Automated Dispensing System Supports Decentralized Medication Management

A next generation automated dispensing system will enable hospitals to simplify and standardize the medication management process, both within a single facility and across an entire health system.

The Carefusion (San Diego, CA, USA) Pyxis ES platform integrates many hospital systems (such as medical records, order entry, medication list, medication orders, and medication administration records) with pharmacy information systems, allowing access at the web-browser level for ease of support. A new user interface provides more information about the patient at the point of care (POC), and safety features such as highlighting patients with the same name to avoid giving medication to the wrong patient.

Notable product releases on the ES platform are the Pyxis Enterprise Server, the Pyxis MedStation ES system, and the CareFusion Coordination Engine. The Pyxis Enterprise Server allows hospitals to manage just one dispensing system for the entire hospital or health network. This improvement allows pharmacies to manage one formulary in the Pharmacy Information System (PIS) and cascade the data to the Pyxis Enterprise Server, permitting the PIS to serve as the single source for formulary data. The web-based architecture gives users access to the system from any hospital computer or tablet device, without requiring a license for each user installation of additional software on hospital computers.

The Pyxis MedStation ES is a new automated medication dispensing system built on the ES platform using a standardized set of hardware and software components. The software platform enables simple, efficient workflows centered around the patient while improving pharmacy, nursing, and staff clinical and medication management efficiencies. The user experience significantly reduces the number of steps in the key workflows, such as reducing the steps needed to dispense needed medication by half.

The CareFusion Coordination Engine is a single, fault tolerant interface engine for all CareFusion products connected to a hospital's network, enabling hospitals and health systems to significantly reduce the number of interface connections that a customer needs to create and maintain multiple dispensing systems, infusion pumps, and ventilators within their facilities. For example, a health system with a single, consolidated formulary could deploy a single interface for all CareFusion devices across the multiple hospitals in their network.

“For more than 20 years, Pyxis technologies have set the standard in dispensing to help clinicians deliver medication to patients efficiently and safely,” said Rusty Frantz, senior vice president and general manager of dispensing technologies at CareFusion. “We've built an all-new dispensing platform to make it even easier to manage medications based on our customers' unique size, scope, capacity, and clinical workflows, allowing them more time to focus on patient care.”

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