InSite is our response to a clear need in the long-term care industry
Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) April 27, 2009
A growing number of long term care facilities using the new InSite Remote Dispensing System from Talyst are experiencing substantial reductions in the nursing staff time required to administer medications.
With the system, Talyst places a freestanding, secure dispensing unit on site at the long-term care facility. Medication orders from the facility are remotely approved by a pharmacist, and immediately available for dispensing at the long-term care facility.
Indianapolis-based Wellfount is implementing InSite technology to service its 40 facilities. When it is time for a medication pass, the InSite unit dispenses the medications in patient-specific, multi-dose packets. Each sealed packet is printed with the patient's name, the name of the medication, and a verifying bar code. Because the prescriptions are dispensed for a specific patient and specific medication pass, there is no opportunity for error or waste. The automated system means prescription changes or STAT orders don't have to wait for the next delivery and, because it's all based on actual usage, the facility requires less medication inventory on-hand.
Patient safety is a primary concern in long‐term care, as facilities struggle to manage increasingly complex drug regimens for those in their care. According to Paul Leamon, president and CEO of Wellfount, an Indiana pharmacy that services mainly long‐term care facilities, their average patient takes a staggering 12 prescriptions a day. While that number itself is astounding, one must also consider the multiple numbers of people involved in delivering each medication. There are different doctors, pharmacists, administrators and nurses involved in each individual prescription, exponentially increasing the chance of medication errors.
"InSite is our response to a clear need in the long-term care industry," explains Carla Corkern, Talyst's chief executive officer, "In early installations of InSite, nursing medication prep time was reduced by about 75%, and Medicare Part A waste was nearly eliminated. In addition, medications for new patients, or changes to an existing patient's medications, are available to nursing staff virtually immediately."
Corkern concludes, "The bottom line is that with a national nursing shortage, rising medication costs and the need for improved medication safety, InSite for Long Term Care can help both facilities and pharmacies save time and reduce waste while creating a safer medication process."
Wellfount will be demonstrating the InSite system at the Indiana Long Term Care Convention & Expo, held this week at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
About Talyst
Talyst is engineering the safer pharmacy. The company was founded in 2002 to provide easy-to-use, automated medication management systems to acute care hospital pharmacies. The following year, Talyst launched AutoPharm®, the innovative software platform designed to integrate medication storage, inventory, ordering, barcoding, and clinical systems.
By 2009, Talyst had installed automated systems in close to 400 acute care hospitals and integrated healthcare companies. By leveraging our expertise in acute care pharmacy automation, we are now building unique systems designed specifically to meet the needs of long-term care facilities and correctional institutions. Talyst is dedicated to delivering world-class software and proven hardware components to enhance efficiency, provide greater inventory control, and improve patient safety in all environments. For more information, see http://www.talyst.com or call 877-4-Talyst (877-482-5978).
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