hospital said a man traveling on business had a seizure and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital where clinicians identified he was hypoglycemic. The patient was unable to communicate his current medications, but within a minute of the patient finishing registration, a form automatically printed out in the triage area of the ED with an extensive medication list, including the patient’s specific insulin and anti-seizure medications. The nurses and doctors at Moses Taylor Hospital were able to expedite treatment.
Later that same night, hospital officials said a woman from out of town presented at the Emergency Department with complications arising from a recent surgery. She had been taking a very complicated combination of medications as a result of her procedure and was unable to communicate those medications to the ED nurses. using the medication reconciliation service, a complete list of medications printed for the patient and the nurses were able to use that list to immediately begin treatment without fear of potential adverse drug interactions.
The service works by using the patient demographic information available from the registration process to query RxHub, insurance companies and other sources of patient prescription drug information. This information is then formatted onto a customizable form designed by Moses Taylor Hospital and prints to the printer closest to where the patient is currently located. Moses Taylor’s nurses use that information to interview the patient and confirm the medications that they are taking.
For more information: www.hcsinc.net