November 30, 2007 - Cardinal Health said this week it is partnering with nine hospitals across the country to help simplify how medications are purchased and dispensed to patients.
The hospitals, including Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Memorial Hermann, Nebraska Medical Center, Ochsner Medical Center, Oregon Health and Science University, St Joseph’s Orange, and SSM St. Anthony Hospital, will leverage Cardinal Health technologies, services and expertise to improve their hospitals’ processes for medication management.
Ordering, storing and dispensing medications at hospitals is an extremely complex process, with multiple steps, people and handoffs involved in getting pharmaceuticals to the patient bedside. Cardinal Health experts perform a detailed analysis that helps hospitals see a comprehensive view of their entire medication use process, and then integrate key products and services from Cardinal Health to reportedly simplify medication management and maximize safety, efficiency and cost savings.
Traditionally, different steps within the medication use process were managed by different departments. For example, the purchasing department may have taken the lead to order pharmaceuticals from a wholesaler, the pharmacy department would be responsible for receiving the pharmaceuticals and filling physician orders, and the nursing staff would administer the medications to patients. Each department would be keenly focused on their specific area of responsibility, so any process change in one area could unknowingly create an issue for the other departments.
Cardinal says its combination of people, technologies and services helps hospitals improve patient safety through new technologies that protect patients from medication errors, improves the quality of care by reducing the administrative workload on pharmacy and nursing, meets compliance initiatives by streamlining information flows, and optimizes procurement practices to minimize spend and control costs.
Launched in February 2007, Cardinal Health medication solutions helps hospitals more efficiently purchase and manage their medications through the entire medication use process.
For more information: www.cardinalhealth.com