The Pharmacy Department
Cutting-Edge Technology and Security for Patient Care
The Pharmacy Department is fully computerized, provides 24-hour pharmacy
services, and has an Emergency Department Satellite Pharmacy. The Pharmacy
Department has a hybrid medication dispensing system, which utilizes the
McKesson Robot-Rx™ and Omnicell® automated dispensing machines. The McKesson Robot-Rx™ provides 24-hour unit-dose medication dispensing via cassette/drawer exchange
using bar code technology, and 20 Omnicell® automated dispensing machines located in nursing stations throughout the
hospital provide emergency and immediate need medications and narcotics.
Medications stored in the Omnicell® automated dispensing machines can only be accessed after the order is verified.
Over 9,000 unit doses of medications are packaged and dispensed daily.
The Pharmacy Department processes medication orders using a closed-loop
computerized system: it utilizes direct computerized physician order entry,
interfaced simultaneously with the Pharmacy Computer Application –
in which pharmacists review and validate the medication order, interfaced
with the McKesson Robot RX™ and Omnicell® Automated Dispensing Cabinets, and interfaced with Medication Administration
Checking – in which nurses scan medications prior to administration,
using bar code technology to ensure accuracy and prevent medication errors.
The Pharmacy Department operates a USP 797-compliant IV admixture service,
preparing over 500 intravenous preparations daily and over 100 patient-specific
compounds daily. Chemotherapy medication is compounded on-site in our
Sterile Room. Intravenous medications are administered via the Alaris® System wireless infusion devices. All IV medications are profiled, and
intravenous medication libraries are unit-specific. Medication libraries
include standard concentrations, min/max doses and rates, and soft/hard stops.
Our Clinical Pharmacists
Decentralized Clinical Pharmacists validate medication orders, attend daily
patient care rounds, provide drug information, dose medications based
on age, weight, hepatic and renal function, and other pharmacokinetic
parameters, provide medication reconciliation services, administer medication
histories and discharge counseling, and attend codes including rapid response
and hypothermia codes. The Pharmacy Department has a robust Antimicrobial
Stewardship Program and approves over 6,000 restricted antimicrobials annually.
Over 30,000 clinical pharmacy interventions are documented by pharmacists
annually. Pharmacotherapy Interventions performed by Clinical Pharmacists
consists of downward and upward dosing adjustments of medications, pharmacokinetic
consultations, avoiding drug-drug and drug-food interactions, avoiding
toxic medications, avoiding drug-disease contraindications, avoiding drug-allergy
interactions, approving and dosing restricted antibiotics, switching patients
from intravenous medications to oral medications, initiating more effective
or safer drug therapies, initiating equally efficacious but less expensive
medications, discontinuing unnecessary and duplicate medications, changing
dosage forms based on patient tolerance, and making recommendations to
monitor for efficacy and toxicity.
Pharmacotherapy interventions save $5-6 million annually.
The Pharmacy Department chairs the Adverse Drug Reaction Committee. Clinical
Pharmacists detect, report and manage over 800 adverse drug reactions
annually. The Pharmacy Department also chairs the Medication Error Committee.
Pharmacists detect, report and manage 500 – 1,000 medication errors
annually. We operate an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-accredited
pharmacy residency program for PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents. PGY-2 residents
specialize in Critical Care, Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine.
For more information, please call 718-604-5373.