The Premier Healthcare Alliance’s PharmacyConnect™ Program Uses Data and Knowledge Sharing to Improve the Cost-Effectiveness, Quality and Safety of Care
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The rising cost of pharmaceuticals, medication safety and supply utilization are challenges hospitals face each day. To address these challenges, Premier healthcare alliance hospitals can access a comprehensive pharmacy support program to enhance their clinical and supply chain operations.
PharmacyConnect™ is a value-added program for alliance members. It helps hospitals improve the cost-effectiveness, quality and safety of care through integrated data, online communities, contracting committees, member collaboratives, clinical toolkits, informational webcasts, newsletters and conferences.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use PharmacyConnect. It provides a great deal of value for us to stay in the know on availability of products, pricing, wholesaler information, order status and how to find supplies quickly,” said Ginger Jackson, senior contract analyst of materials resource management-member services at Carolinas HealthCare System.
PharmacyConnect also features a website for members with tools to estimate and manage their pharmacy budget and compare against alliance hospital peers while sharing best practices.
“The website has been very helpful,” continued Jackson. “Last year, North Carolina ended funding of vaccines for infants and we needed to devise a plan fast. With roughly 700 members, coming up with something quickly is a challenge. We used the site to put a process in place, including what was needed to get the vaccines. We actually saved a great deal of money because we can access vendors directly through the site and most of the information we needed on vaccines was also there.”
Staffed with a field-deployed team of consulting pharmacists having extensive clinical and administrative experience in operations improvement and drug cost management, the program has saved members more than $100 million in the past seven years.
To further help hospitals control drug costs, Premier created the Center for Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice (CEBPP). The CEBPP features toolkits containing:
- Hospital-contributed prescriptive protocols.
- “Clinical pearls” designed to quickly impact hospital drug budgets.
- Reference lists of clinical literature designed to support the implementation of prescriptive protocols and clinical pearls.
- Presentation slides for Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee meetings and other pharmacy-oriented meetings.
“PharmacyConnect is a collaborative program that optimizes medication management and supports evidence-based practices across the continuum of care,” said Marv Feldman, MS, RPh, senior director for medication use management at Premier. “We integrate contracting, analytics and knowledge transfer to continually deliver therapeutic and economic value to Premier members. And our pharmacy experts are available for members to contact directly for quick answers and guidance on clinical and operational challenges.”
PharmacyConnect uses a mix of technologies and solutions available through Premier to help pharmacy directors, clinicians and purchasing staff make important decisions regarding the best way to manage their operations, including:
- PharmacySpend™ – allows users near real-time analysis of pharmaceutical purchasing patterns.
- Pharmacy ChargeLink® -- a Craneware solution that enables users to ensure proper and compliant billing for medications, while optimizing their revenue recovery processes.
- Supply Chain Advisor® – allows users to analyze all purchases and manage contracts online with access to expert support along the way.
- SupplyFocus® – is the industry's largest comparative database of supply chain cost information for acute care hospitals.
- SafetySurveillor® - Pharmacy – helps clinicians increase efficiency and positively impact the care of more patients on a daily basis.
- QualityAdvisor™ – offers users data-driven approaches to measure and analyze performance to achieve sustainable change.
- OperationsAdvisor® – offers users productivity monitoring, assessment and comparative data.
- MyPremier® – a portal that provides users a single, consistent point of access to all Premier products, tools and applications.
The program also provides information and educational services for members to maximize value and quality in their hospitals including the Premier Drug Intelligence Network (PDIN), Pharmacy publications and Clinical Research Services.
About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,400 U.S. hospitals and 70,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to achieve high quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals, health systems and other providers, Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has offices in San Diego, Philadelphia and Washington. http://www.premierinc.com
CONTACT:
Premier healthcare alliance
Alven Weil, 704-733-5797
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INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Data Management Practice Management Health Hospitals Pharmaceutical Other Health
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