RPMS Pharmacy Site Parameters

Course Objectives Assess need to have a properly configured Information Management system and use of uniform data to assure medication accuracy, timely access to patient information and patient safety. Explain the necessity to configure Information Management system in medication management to correlate to physical processes to assure that the system supports but does not supplant the process. Evaluate package parameters relating to medications and medication use in both outpatient and inpatient settings to function for usability and workflow including IHS specific options, a uniform print format for EHR, controlled substance orders, the PharmEd Button, inpatient user parameters, inpatient ward setup, Ward Groups, Unit Dose Parameters and MAR/MAR Labels. Determine best practices.

Potential for Problems Pharmacy computer systems rely on numerous information pieces and all need to be accurate for the system to work without error Patient Information Name, DOB, Doctor(s), Insurance(s), Allergies, Medication list , etc. Drug Information Generic and brand names, NDC, DEA class, prices, interactions, allergens, etc. Insurance company information Plans, address, billing procedures, formularies, etc. Doctor information Address/Phone, DEA, NPI, Medicaid #, etc.

Potential for Problems Pharmacy equipment needs to be reliable and have minimum of down-time to support the operation: Delays in Rx processing, errors in the process, frustration, etc. Pharmacy systems need well trained people to operate and maintain them: Loss of data, inaccurate data, poor system reliability, errors, lawsuits, etc.

Proper Configuration: It Is Important Health information systems are a part of every aspect of providing patient care. Errors can have grave consequences: Patients Providers Facilities Organizations Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) Improperly configured systems may not work correctly and may cause delays in workflow. Computer programs have dependencies: Changes in one place often demand changes elsewhere. Garbage in one place often results in garbage elsewhere.

Physical Configuration The information management system best supports the operation when it physically and logically matches the operation: Workstations in strategic locations, ergonomic Printers located where they are needed Automation supports the flow (i.e., Scriptpro is in a helpful location and not out of the way) Computer program that logically follows the data flow in the pharmacy Sometimes the computer program is designed better than the physical operation and it is a good idea to adopt some elements of the computer’s data flow.

RPMS Pharmacy Configuration RPMS Pharmacy configuration is complicated by a number of factors; the most obvious is the number of menus one must traverse to find them all. Outpatient Parameters are found in: Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor menu IHS Specific Pharmacy Options menu Inpatient Parameters are found in: IV Supervisor menu Unit Dose Supervisor menu EHR parameters Some modules have their own parameters within them: POS Ward Stock

RPMS Pharmacy Configuration It is important for a pharmacy informaticist to be well trained: Must know which menus contain which parameters Must know how to configure the parameters The parameters are defined in the script.