April 22, 2015 - Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital (Valencia, CA) has successfully tackled the challenge of reconciling home medications by implementing a dedicated staff of pharmacy technicians to act as a Medication Reconciliation Team at their 240-bed community hospital.
MEDITECH Physician Consultant Bud Lawrence, MD, an Emergency Medicine physician and Director of Risk Management for Henry Mayo, recently hosted a Doctors’ Hours session on how his organization initiated, planned, and implemented a team of Medication Collection Technicians (MCT’s). Watch the video of Dr. Lawrence’s session to find out how pharmacy technicians are collecting and reconciling the medication lists of at-risk patients in the Emergency Department at Henry Mayo.
As healthcare organizations grapple with increasing government mandates and changing payment models, it is an emerging best practice for hospitals to implement a Medication Reconciliation Team. By effectively reconciling and maintaining an accurate patient medication list, healthcare facilities can work to reduce readmissions, improve patient outcomes, and meet The Joint Commission and other regulatory standards.
"Pharmacy Technicians were the right choice for our organization, not just because they are a financially sound decision,” explains Dr. Lawrence. “They do the job really well because they know these medications, they know what they look like, and they will do anything and everything to get the complete list. Our Pharmacy Technicians also have excellent bedside manners, which is something that is really important to us.”
Watch this session and view the presentation to get the data you need to start your own Medication Reconciliation Team, including stats on how Henry Mayo’s program has decreased medical errors, improved HCAPS performance scores, and increased both nursing and provider satisfaction.