Older Report: Washington, DC hospital benefits from Telepharmacy service

From the paper, published in AJHP in 2002, Sibley Memorial Hospital, a 340-bed acute care facility in Washington, DC acquires telepharmacy service from MedNovations:

An alternative to the traditional 24-hour pharmacy service was discussed in September 2000 by SMH's pharmacy director and officers of the telepharmacy service firm MedNovations, Inc. The pharmacists in the department determined that the current on-call pharmacists could not prospectively review all new medication orders and handle existing duties during the day and evening shifts. Support for using the telepharmacy service was obtained from the hospital's senior administrators and the patient care services, medical staff, risk management, legal, and operations departments. Issues pertaining to patient confidentiality and pharmacy licensure were addressed in provisions of the contract between the hospital and the telepharmacy firm. The new service was approved in March 2001 by the pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee.
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The telepharmacy service emphasized avoidance of medication errors, timely resolution of gaps in clinical data necessary for proper review of new orders and of missing doses, and enforcement of hospital policies and protocols (e.g., therapeutic interchanges and drug-use restrictions). A physician-pharmacist communication form enabled the telepharmacy service to clarify problematic orders on the morning shift more efficiently. (Occasionally, such orders were not verified or approved by the telepharmacy service, and resolution was not accomplished until the morning shift.)
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It is likely that cognitive telepharmacy services and remote order entry services will grow. Expanded use of computerization and automation will further fuel the use of telepharmacy as a supplement to onsite pharmaceutical services, especially after hours. As with other pharmacy practice innovations, issues such as pharmacoeconomics and compliance with professional standards, laws, and regulations will need to be further examined as the telepharmacy model attempts to deliver high-quality care and safety in hospitals when pharmacy departments are closed.