Category: CompleteRx
Case study: Pharmacy technician uses drug knowledge, experience, to help save patient’s life
CompleteRx pharmacy technician Marjorie Grant was working a normal shift in the ER pulling medication histories, when she got called to a patient’s bedside. The woman came into Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, NM, holding her head in pain, feeling nauseous and faint. A nurse indicated that the woman had her medications in […]
Hospital revenue growth becoming as vital as cost-cutting
Hospital executives are coming to the realization that you cannot cut your way to prosperity. We are now seeing many signs that CEOs are beginning to focus equally on improving revenue growth while keeping costs in check. The hospital pharmacy can play an important role in both areas: revenue growth and cost control. A recent […]
Collaboration and communication: The role pharmacists play in nurse satisfaction
Everyone working in healthcare knows that the connection between nurses and pharmacists remains a key element of patient care. These same people know that while it’s true both groups share a common focus on delivering quality patient care, they approach their jobs from different perspectives. The problem is, a poor relationship between nursing and pharmacy […]
Moments in Pharmacy: Compassion, can-do attitude expands vaccination program for veterans
The Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, MA, keeps a limited formulary for vaccines. For this non-Medicare facility, this meant that either the pharmacy was not reimbursed for administering vaccines or the veteran had to absorb the cost of taking a taxi to a nearby pharmacy and paying out of pocket. Jerry Munic, RPh, MBA, director of […]
Detailed Pharmacy Benchmarks Help Improve Patient Care and Profitability
Efficient operation of a hospital’s pharmacy department can contribute significantly to improved patient care and a hospital’s overall profitability. But, are you using the right benchmarks to judge your pharmacy’s performance? Pharmacy financial performance is often assessed year-over-year, which is a good place to start. Much can be learned by tracking and judging total existing […]
Ways to improve hospital staff work life, reduce burnout & improve patient care
Most healthcare leaders have heard about the Triple Aim by now. It’s the concept introduced by Harvard professor Don Berwick a decade ago that the three ways to optimize health system performance should be built around enhancing patient experience, improving public health and reducing costs. It’s an idea that took hold and has shaped healthcare […]
Preventing medication errors: A return to basic blocking and tackling
Recent high-profile events have once again revealed the vital role basic hospital processes and procedures play in reducing medication errors. While current discussions focus on neuromuscular blockers, all medications and their handling should be part of this conversation. It’s not enough to simply remove vecuronium from automated dispensing cabinets in all but the most essential […]
Case study: Moving one pharmacist from order-taker to strategic player in hospital management
One pharmacist can make a difference. All the proof you need exists at the 100-bed hospital Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center (GCRMC) in Alamogordo, New Mexico. That’s where clinical staff pharmacist Megan Harrington, PharmD, has spent a year building her department’s reputation as a necessary, strategic partner in her hospital’s operations. Today’s GCRMC’s pharmacy team […]
Rising drug costs eating into hospital staffing budgets
Between 2015 and 2017, 25% of all U.S. hospitals cut staff to cope with budget shortfalls caused by rapidly rising drug costs, reports a recent study. Hospital drug spending increased 18.5% during those two years. The study, prepared by the research group NORC at the University of Chicago, was commissioned by the American Hospital Association, […]
2019: Top five hospital pharmacy trends
Since CompleteRx manages hospital pharmacies, large and small, across the U.S., it stands in a unique position to understand and cope with the industry’s most compelling trends. Recently, Rick Burnett, our chief operating officer, outlined his thoughts on the top trends likely to impact hospital pharmacies in 2019. #1 – Specialty pharmaceuticals will continue to […]