Pharmacy stays green using new technology

Samantha Grier/Staff photographer A pharmacist at West Chester Medical Center demonstrates how the facilities are nearly paperless by showing a new distribution machine that acts as an ATM for medicines, using biometrics to scan a pharmacist or nurse's fingerprint.

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By Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writer 4:23 PM Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The technology inside the pharmacy and prescription dispensers at the West Chester Medical Center looks like the stuff of science fiction.

A hospital staffer waves an ID badge and then a finger over sensors, a match is found, and once a patient and prescription information is selected — a drawer pops open with the requested medicines like an ATM.

Instead of pharmacists and nurses struggling to read handwritten prescriptions, staffers can get everything through computers.

“We used to get a tube with papers stuffed in it and then sift through it. This streamlines the order and allows us to prioritize orders and sort by urgent need,’’ said Kevin Brooks, director of pharmacy at the medical center and The Fort Hamilton Hospital.

“It also eliminates the walking back and forth. It saves time and increases accuracy,’’ Brooks said.

The federal government set a goal five years ago for creating an electronic medical record for every American by 2014.

Though the area’s newest hospital isn’t paperless — officials refer to the facility as “paper-light” instead — it’s closer than many toward becoming completely digital.

Other area hospitals that use a similar system are Fort Hamilton, Jewish Hospital and the Drake Center.

David R. Kurtzman, clinical coordinator at the hospital, said the system reduces the chance of human errors.

Did you know?

More than 300 new medicines to treat heart disease and stroke are being tested in human clinical trials or are awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

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