Minnesota SBP Grants More After-Hours ROE variances

After a host of after-hours order entry variances from the Minnesota State Board of Pharmacy recently, more hospitals requested and recieved variances in their March 9th, 2011 meeting:

Mayo Health System hospital pharmacies – remote after hours order entry –

Variance Committee recommends approval

o Fairmont Medical Center 200992-002

o Lake City Medical Center 261637-001

o Springfield Medical Center 200325-001

o St James Medical Center 200891-001

o Waseca Medical Center 200753-1

o Immanuel St Joseph Hospital 200743-001

European Association of Hospital Pharmacists 2011 Vienna Congress Lecture Will Touch on Telepharmacy

The 16th Congress of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists is taking place starting at the end of this month, March 30th through April 1st, 2011 in Vienna, Austria. At least one of the lectures, "A need for hospital pharmacist specialization?" will touch on "Providing telepharmacy services to rural and remote areas."

Ontario Hospitals Request Bids for Remote Medication Order Review

The Wellington Health Care Alliance in Ontario, Canada has posted a request for proposal for a 1 year contract for a Canadian firm to do order review and entry for three sites for 1 year:

Notice Description:

Telepharmacy Coverage for Wellington Health Care Alliance

Wellington Health Care Alliance is a relationship between North Wellington Health Care and Groves Memorial Community Hospital. We operate three sites:

Louise Marshall Hospital, Mount Forest
Palmerston District Hospital, Palmerston
Groves Memorial Community Hospital, Fergus

Term of Contract will be 1 year from May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012

Service Requested
• To provide telepharmacy coverage for 2 corporations and 3 hospitals that includes medication order review and pharmaceutical advice to staff and physicians

VA to "Soon" Roll Out Telepharmacy Services in Butler, Pennsylvania

In an article about their tele-dermatology program, VA Butler makes a quick mention that they "will soon expand to include Tele-Smoking Cessation and Tele-Pharmacy." No real information as to whether they'd be providing the service or receiving the service seems to be available.

Colorado State Board Approves Telepharmacy, Remote Dispensing in Rural Hospital

The article from the Lamar Ledger from the beginning of the month says it all:

The Prowers Medical Center Board of Directors approved obtaining USDA grant funding to place a tele-pharmacy service at the Holly Medical Clinic. The tele-pharmacy will allow people who receive treatment at the Holly Medical Clinic to get medicine from the tele-pharmacy. Described as similar to an ATM, the machine will be located in the Clinic and will allow those who receive treatment at the Clinic to get their medications in Holly, rather than driving 30 miles to Lamar to refill or obtain new authorized prescriptions. The machine will require identification and will be a benefit to those who live a long distance from Lamar, Prowers Medical Center CEO Jim Fairchild said. It is not the hospital's goal to take business away from pharmacies, he added. Installing the tele-pharmacy machine will simply benefit those patients who can't make the trip to Lamar, Fairchild said.