Vandalia Health is investing in new technology and expanded pharmacy services to help patients get medications more quickly and improve care across its hospitals and clinics.
The health system recently upgraded automated medication dispensing cabinets and anesthesia carts in several facilities. The new equipment replaces older systems that had reached the end of their service life.
Hospital leadership say the updated systems can hold more medications, helping staff fill requests faster. Pharmacy teams can remotely queue medication orders before they are dispensed. Vandalia Health was able to move nearly all of its hospitals to the same equipment platform during the project, according to a representative.
The organization has also expanded its retail pharmacy services.
In March, Vandalia Health moved its Cowen retail pharmacy in Webster County into the Cowen Clinic, giving patients and pharmacy staff a newer facility.
Two months later, the retail pharmacy at Vandalia Health CAMC Memorial Hospital relocated to a larger space inside the medical staff office building on the hospital campus. The new location includes a ScriptPro robotic dispensing system.
The robot helps fill prescriptions more quickly and accurately, hospital officials said. It also gives pharmacy technicians more time to deliver medications to patients before they leave the hospital through the meds to beds program.
Vandalia Health has purchased three of the robotic systems for its busiest retail pharmacies.
The health system has also placed pharmacists in outpatient clinics, including rheumatology, internal medicine and heart failure. The pharmacists help patients manage their medications and provide clinical support to health care providers. Vandalia Health plans to add pharmacists to more clinics in the future, according to officials.
"These changes are significant investments by our organization and will automate and streamline pharmacy services," said Brian Sayre, PharmD, vice president of Vandalia Health Pharmacy Services. "A lot of great things are happening and will continue to happen as we move forward."
In addition to the upgrades, the specialty pharmacy at the CAMC Cancer Center in Charleston recently earned another three-year accreditation from the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission. Vandalia Health's specialty pharmacy at Davis Medical Center also holds the accreditation.
The accreditation recognizes pharmacies that meet high standards for caring for patients who take specialty medications.
