Rural Washington gets new telepharmacy service, allows for 24/7 pharmacist review

The rural Lake Chelan Community Hospital in the US state of Washington finds new telepharmacy service in Envision Telepharmacy, after their pharmacy director was involved in Sacred Heart Medical Center's 2006 telepharmacy program in Spokane, WA. From the article:

Nielson’s experience at LCCH began three years ago, when she worked with the TelePharmacy program at SHMC. TelePharmacy is a system that, with innovative technology, pairs larger medical institutions or specialty healthcare organizations with rural hospitals that may not have 24/7 pharmacy services. Nielson helped pilot SHMC’s program at LCCH in 2006.

At the time, LCCH purchased two automatic drug-dispensing devices. Those units, each about the size of a packing box for a washer or dryer, were connected to a fiber-optic system of technology, local healthcare workers and outside pharmacists, including Nielson, who communicated with Lake Chelan healthcare workers through video conferencing.

It was the same technology that was used at SHMC, explained Nielson, except that the patient was 165 miles away instead of nine floors up.

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As SHMC’s program evolved and put less emphasis on its TelePharmacy program, it impacted its service to smaller hospitals like LCCH. Nielson, however, still felt drawn to continue working with rural hospitals. That desire brought her to Lake Chelan on a permanent basis.
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Although Nielson works full-time at LCCH, she cannot be there 24/7, so she searched for a new TelePharmacy program. She found Envision-Rx, an experienced Texas-based company and developed a partnership with them. Eight pharmacists in the company now provide long-distance pharmacy services to Chelan using the technology LCCH already had in place.

“TelePharmacy bridges the gap so we have 24/7 coverage at our hospital,” explained Nielson. “Pharmacists are available at all times to works with our healthcare providers and answer clinical questions. It’s a cost-effective way to have 24-hour pharmacy services.”

Nielson’s TelePharmacy partners are located in Texas, Bellingham, Wenatchee, Blaine, Indiana and Okinawa, Japan.

In LCCH’s pharmacy department, a physician’s written prescription is scanned by nurses and entered into the computer system to access the patient’s laboratory results and other information. Nielson or one of the TelePharmacy pharmacists reviews the dosage and drug interactions and completes the order entry in the computer. After that, a nurse accesses the approved prescription in the automatic dispensing device.

Throughout the process, the pharmacist monitors the verification process and has complete auditing capabilities and access to the medical records. The pharmacist checks for allergies or adverse reactions and can advise the physician if there is a more appropriate drug currently on the market. He or she may also alert the physician that a lab test is needed to monitor the effects of the medication on the patient.