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Simple to use |
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Barcode based |
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e-Prescribe compatible |
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Innovative |
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Linked to patient records |
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Web based |
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Cost effective |
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Widely used |
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Cross platform |
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TMS Insight's Prescription Tracking System (PTS) allows you and your pharmacy staff to monitor, from anywhere, the progress of prescriptions through the dispensing process.
Intuitive and easy to use, PTS requires nothing more than a few barcodes to track where a prescription is, who is working on it and how long it is expected to take.
How does it work?
The process is as follows:
- When the prescription is received at reception, your staff "book it in" to PTS using a simple intranet page.
- They enter the patients name, the prescription type, and optionally the ward if the patient is an inpatient.
- When they've finished, a prescription barcode is automatically printed from a nearby label printer, and a ticket number is printed for the patient if applicable.
- Using the prescription barcode, staff record "activities" against the prescription that follow a pre-defined sequence.
- These barcodes (e.g. Clinical Check, Label Production, Dispense, Final Check) in conjunction with the prescription barcode let PTS know the current status and whereabouts of the prescription.
- Using this live data pharmacy staff and ward staff can at any point find out how long a prescription is likely to take, eliminating those pesky progress calls.
- Once the prescription is completed, outpatients can be automatically called to the hatch by the LCD screen or via SMS, while delivery of inpatient or homecare prescriptions can be tracked by equipping your porters with a dedicated smartphone app.
What does all of this mean for me and my pharmacy?
With something as simple as scanning a few barcodes, outpatients are automatically informed how long they will be waiting, are automatically told when to come to the hatch, bottlenecks in the process are automatically identified and ward staff can see where prescriptions are without having to call you. In fact, many hospitals go on to forbid wards from calling the dispensary without checking the PTS system first!
What else can I do with the data?
We know how important it is that you can prove you're meeting your targets. That's why we've designed PTS so its uses don't end with the live data. With its intuitive reporting engine and over 60 built in report templates, PTS makes it easy to demonstrate your pharmacies efficiency. Bar charts, pie charts, tabular charts, or even raw Excel output for the technically minded, the data really is indispensable to any dispensary manager.
A short case study courtesy of Western Sussex Hospitals
PTS was introduced into Western Sussex Hospitals way back in 2008.
Following the initial installation and familiarisation period Worthing were soon using the majority of the facilities offered by the application and making the most of what PTS can offer.
The objectives for the PTS project were to improve the dispensing times for prescriptions, therefore improving the patient experience and ultimately the potential for better bed management, in addition to offering much more effective communication to medical staff relating to a prescriptions progress.
To achieve this they wanted a system that would be easy to use and maintain and they opted for TMS Insight's Prescription Tracking System.
Teresa Leach, Dispensary Manager said "Since the implementation of PTS we have seen a noticeable reduction in nurse phone calls progressing prescriptions, and our script dispensing times have reduced significantly. Turnaround time has fallen by at least 25%, with TTO dispensing times down by almost 50%!"