McKesson Announces New Touch-Screen Driven Medication Dispensing Solution

Anesthesia-Rx is currently installed at Clarion Hospital in Clarion, Pa., and Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, N.J., both of which are experiencing very positive results.

“McKesson has taken into consideration the workflow of the anesthesiologists and CRNAs, which is extremely important,” said Will Simpson, pharmacy director at Clarion Hospital. “With Anesthesia-Rx, the medication-dispensing process is streamlined, and there’s no longer a need to search for medications by drug name.”

“Because anesthesiologists and CRNAs are responsible for a person’s health during each operation or procedure, they need a reliable solution that gives them quick and easy access to the drugs they need,” said Barbara Giacomelli, pharmacy director at Shore Memorial Hospital. “With Anesthesia-Rx, everything is in one place. They simply open a drawer and touch the screen to get the medications they need. All actions are documented electronically, so the pharmacy can see what is being dispensed, when and by whom.”

Anesthesia-Rx accurately tracks patient charges and gives the pharmacy visibility into inventory levels to ensure rapid medication and narcotics replenishment. This new system has the greatest capacity of any cart on the market, requiring the average pharmacy to restock each cart only once per day and ensuring that anesthesiologists and CRNAs have sufficient room for their required medications and supplies. Additionally, Anesthesia-Rx is the only cart with a syringe label printer option to automate the printing of critical medication information for regulatory compliance and improved safety. Customizable cart configurations also allow hospitals to meet their specific medication dispensing needs.

“Now that we use Anesthesia-Rx, we’ve improved workflow and reduced the workload of our pharmacists and technicians. We have a much easier time managing documentation because everything is tracked electronically through the system,” added Giacomelli. “Anesthesia-Rx also gives us greater control of high-alert and controlled substances to improve regulatory compliance.”

Anesthesia-Rx operates on McKesson’s Connect-Rx ^® unique software platform and complements McKesson’s AcuDose-Rx ^® medication-dispensing cabinets with similar pharmacy-related workflow.

“We are extremely excited to introduce our new Anesthesia-Rx solution to our suite of integrated automation solutions, extending bar-code medication management into the operating room,” said David Souerwine, president, McKesson Automation. “For Anesthesia-Rx, this integration gives the pharmacy visibility into inventory and triggers automatic orders when needed, ensuring anesthesiologists and CRNAs always have their carts stocked with the medications they need.”

More information about McKesson’s Anesthesia-Rx solution including background materials and images is available in an online press kit at www.mckesson.com/anesthesiarxnews .

 About McKesson 

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest-operating company in healthcare today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit http://www.mckesson.com .