Transforming Medication Systems with Technology
The Partner
Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC), has been in operation since 2013, and is servicing 165 participants in Reseda, CA and surrounding communities. Its parent organization, the Los Angeles Jewish Home (LAJH), opened in 1912 and received a generous donation from philanthropists Joyce and Saul Brandman to start PACE. BCSC is dedicated to providing high-quality health care and supportive services to frail seniors. The LAJH offers independent living, residential care, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, home care, hospice and other community-based services.
Through another PACE organization in California, BCSC was introduced to CareKinesis PACE pharmacy services. Susie Fishenfeld, RN, MSN, Executive Director, worked with CareKinesis leadership in hospice and was familiar with their high quality standards and their customer commitment.
The Challenge
Prior to collaborating with CareKinesis, BCSC had a system of manual and non-scalable ‘work-arounds’ to manage their medication process. Before the transition, BCSC had no way to electronically prescribe, so communication about medication changes required many steps to get from EMR to nurse to pharmacy, causing potential delays in care. With medications dispensed in vials, adherence to medication regimens was a challenge.
“We wanted a pharmacy that was knowledgeable and experienced with PACE Organizations, developed successful strategies for medication management, and is committed to quality care,” explains Fishenfeld.
The Solution
BCSC welcomed a new system of technology integrations and real-time clinical pharmacist support, to automate processes for communication of new enrollees, dis-enrollments, and transfers and for keeping the active medication profile reconciled in real-time. Understanding that CareKinesis had the experience and expertise to solve their challenges, BCSC staff were wholly receptive to the changes.
The integration of CareKinesis’s EireneRx system with the PACE EMR was a welcomed improvement to communication processes, and the adherence-packaging options were embraced by BCSC participants.
“The software is user-friendly, which is very helpful,” says BCSC Pharmacist, Ani Aramyan, PharmD. Dr. Aramyan is the EireneRx super-user, and she accesses medication risk mitigation tools EireneRx to enhance her medication recommendations.
Technology Integration Approach:
- Automated notification of Admissions, Discharges, and Transfers.
- Medications reconcile from EireneRx to PACE EMR, eliminating the need for double entry.
- Prescribers, Pharmacists and Nurses at BCSC have access to the EireneRx medication management and risk mitigation platform and medication support tools.
- Patient information in 19 languages and instructional videos for BCSC’s Spanish-speaking population, to help explain why medications were prescribed and how to self-administer.
The Results
Staff Efficiency: With EireneRx, nurses were made aware of medication changes through secure instant messaging. Immediate access to dedicated pharmacists saved BCSC hours of staff time interacting with the local pharmacy and managing medication issues.
Full Transparency: Because EireneRx and the PACE EMR are now electronically integrated, full transparency of the medication record is available to the BCSC Team, in real time.
Enhanced Compliance: Access to clinical and economic analytical tools enhances decision-making processes and audit practices, as well as improves quality.
“Participant satisfaction for pharmacy services is very high,” says Jillian Simon, MSW, LCSW, Center Manager. “With CareKinesis, we are spending less time on the medication management process.”
The BCSC PACE team is most pleased that they are now fully confident about the accuracy of medication information as a result of their new technology and pharmacy support systems. CareKinesis helped BCSC improve medication safety, service quality, and participant outcomes. while reducing total costs.
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