Rpharmy Simplifies Joint Commission Inspections for Hunt Regional Medical Center
Prior to implementing Rpharmy’s FormWeb 10 years ago, the Hunt Regional Medical Center stored drug information in spreadsheets and notebooks in numerous areas of the hospital. Pharmacy was charged with keeping them updated, meaning that when changes were made to a drug dosage or a drug was added or eliminated, Pharmacy tracked down the spreadsheets and the notebooks on each floor and in each department to manually update. If this sounds familiar to you or what you’re faced with now, keep reading to hear how much more efficiently and accurately your medical safety information can be stored and communicated within your organization.
When FormWeb was first implemented it was used primarily as Hunt Regional Medical Center’s online formulary where any nurse, clinician or employee who needed to could access to discharge education materials, drug policies based on the floor, black box information, drug dosage information and much more. Not only did FormWeb improve access to this vital information, but it also increased the efficiency of information updates, which in turn improves patient safety, said Karen Blankenship, BSN, RN-BC, Clinical Education and Policy Coordinator at Hunt Regional Medical Center. And she should know, she’s the lucky person in charge of receiving and pushing out policy and formulary updates.
Hunt Regional Medical Center decided to expand FormWeb’s use within their facility. Three years ago, as the FormWeb administrator, Karen was tasked with adding all nursing policies to the FormWeb database. Hunt Regional Medical Center continued to expand its FormWeb system by adding all hospital policies ensuring that any employee with access to a computer can reach the policies and information they need.
Not only does FormWeb provide user-friendly formulary and medication safety information at the point of care, but it crosses important USP <800> and OSHA requirements off the list: access to policies and documentation of hazardous drugs communication plan. It accomplishes these requirements while, more importantly, improving patient care and outcomes.
While Hunt Regional Medical Center hasn’t undergone a USP <800> specific inspection and doesn’t expect one in the near future, when the Joint Commission paid them a visit in summer 2020, FormWeb made simple work of related inquiries.
“When the Joint Commission comes in the door and asks where the various drug policies and medication safety information are housed, all the nurses have to say is ‘Let me look it up in FormWeb’,” Karen explained.
The benefits of FormWeb extend beyond the product features to the customer service Rpharmy provides. As a long-time user of FormWeb, Karen remembers calling directly into the team with questions and technical assistance needs. Now the ticketing system is just as effective at providing timely help, she said. FormWeb recently underwent a major update to its user interface and the switch went off without any interruptions to service, Karen said.
“It’s the people at Rpharmy who make the difference. They partner with you and share our passion for patient safety,” Karen explained.
If you’re preparing for a Joint Commission inspection, be sure to check out Overcoming the Challenges of HazCom Standard Compliance for tips on Hazard Communication Plan inquiries.
