The Scarborough Hospital (TSH) and McKesson Canada have entered into a strategic partnership for the implementation of a state-of-the-art integrated medication management system for both the Grace and the General sites of TSH.
The automated pharmacy includes the simultaneous implementation of two automated dispensing units known as Robot-Rx and MedCarousel, automated medication cabinets called AcuDose-Rx, and for the first time in Canada, an electronic application for medication administration known as Admin-Rx.
This combination of automation solutions is revolutionary in that it allows 100 per cent control and verification of medications by bar code, thereby significantly reducing the potential for medication errors, while increasing the efficiency of overall hospital medication management. At TSH, a typical year's dispensing averages 2.5 million prescriptions. Automating such a high turn-over hospital activity, such as dispensing medication, will significantly increase medication accuracy, minimize operating costs, and improve overall medication management efficiency.
"As the first Canadian hospital to display a cutting-edge and fully integrated bar code based system, where electronic verification is used in all steps of medication dispensing, TSH reinforces its leadership as an urban community hospital that meets and advocates for the evolving health and wellness needs of the people it serves, and ensures a safe environment for patients and staff," said Rheta Fanizzi, Vice-President Clinical Diagnostic and Information Services, TSH.
"Our objectives are to align the mission of the pharmacy department with the strategic goals of our organization and the needs of our community," explained Patricia Macgregor, Director of Pharmacy. "After careful evaluation of the different offers available on the market, we chose McKesson Canada for their unique ability and expertise in implementing closed-loop medication management solutions."
"McKesson Canada is very proud to be providing state-of-the-art automation equipment to the Canadian health care sector and such a top-rank institution", commented Antoine Lefaivre, Vice-President, Strategy and Business Development for McKesson Canada. "McKesson Canada is committed to working with health care institutions and professionals to provide Canadians with a safer and more efficient health care system."
This partnership comes close on the heels of a recently signed agreement between McKesson Canada and the CHRTR (Centre Hospitalier Regional de Trois-Rivières) in Quebec, for two important automation components, the Robot-RX, and the MedCarousel.