For Immediate Release
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - November 3, 2015: Comprehensive Pharmacy Services (CPS), the nation's leader in pharmacy services, sees a growing trend in the number of hospital and health systems integrating telepharmacy services into existing pharmacy operations and transition of care initiatives. The rise in interest in telepharmacy represents a significant shift from a purely tactical tool to a strategic resource for hospitals working to improving the quality of care, patient safety and satisfaction while lowering readmissions and costs.
'The transformation from fee-for-service to a value-based system has hospital leadership thinking more strategically about how they are using their resources, including pharmacy,' said Don Nickleson, chief executive officer of Comprehensive Pharmacy Services. 'Involvement of the pharmacy team in the delivery of patientcentric care leads to a reduction in costs, readmissions, and medication management issues. Telepharmacy is a strategy that allows hospitals to augment their on-site staff and extend the reach of their clinical pharmacy team throughout the hospital, and from hospital to post acute facilities and home.'
Hospital interest in telepharmacy is driven by the need to improve the quality of care, patient satisfaction and safety while meeting performance measures established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which determine reimbursement. Hospitals are also using telepharmacy to meet state-level regulatory requirements that require pharmacist review of all medication orders before medication dispensed. The availability of technology, from hand-held devices with videoconferencing capabilities to complex software platforms that allow for a seamless integration of a remote pharmacy into a hospital’s on-site pharmacy, make telepharmacy a viable solution for hospitals, large and small.
'CPS’ Telepharmacy client base has grown by 20% in just the past six months,' said Jeff Lackman, divisional vice president of RxRemote Solutions, the Naperville-based telepharmacy division of CPS. 'This is a clear signal that hospitals have confidence in our telepharmacy technology and the ability of our remote pharmacists to deliver the level of quality and care that hospitals come to expect from their on-site pharmacy team.'
The company has delivered 71,000 interventions resulting in the avoidance of 369 wrong drug or wrong patient episodes; 554 times patients prevented from receiving a medication that they were allergic to; 1,589 therapeutic duplications and 6.5 serious drug-related issues each day.
About Comprehensive Pharmacy Services
Employing over 2,000 pharmacy professionals, CPS is the nation's largest provider of pharmacy services to more than over 550 hospitals and healthcare facilities leading to increased quality, reduced readmissions and lower costs. CPS services include pharmacy consulting, inpatient and outpatient pharmacy management, telepharmacy and medication related transition of care services. For more information, visit cpspharm.com.
Media Contact:
Rod Recor
Vice President, Product Development and Marketing
Rod.Recor@cpspharm.com
O: 901-462-9082