St. Elizabeth Hospital installs InstyMeds machine
Patients now have more convenient way to receive prescriptions
01 / 05 / 2012
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
APPLETON, Wis. – St. Elizabeth Hospital, part of Affinity Health System, announced it has begun offering InstyMeds, a fully automated ATM-style machine that dispenses prescription medications directly to patients before leaving the emergency department. The system, the first of its kind, offers a safe, convenient way for patients to receive their prescription medications at the point-of-care.
“Installing this convenient system in our emergency department further fulfills our promise of personalized care by providing more convenient access to prescriptions, ensuring patients fill and take their prescribed medications, which leads to faster recovery,” says Travis Andersen, president of St. Elizabeth Hospital. “InstyMeds’ track record of over 1.3 million dispenses without error gives us the reassurance that the system is 100 percent safe for our patients.”
Studies show that between 20 and 30 percent of prescriptions that doctors write go unfilled. The added convenience of the InstyMeds system increases the likelihood that the patient will fill their prescription and undergo his or her medication treatment plan. The InstyMeds system automates the entire process from the prescriber issuing the prescription, to the patient obtaining their medications, and payment collection. The patient can obtain their medications and be on their way in about the same time it takes them to use their bank ATM.
How it works- The medical provider enters a medication order electronically, counsels the patient on the prescribed medication and gives the patient a voucher with a unique security code. Using the touch-screen on the InstyMeds dispenser, the patient enters the unique security code and his or her date of birth. The patient then swipes a debit or credit card to pay for the medication. After the dispenser performs a triple bar code safety check, the pre-packaged, labeled product is dispensed to the patient. The entire process typically takes a couple of minutes.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 25 family practice and specialty clinics – 22 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; and Affinity Occupational Health.