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Swisslog Healthcare partners with Summa Health

A new programme will drive medication adherence among hospital patients preparing for discharge

Swisslog Healthcare has has partnered with Summa Health to execute a pilot medication adherence programme on the healthcare organisation’s Akron campus.

The new meds-to-beds programme includes secure, autonomous robotic delivery of prescribed medication and concierge-style medication reconciliation and consulting services conducted at the bedside in preparation for patient discharge. This new program will serve as an extension of the facility’s existing meds-to-beds initiative.

To create the innovative pilot offering, Swisslog Healthcare combines delivery manager, the company’s intelligent chain-of-custody software deployed in automated transport scenarios, with robotic technology from Savioke and telepharmacy services from PipelineRx.

Summa Health is a population health management organisation providing compassionate care to the citizens of northeast Ohio. By executing a population health strategy that encourages wellness through preventative and personalised specialty care, Summa Health clinicians work collaboratively with patients to improve their well-being.

“This unique programme allows our organisation to respond to the increasing demand for discharge medication delivery at the patient bedside, an essential step in supporting medication adherence,” said Dr David Custodio, president, Summa Health System – Akron and St Thomas Campuses. “We believe this programme will not only improve the patient experience, but also enhance patient understanding of their medication treatment plans and create convenient access to prescriptions. Just as important, it will provide peace of mind to family members who know their loved ones have the medications they need upon discharge from the hospital.”

Among the benefits the organisation is expected to realize are higher degrees of patient safety related to medication use, increasing medication adherence to maximise therapy benefits, and minimising 30-day hospital readmissions.

“This pilot partnership with Swisslog Healthcare will provide expanded capacity to deliver more medications than is possible today through the use of autonomous service robots,” said John Feucht, Vice President of Pharmacy Services, Summa Health. “The programme ensures patients returning home post-discharge are prepared to continue their medication therapy without disruption.”

Swisslog Healthcare North America President Cory Kwarta adds, “Swisslog Healthcare has worked with Savioke and PipelineRx for years. This new pilot programme combines our strengths in transport automation and healthcare workflows with the robotics and services expertise of our partners to create a new offering that fills a real need. We envision hospital pharmacies will benefit from efficiencies in workflow and simultaneously capture more revenue from prescription fills. Patients will benefit from greater understanding of their medication therapies and increased confidence their prescriptions have been carefully reconciled. This programme has all the makings for a win-win-win scenario.”

“It’s a critical time to affect patient attitude and belief systems concerning medication use, perhaps leveraging the mainstreaming of health and safety topics as patients adjust to the current healthcare environment,” Andy Strunk, Senior Solutions Manager and programme owner for meds-to-beds, adds. “In one study, patients who participated in medication reconciliation, actively engaged in a discussion about the proper use of their medications, and scheduled a seven-day follow-up meeting experienced significantly better results following inpatient surgery. We believe we can help hospitals like Summa Health deliver better patient care and improve patient experiences with our meds-to-beds programme.”

 

 

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