Today I had the opportunity to participate in a forum/sales pitch on EMedpass, a new clinical documentation system designed to replace the Medication Administration Record (MAR). I think that the system has potential for a Long Term Care setting, but I left with a feeling of weariness; the interface is weak and there are still a lot of facets of these medium that have not been fully considered yet. This is technology still begging for some industry professionals to help work out the kinks. Here are my notes (mostly positive, and summarized/expanded) from the meeting:
Quotes from the meeting:
“View the med pass as a transaction...”
“Takes 30-45 minutes off the med pass...”
“One nurse passes meds to 60 Assisted Living Residents.”
How the med pass looks with this solution:
- Nurse selects a resident on the screen by their name and photograph
- Nurse pulls that resident’s bubble packs from the drawer
- Nurse scans each med (Has a barcode printed by the pharmacy)
- Nurse administers meds to resident
- Nurse returns to screen and confirms that meds were given
- Nurse charts additional information when prompted or required
What are
- Determine wireless capability (call light system, hotspots, med room access)
- Evaluate med cart storage space measurements
- Determine the cost and contractual obligations
- Request written materials
- Consider/Request on-site visit to beta site
- Setup meeting with pharmacy if move through above steps
Considerations…
Ø Will this “eMAR” software integrate with other available clinical applications (Achieve, VistaKeane, MDS, Caretracker) and if not now, when?
Ø Are there privacy concerns due to the visibility of the screens on the carts?
Ø How many other tech costs may we incur associated with the installation (hardware, storage space, upgrades)?
Positives
- Great diabetic monitoring prompts and tools
- Great pain management tools
- Based on my assessment, this tool would easily increase clinical documentation needed for MDS utilization - translation: Increase Your CMI
- Accessible from remote computers for management tracking and Quality Assurance (watch the medpass from home in real time if you so choose)
- Great marketing tool . especially if you already have Caretracker, VistaKeane, etc.
Drawbacks
- Still early in development; user interface is lacking; some regulatory items still outstanding, awaiting facility review and development; be prepared to spend time selling this to surveyors
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