by
Nancy Ryerson, Staff Writer | May 20, 2013
From the May 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
CareFusion also recently introduced a web-based dashboard that links the pharmacy with the rest of the hospital.
“The application uses a proprietary algorithm to show how much time remains and the amount of medication volume that is left to be infused, enhancing workflow between pharmacy and nursing,” says Dan Pettus, vice president of IT and connectivity at CareFusion.
Wireless woes and other challenges
Before beginning the pump integration process, facilities should have a sturdy IT foundation, including reliable wireless connectivity, an EMR program, updated infusion pumps and appropriate middleware to bring everything together.
Wireless connectivity often proves to be the most formidable step.
“The hospital needs to understand the robustness and limitations of its wireless network,” says Tim Vanderveen, VP of the Center for Safety and Clinical Excellence at CareFusion. “Just being wireless doesn’t translate to a hospital being ready to implement some of these complex interoperability platforms. Careful planning and consideration of the hospital’s wireless network is a critical component to a successful solution.”
In addition to sturdiness on the tech side, a strong team of reliable staff has to be built up, too.
“Infrastructure building is complex, it requires your team to work differently,” says WellSpan Health’s O’Shea. “We have new roles, for example the liaison between biomed and IT, and that role evolved out of this whole topic of bar code scanning and connectivity.”
If different devices are communicating, that means people from disparate departments have to be in touch, too.
“This is very much a multi disciplinary project, so you need to be able to bring together your leadership from the IT department, the pharmacy, nursing, you also need to make sure to bring your biomed folks into the conversation,” says Steve Kirsch, vice president of the DeviceWorks division at Cerner.
Communication is especially important when it comes to user support systems. A nurse might be accustomed to calling the biomed department, but as pumps become more connected to the overall system, there may be a different number to call, says Kirsch.
CareFusion barcode scanning.
Pump partners
The next step is to select infusion pump vendors that already sync with the facility’s EMRs. Currently, Hospira, CareFusion, B. Braun and Baxter Healthcare can all connect with EMRs.
