Jun. 25--A new program developed by the Nebraska Medical Center gives rural health care facilities around-the-clock, online access to pharmacists.
The Remote Pharmaceutical Care program arranges for an on-call pharmacist to provide advice to rural doctors and nurses about the medications they're prescribing, said Paul Baltes, a medical center spokesman. The on-call pharmacist works under a contract with the Omaha hospital and is equipped with a computer at home.
Large hospitals have enough pharmacists on staff that one is available at any time to review the medications that physicians order for patients, said Dr. Lori Murante, pharmacy relations and clinical support administrator at the medical center.
She said rural hospitals need the same coverage to protect patients. Currently, at some rural hospitals, physicians will prescribe medication, but a pharmacist isn't available to offer advice until later.
"There's a standard of care that's been in place for a long time for large hospitals," Murante said. "And it seems like the same safety should be at every hospital."
She said there is a national shortage of pharmacists, and smaller communities are having trouble attracting and retaining pharmacists.
The only hospital to use the program so far, Litzenberg Memorial County Hospital in Central City, Neb., began using it June 11. Murante said the Howard County Community Hospital in St. Paul, Neb., should have the system running by early August.
Reg Hain, pharmacy director at Litzenberg, said that after working out a few mechanical bugs, the program is providing additional safety and alleviating some of the workload.
"This helps reduce medication errors because the pharmacist is reviewing it before it goes to the patient," he said.
Hain, one of two full-time pharmacists at Litzenberg, said the program is reducing his overtime hours. "It gives us a break from being on call so much."
Baltes said 63 of Nebraska's 93 counties face a shortage of hospital pharmacists.
Murante said 10 pharmacists are trained for the program, and she can hire up to 15. She said nearly 25 hospitals have expressed interest in the program, including a couple in Iowa and one in Missouri.
The computers that the pharmacists use are equipped with video conferencing systems and have access to all the resources available to in-house pharmacists at the medical center.
Each hospital using the program can choose its coverage, ranging from 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to just weekends or holidays.
Murante said the program is "not a moneymaker per se" and declined to provide any figures related to its cost.
The medical center, she said, is "just trying to help out our neighbors."
--Contact the writer: 444-3110, chelsea.keeney@owh.com
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