Somerset Hospital collaborates with Mckesson to automate pharmacy with PROmanager-Rx system

Somerset Hospital in Pennsylvania has joined with McKesson to automate its pharmacy using the new PROmanager-Rx^™ system. The system will enable the 150-bed hospital to fully automate dispensing of tablets, capsules, and other oral solid medications that come directly from drug manufacturers in unit-dose, bar-coded form. Somerset, already a user of McKesson’s Paragon^® community hospital information system, expects PROmanager-Rx to automate dispensing for approximately 80 percent of its daily scheduled patient doses.

“Our decision to implement PROmanager-Rx is the latest example of how we are using advanced technology to continue to drive innovative improvements in patient care”

“Our decision to implement PROmanager-Rx is the latest example of how we are using advanced technology to continue to drive innovative improvements in patient care,” said Craig Saylor, chief operating officer at Somerset. “PROmanager-Rx will enable us to increase medication dispensing accuracy, eliminate manual processes, and free our pharmacists to serve in expanded patient-centric roles.”

PROmanager-Rx is the only system to automate dispensing of manufacturer pre-packaged oral solid medications. Using bar-code-driven robotics, the solution scans every dose for the greatest possible safety and accuracy. Manufacturer packaging is widely recognized by professional associations as the safest type. With PROmanager-Rx, hospitals are able to significantly reduce on-site medication repackaging requirements, saving pharmacy labor and costs.

Michele Russic, director of pharmacy at Somerset, explained, “PROmanager-Rx is the right choice for us because it will automate approximately 80 percent of our daily cart fill, easily fits into our pharmacy layout, and is affordable. With PROmanager-Rx, we will be able to fill directly to the nurse servers, which is important to us. We want to keep the nurse in the room with the patient.”

PROmanager-Rx operates on McKesson’s newly released Connect-Rx^® software Version 7.0, which provides enhanced workflow flexibility and additional platform scalability. Connect-Rx software integrates McKesson Automation’s product suite through a shared database, giving healthcare professionals a central view of medication data, robust reporting capabilities and unique integration functionality.

With its sleek design and small footprint, PROmanager-Rx is easily installed and supported with minimal changes to the existing facility. The system operates on McKesson’s unique Connect-Rx^® software platform and complements other McKesson bar-code-driven, medication-use process solutions. PROmanager-Rx features sophisticated order processing and inventory management software to increase inventory turns, manage expired and returned medications, and streamline wholesale ordering. Unit-dose packages produced by SKY Packaging, a McKesson company, are certified for use in PROmanager-Rx. Through the Fulfill-Rx^SM electronic data interchange software, PROmanager-Rx interfaces with McKesson’s pharmaceutical distribution system to reduce drug inventory costs and associated labor.

“Automated systems like PROmanager-Rx close the bar-code medication safety loop and free pharmacists and clinicians to become more involved with stimulus-readiness projects, including medication reconciliation, evidence-based order sets, and computerized physician order entry,” said Dave Souerwine, president, McKesson Automation.