Hospitals, Pharma

Mercyhealth selects Omnicell technology to boost pharmacy efficiency

Mercyhealth has chosen to implement Omnicell's XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System at its main campus in Rockford, Illinois. The technology will be on site by October and open to patients by 2019.

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Mercyhealth has chosen to implement Omnicell‘s XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System in an effort to increase its pharmacy’s efficiency and improve patient safety. The technology will be adopted at the system’s main campus in Rockford, Illinois.

Mercyhealth was created in 2015 by the merger of Mercy Health System and Rockford Health System. It serves patients in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Susan Lee, pharmacy manager at Mercyhealth Hospital-Rockton Avenue, explained the health system’s logic behind its decision.

“Prior to the purchase of the Omnicell suite of main pharmacy solutions, we researched other vendors,” she said via email. “While there are a few competitors to Omnicell’s central pharmacy solutions, no other rated best in KLAS.”

The XR2 Automated Central Pharmacy System brings automation to medication inventory management. As Lee explained, a robotic arm inside the XR2 can grip and scan products. With the technology, Mercyhealth can now store larger products and use manufacturer packaged items instead of relying on on-site packaging. The system can dispense as many as 700 doses per hour, each of which is scanned for accuracy.

Overall, Lee said the XR2 makes processes easier and less likely to include inaccuracies.

“Any time we need to manipulate a product, whether by repacking or manual processing, there is a chance for human error,” she said. “By reducing the need for manual processing or repackaging we become less prone to mistakes.”

Additionally, the system is designed with off-the-shelf parts and less custom-made parts, meaning repairs can happen faster, Lee noted.

“Upgrading central pharmacy automation enables Mercyhealth to visualize their complete medication inventory across facilities to enhance medication delivery, reduce medication spend and most importantly, free the pharmacy teams to increase their contribution to clinical care,” Nhat Ngo, Omnicell’s executive vice president of marketing, strategy and business development said in a statement.

The health system as yet to completely implement the Omnicell technology, though. Lee said Mercyhealth plans to have it assembled and on-site by October. It opens to patients on January 5, 2019.

Photo: Martin Barraud, Getty Images

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