VA and IHS to Enhance Access through Development of Telepharmacy

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) released a Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) that they signed to "foster an environment that brings together the strengths and expertise of each organization to actively improve the care and services provided by both." The memorandum states they will:

...enhance access through the development and implementation of new models of care using new technologies, including:
a. Tele-health services such as tele-phychiatry and tele-pharmacy.

Newfoundland Supports Local Hospital with Funds for a Chemotherapy Telepharmacy System

Yesterday Canada's Newfoundland provincial government announced they are spending $3.5 million on The Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre in Grand Falls-Windosor as part of a project that will inject a total of $30 million over 4 years in the hospital. Part of those funds will go to:

16 dialysis machines; a dictation transcription system; a medications carousel for drug distribution; automatic drug packaging system; cardiology management system; a new ambulance; chemotherapy telepharmacy admixture system; a cataract machine; two cardiac monitors; and, 10 dialysis and lift chairs.

If anyone has any more details please leave a comment.

New Outpatient Telepharmacy to Open in South Dakota

As reported in the Aberdeen News, quoting a print-only newspaper, the Ipswitch Tribune:

As it moves into a new location, Vilas Health and Variety of Ipswich is becoming a full-service retail pharmacy...
Located in the new mall on U.S. Highway 12, the business will make use of a tele-pharmacy. An on-site technician in Ipswich, Sue Morlock, will be supervised by the pharmacy staff at Vilas Pharmacy in Eureka via a visual and audio system.

Here's a link to the (current location of the) Vilas Health and Variety pharmacy.

Free webinar from NDTP: "Redefining Healthcare through Telepharmacy"

The Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center (TRAC) is offering a free webinar about Telepharmacy on November 18th:

On Thursday, November 18th at 12:00 noon CST, Ann Rathke, telepharmacy coordinator for the North Dakota telepharmacy project, will will discuss the role that telepharmacy can play in bending the healthcare cost curve to achieve higher quality and higher value. DON’T MISS IT, REGISTER TODAY at http://www.midwesthealthed.org/events.html?eventid=64
Intended Audience are: Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Staff Development Coordinators, Managers, Administrators. At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain the health care cost curve and its impact
• Describe telepharmacy and how it can help reduce health care costs and improve health care outcomes
• Recognize how as individuals we can support telepharmacy as a catalyst for bending the health care cost curve
  

While the webinar is free, getting the CE credits isn't and has some restrictions, but it is only a nominal $10 fee. See the original Great Plains TRAC post for more info.