Allegheny Health Network announced the deployment of robotics-assisted sterile compounding technology from Mountain View, California-based Omnicell Inc., which will aim to transform pharmacy operations across AHN's 14 hospitals.
According to an AHN press release, the technology is already deployed at Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side. There, Omnicell's tech is being used to produce sterile medications on-site.
Laura Mark, vice president of pharmacy for AHN, said in the release that the tech has already been used to produce Heparin, a medication that prevents blood clots that faced a nationwide shortage earlier this year.
"Using the Omnicell system, AHN was able to mitigate this shortage by compounding Heparin, avoiding supply disruption of this high-risk medication and continuing to provide safe, effective care for our patients," Mark said. "Compounding the medications in house is more cost effective than outsourcing, it reduces waste and it allows AHN to mitigate some critical medication shortages."
Additionally, AHN is using a closed-loop system offered via Omnicell’s XT medication storage cabinets — found in patient care units and on anesthesia carts in operating rooms — to automatically update patient records following the dispensing of their medication. The system also features barcode scanning and image capturing as part of an effort aimed at increasing medication safety.
AHN also announced its use of Omnicell One, a data and analytics platform from Omnicell that provides inventory visibility in real-time.
"As health systems navigate escalating staff shortages and increasingly complex drug therapies, the need for a high-performing pharmacy has never been more clear," Scott Seidelmann, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Omnicell, said in the release. "AHN recognizes the importance of pharmacy automation, software and expert services to address these challenges, allowing their staff to focus on higher value tasks that will reduce cost, enhance patient safety and improve outcomes."
