New service helps hospitals and integrated delivery networks expand reach of outpatient pharmacies

At the annual Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Cardinal Health will launch a new service that helps hospitals and integrated delivery networks expand the reach of their outpatient pharmacies, while also generating additional revenue and freeing up pharmacist time to drive medication adherence and other quality measures.

Cardinal Health's new Central Fill Service allows hospital outpatient pharmacies to have prescription medications prepared at an off-site location, without needing to add incremental staff. Using the Central Fill model, Cardinal Health pharmacists prepare and 'fill' the medication as prescribed by the physician, ensure that it's properly labeled and verify that the right drug has been prepared at the right dose. The hospital's outpatient pharmacy retains ownership of the prescription and its on-site pharmacy team then performs the final duties associated with dispensing.

This new service is available to all hospitals and integrated delivery networks, but is particularly useful for those that operate multiple outpatient pharmacies, and for those that dispense a large number of outpatient prescriptions. The service is also helpful to those that operate outpatient pharmacies that incentivize employees to fulfill prescriptions at their outpatient pharmacy.

Cardinal Health's Central Fill Service frees up existing outpatient pharmacy staff to focus on patient care activities including follow up with patients after they are discharged. Time saved by Central Fill Services can be reallocated to medication therapy management and other services that help improve medication compliance, patient satisfaction and ultimately impact quality measures like reducing readmissions.

"Our new Central Fill Service is an excellent resource for hospitals and IDNs that need to expand the capacity of their outpatient pharmacy without increasing their staff or the physical footprint of their outpatient pharmacy," said Mike Brown, vice president of managed services and national practice lead for Cardinal Health's Innovative Delivery Solutions business. "This new service allows hospital outpatient pharmacies to serve more patients, while freeing up pharmacist time to focus on medication reconciliation and other patient care activities. It's a win-win for hospitals and their patients alike."

Attendees of the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, taking place Dec. 8-12, 2013 in Orlando, can learn more about Central Fill Services by visiting the Cardinal Health booth #1931.