FAIRFIELD, NJ: ISH, Inc. announced today the successful completion of a multi-faceted Medication Administration improvement project at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis. SAMC undertook this initiative to exceed JCAHO requirements as part of their corporate vision to be the area's premier healthcare organization. This proactive approach has led to significant operational improvements, cost savings, and increased patient safety. With ISH’s leadership, SAMC identified a number of improvement opportunities that were realized through process change and automation.

“We are pleased by the degree of process transformation we were able to achieve in such a short period of time. We would not have been able to achieve it without the commitment of the SAMC administration to improving the safety of their patients. SAMC has clearly demonstrated their commitment to providing the highest quality care and patient safety” stated John Marchisin, EVP of ISH.

The project focused on improving patient safety and operational efficiency by closing the Medication Administration loop between Nursing and Pharmacy. To achieve this, the team reviewed current workflow against JCAHO standards; implemented new medication administration processes automated with Pyxis MedStations, and developed new staffing models that aligned staffing needs with clinical demand. This three-pronged approach yielded accomplishments that included:

• Development of new Medication Error Process resulting in increased patient safety
• Improvement of the Medication Reconciliation Process
• Improved Medication turnaround resulting in increased patient and clinician satisfaction
• Development of new procedure for home medication storage
• Implementation of new Pain Management Documentation and Monitoring
• Revision of Standing Order Sheets to be compliant with JCAHO standards
• Development of a new process of medication delivery for EMS personnel including facility design change to create room in the ER for EMS use with locked medication cabinets
• Improvement of Medication Administration Record including the improvement of patient safety by providing most up to date record of medications for the nursing staff
• Renegotiation of key contracts to realize $200,000 cost savings
• Implemented Pyxis automated dispensing stations

According to Gordon Lashmett, CIO of St. Anthony’s, “Tools such as Pyxis medication dispensing cabinets, new and improved processes and forms, and revamped policies and procedures are only as effective as the guidance and change management provided to the staff who ultimately own and use the tools on a daily basis. Under the hands-on direction of ISH, SAMC has been able to effectively address the people and process elements involved with our Pyxis and other medication safety initiatives. As we all know, while technology is a more glamorous aspect of projects, it is ISH’s ability to work through the heavy lifting of process improvements and staff enfranchisement that makes a meaningful difference at the end of the day; which is what our caregivers and patients alike deserve.”

About St. Anthony’s Medical Center
St. Anthony's is the third-largest medical center in the St. Louis metropolitan area and also serves families in Jefferson County, Mo., and St. Clair and Monroe counties in Illinois. In addition, St. Anthony’s operates three urgent care facilities– located in Arnold, Fenton and Lemay.

St. Anthony's is a well-respected tertiary care facility, offering advanced medical treatment in a number of specialties, including cardiology, women’s services, oncology/cancer care, orthopedics, neurology and emergency medicine.

St. Anthony’s is staffed by more than 4,000 employees, and served by more than 800 physicians, dentists and other medical professionals in private practice. The medical staff provides a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical, diagnostic, emergency and behavioral health services to more than 225,000 patients each year.

About ISH, Inc.
Headquartered in Fairfield, NJ, ISH Inc is a leading provider of professional services for healthcare including Sterile Processing, Perioperative Services, Critical Care and Procedural Care, ED, EMR, Supply Chain, Finance, HR/PR, Time & Attendance, Scheduling, and Document Imaging. ISH has delivered business improvement solutions and IT implementations to prominent healthcare providers since 1989. With a staff of over 200 professionals, an extensive “best practice” library—SolutionSets?--developed from over 500 clients and a powerful program management methodology, ISH is positioned to deliver the results you need when you need them.
Contact: Mary Garland, 800-284-8018; ext. 336