CAST Updates Medication Management Selection Tool

September 14, 2022

CAST Updates Medication Management Selection Tool

Home » CAST Updates Medication Management Selection Tool

BY LeadingAge

A new CAST case study shows how electronic prescribing increased patient safety and saved time.

LeadingAge CAST has updated its Medication Management Selection Tool, which helps aging-services providers learn about and choose the best solution for their organization. The current version of the tool includes updated information for 19 products in both the product matrix and online selection tool. The tool also includes a white paper with background on medication management solutions, an interactive guide, and provider case studies.

The update includes a new CAST case study. “Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances Streamline Processes, Reduce Errors, and Drive Efficiencies,” offers additional insight on how one provider is using ePrescribing and medication ordering efficiently.

Rouse Estate in rural Pennsylvania offers skilled nursing home care, rehabilitation, personal care, adult day services, and child day care. The Rouse had PointClickCare in place but was not using its full capabilities. PointClickCare, a LeadingAge Gold Partner with CAST Focus, leads the way in helping care providers connect, collaborate, and share data within their network.

Jessica Benjamin, Director of Health Information and Person Centered Services for Rouse Estate, wanted to increase use of the PointClickCare platform to improve workflows and, in turn, make life more comfortable for residents. Rouse Estate also needed to adopt Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS) quickly before a new state law went into effect.

Benjamin used SmartZone, PointClickCare’s online training portal, to get up to speed on PointClickCare. She then investigated PointClickCare’s EPCS solution. EPCS is a special instance of ePrescribing that provides pharmacies, hospitals, and practitioners a mechanism to use technology for controlled substance prescriptions. This solution replaces the paper, fax, email, and phone processes for placing prescription orders.

There are no added fees for EPCS, because it is included with PointClickCare’s Integrated Medication Management (IMM) module. There is a one-time payment for professional services. In the long run, that adds up to significant cost savings.

In addition to implementing EPCS, The Rouse is using PointClickCare’s Discharge Orders solution to transmit electronic discharge orders to the resident’s pharmacy of choice.

Outcomes

The Rouse’s outcomes for using EPCS include increasing resident safety and saving time.

Resident Safety: The EPCS system automatically checks for medication conflicts with other medications a resident is taking. It also checks for potential allergies that could interact with the prescribed medication. Both checks add a layer of resident safety.

Resident Outcomes: Because of The Rouse’s rural location, prescription orders that are not in by 5 p.m. do not make the last pharmacy run for the day, which means residents go another day without the medications they need. Electronic prescribing avoids the wait for physicians to address stacks of paper documents, and it prevents nurses and physicians from needing to track and re-send faxes or decipher handwriting.

Time Savings and Increased Patient Care: Doctors, nurses, and even pharmacists are saving time with the improved workflows the EPCS system brings. Instead of team members needing to get paper prescriptions from the physician, or physicians needing to call the pharmacy with orders, they can now do everything electronically.

With PointClickCare’s Discharge Orders solution, The Rouse now issues about 90% of their discharge orders electronically. The solution has helped shave about five minutes off of each order, which adds up for nurses and physicians over the course of a 12-hour shift.

Every minute that care team members save by avoiding paperwork is another minute they can spend at a patient’s bedside. They also have more time to spend on progress notes, ensuring better continuity of care.

LeadingAge CAST Technology Selection Tools

This tool is one of nine LeadingAge CAST Technology Selection Tools, all with portfolios of hands-on resources to help providers choose the technology solutions that best meet their needs.