Pittsfield – Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) President/CEO John C. May announced that the hospital has received a $50,000 grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) to improve its systems for managing medications for better patient safety. The funding follows an earlier grant awarded to SVH to assess their strengths and opportunities and identify ways to improve how the hospital administers, records and educates patients about medications both during hospital stays and upon discharge. National studies indicate that misuse of medication is a leading cause of emergency room visits, hospital admissions and readmissions.
May shared, “We are grateful for MeHAF support in studying and designing an improved medication management system at SVH and we have valued collaborating with the 13 other Critical Access Hospitals that have participated in this work. We have all learned from each other’s experiences, covering a great deal of ground together that would have taken much longer to accomplish as individuals.”
Project Lead SVH Pharmacist Frank McGrady, RPH stated, “Studies indicate that improved verification, ensuring clarity of medication histories and enhanced documentation dramatically reduce medication errors and the need for patient readmission to the hospital. We are looking forward to implementing this new technology for the benefit of our patients.”
The project will be used to implement a Barcode Medication Administration Program to improve patient safety. It is an automated system using barcodes for packaging, storing, tracking, and distributing medications. Another component of the project will be the addition of Hospira Mednet “Smart Pumps” technology for intravenous (IV) pumps, and bedside medication verification system. The overall project is designed to support SVH’s culture of patient safety. SVH intends to collaborate with other critical access hospitals by sharing and learning from best practice information.
The Maine Health Access Foundation, founded in 2000, is Maine's largest health care foundation. Each year MeHAF provides approximately $5 million in grants and program funding across the state to expand access to health care. MeHAF was established as a result of the sale of the not-for-profit Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Maine to the for-profit Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Maine. www.mehaf.org |
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