Case Study
A Modernized Approach to Bagged Prescription Retrieval in an MTF Pharmacy
Overview
Non-modernized pharmacy prescription retrieval systems are riddled with obstacles that affect labor timeliness and patient safety. With a traditional bagging system, hanging and retrieving prescriptions can add time to searching for prescriptions, especially if they are misplaced. Medications have the potential to be mixed into unintended patient bags, causing a time delay and patient safety issues if dispensed to the wrong patient. How can pharmacy practice improve towards a “Zero Harm” culture with something as simple as a bagging system?
Methodology
This study was a randomized, prospective account examining 73 patient interactions for prescription retrieval. There were five instances measured three times a day for three consecutive days. The study only observed patients whose prescriptions were ready for dispensing, and who were picking up their prescriptions themselves or through a family member. Prescriptions that were not ready to be picked up were excluded from the study. Additionally, the study gathered data for the return-to-stock process.
Objective
PickPoint® Will Call System in a Department of Defense facility had three core objectives: improve efficiency, enhance patient safety, and improve customer satisfaction.
Background
The 460th Medical Group (MDG) pharmacy is responsible for dispensing medications to 88k beneficiaries within the local area. With increased copays on both retail and home delivery, the pharmacy’s volume had increased by more than 3,000 prescriptions.
Lower staffing has prompted the pharmacy to find a faster yet more accurate method to dispense medications while reducing dispensing times. Pharmacy dispensing times from the old bagging system averaged 123 seconds per patient and had a maximum of 420 seconds. Additionally, there was a higher chance of medication handout errors due to having only one technical cross-check barrier.
The PickPoint® Will Call System is the modernized solution to a prescription retrieval system. It has intelligent software to improve the dispensing process while having multiple barriers in place to increase patient safety.
Result: Improved Pharmacy Operations
- Quick and simple return-to-stock procedures
- Easy to use for employees, minimal training required
- Increased productivity
- Inventory management
Lessons Learned & Conclusion
The bag’s lifespan can be relatively short with excessive use. Buckley replaced 7% of the bags within seven months of installation. Additionally, due to network reliance, bags still needed to be alphabetized to maintain alternative dispensing capabilities during shortages.
A Military Treatment Facility had never implemented the PickPoint® Will Call System before this study. It provides safer patient care by dispensing medications in a more efficient manner.
PickPoint® Will Call System has integrated functionality for return-to-stock and controlled medication on the shelf for after-hours storage. The PickPoint® intelligent light-guided Will Call System has shown high-efficiency workflow in a small-to-medium sized Military Treatment Facility.