Before 2015, the Pharmacy Services division at OSF HealthCare included 10 independent hospital pharmacy departments. Some hospitals had pharmacists on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Others had to outsource services during overnight hours. In 2014, OSF chose to transform this division to improve the efficiency of operations, reduce costs and ensure consistently high quality care to all patients, no matter where they come to us for their health care needs.
The transformation included the development of a centralized ePharmacy that is staffed by pharmacists 24/7 and functions as a Center of Expertise to all of our hospitals. As a result, OSF pharmacists are now able to verify every medication order, for every patient in our care. All patients within our hospitals also receive a remote pharmacist review of their medications before they are discharged.
Patients also have access to pharmaceutical experts throughout the organization. Pharmacists work with the rest of the care team to educate patients in their care. They are an easily accessible resource to other clinicians who may have medication questions. All patients also receive monitoring and dosing advice in every OSF facility.
The changes implemented have standardized how Pharmacy Services are offered within OSF. More than $10 million has been saved by centralizing certain services and streamlining medication purchasing. Most importantly, we are improving patient outcomes and experience.