Pharmacy Voices

In 2009 the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP) published an analysis of the investment pharmacies make in technology and the impact this has on the patient in three categories: patient safety, patient adherence, and the prevention of fraud and abuse.

ONC is at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource for the entire health system in supporting the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchanges to improve healthcare.

In the last issue of ComputerTalk we discussed the requirements to be implemented under the the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) in the first three years. Here, we will discuss the longer-term conditions and implementation issues expected from 2017 through 2023, by which time the act will be fully operational.

Times are changing in healthcare, and it’s still early enough in the year to add a few resolutions. Think about each of these changes and challenge yourself as to whether you have aligned your practice accordingly.

What changes have taken place over the years. The amount of functionality featured in the systems back then pales in comparison to what’s offered today. Pharmacy has changed over the years, and so has the technology being offered.

Every now and then it is a good idea to stop and think about where we were and where we are. Thinking about how we got from there to here is worth pondering, if only to get a better understanding of ourselves and our surroundings. I hope the following reflections stir some memories of yours that need revisiting.

The key provisions of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) will be phased in over the next 10 years and will make it easier to trace where a drug has been in the supply chain; detect and remove counterfeit drug products; and facilitate drug recalls when necessary.

The American healthcare IT market will hit $31 billion in 2017, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.4% from 2012 to 2017. Driving this growth is the demand for clinical IT and the use of IT to reduce the cost of healthcare delivery. It is just a matter of time before paper-based systems disappear entirely and the entire system is digitized.

Making sure work flows instead of stumbles can make huge differences in your day. Every pharmacy needs workflow analysis on at least an annual basis. There are some easy things you can do if you take a few minutes to do them.

Medscape ran a great article series last year on cutting-edge medical advances. Entitled “Science or Science Fiction: Cutting-Edge Medical Advances,” the series involved writers Bret S. Stetka, M.D., and Marrecca Fiore walking readers through 25 fascinating developments.