Patient Care

• Infectious disease management
• Pharmacokinetic screening and monitoring
• Acute and chronic pain management
• Code blue responses
• Therapeutic interchanges
• Comprehensive drug therapy reviews
• Specialized nutritional support
• Leadership in medication safety initiatives

Integration of Patient Information
In conjunction with the Department of Information Systems (DIS), the department has developed and implemented a patient information system, which maintains profiles for each patient's medications and actively interfaces with other Hospital patient information systems such as those used by nursing and the clinical laboratory. In addition, this system allows our pharmacists to access detailed information about a patient’s current and previous inpatient and outpatient encounters.

Patient information, including drug usage and cost information, is downloaded to our Clinical Financial Management System, which allows for detailed analysis of therapies. The Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE) System allows doctors to enter their orders into a state-of-the-art computer system that interfaces with the clinical laboratory, clinical information databases, and automated dispensing devices. This network of systems allows pharmacy personnel located throughout the Hospital to access the necessary information and resources to provide optimal patient care. In addition, this system permits pharmacists and physicians to design more efficient, effective and individualized pharmaceutical care plans for our patients.

Development of Guidelines and Medication Use Policies
Our department works closely with the medical, nursing and administrative staffs in the development of guidelines and medication use policies that promote quality and efficiency in patient care while maintaining cost-effective utilization.

Through the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee, our department plays an important role in the interdisciplinary process to develop guidelines for medication use.

Pharmacists represent the department on the P&T Committee and the eleven subcommittees that support its activities. As part of the formulary evaluation process, our pharmacists consider both the clinical and economic impact of products under consideration.

Continuous Quality Improvement
Our staff participate in performance improvement programs that focus on both processes and outcomes. We constantly strive to make changes that will positively influence patient outcomes. We accomplish this by:

• Participating in prescribing decisions
• Reviewing all medication orders for appropriateness
• Reviewing and updating medication dispensing and distribution procedures
• Providing guidance to the medication administration processes
• Assuring proper patient monitoring for therapeutic response
• Measuring the impact of these interventions by reviewing patient records

We take pride in the comprehensive nature of our quality assurance programs and our commitment to continuous performance improvement.

The department continually reviews all applicable legislation, regulations and standards of practice. This process helps to assure our programs remain in compliance with The Joint Commission, Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, professional society and other regulatory requirements.

Automation of Drug Distribution Systems
Our department has always maintained a strong commitment to automation of our drug distribution systems. In fact, over the years we have earned a reputation as innovators in hospital pharmacy technology by implementing automated drug distribution systems such as:

• Bar coding
• Robotics
• Point-of-use dispensing

The resources within the Drug Information Center include a wide array of pharmaceutical texts and access to numerous automated information resources. The Center staff includes the Drug Information resident and two clinical specialists with advanced training in drug information.