How we can help

Benefits

Lower bills, less stock, better use of staff time, full cost control, proper data Trust-wide

Lower consumption - security and accountability stops waste
Minimum but safe stock levels based on real usage data
Automated reordering and link to e-procurement
Usage costed directly to patient/procedure/consultant
Fast, easy restocking - huge savings in materials management
Accessible powerful reports from your PC on cost, usage etc
Tidy, space efficient flexible, hygienic storage

The benefits in detail

Less stock, more space less waste

Omnicell systems achieve dramatic reductions in stock levels, going well beyond what even the best manual materials management and top up can achieve. True 'just-in-time' lean stock levels rely on real time consumption data and you can get this, together with an intelligent analysis of usage patterns fro the software. This in turn will allow you to set optimal but safe stock and reorder levels for everything, bringing your stock down by 30-50%.

Reduced Consumption and cost per patient

Omnicell systems achieve dramatic reductions in consumption - anything from 5-20%, and cutting real cost on a per patient basis. As PbR tariffs tighten these cost advantages will become crucial to the Trusts's ability to keep in surplus.

Controlled access, total accountability for use and the sense that stock is valued and valuable changes behaviour patterns and encourages staff to stop waste, borrowing and excessve consumption cutting your bills. Added to this, less stock means less boxes, duplication, expiry and redundancy. And the visble accessible patient reporting engages all levels of the organization including Consultants in cost issues and puts good economics on the healthcare agenda without allowing it to compromise clinical excellence.

Accurate, Timely Stock Replenishment

With usage information at their fingertips, managers are better able to monitor item usage and replenish supplies quickly and accurately. Data from different hospital locations is automatically routed back to a central server to allow stock levels, consumption and shortages to be immediately notified to the controlling manager.

Reduced Data Entry

Automatic data capture virtually eliminates the need for time consuming tasks such as top-up stock counts, collecting controlled drug information and recording patient specific product usage. Furthermore, by integrating Omnicell systems with the hospital's existing information systems users are able to reduce the manual data entry between different systems and departments. This enables users to focus their time and energy on what matters most - providing quality patient care.

Better business decision from real cost data.

The system allocates product charges to cost centres and individual patients. Integration with the patient billing system, where used, ensures charges are automatically updated to the patient's records.

For the NHS this means intelligent analysis can be done on cost for PbR including finding out where tariff revenue doesn't cover costs or highlighting where patients may have been miscoded or simply identifying high cost drugs and treatments that need to be claimed outside of the tariff.

For private patients Omnicell systems minimise lost charges and enable hospitals to consistently and accurately charge and account for product usage.

Reduced Dispensing Errors and better patient safety

Omnicell cabinets aid in reducing medication errors and improving patient safety. Guiding lights, specific drawer and zone access, single-dose dispensing and bar code verification are all options to help ensure dispensing accuracy. Additionally, a patient's prescribed medicines can be programmed in to the cabinet thus preventing access to the wrong medicines.

Clinical alerts and on line web based access data make the system a full medicines management tool allowing hospital or national policies to be enforced and patient safety to be enhance with easy 'decision-support' tools on the screen for the user to access.

Available Information that Wins Staff Involvement

Omnicell's extensive reporting and analysis tools allow managers to view and interpret usage data to improve the management of medicines and supplies. Reports are available on any permutation of system data including transactions by procedure, item, patient or user, as well as consumption by cabinet, department, cost centre or consultant and many more.

Furthermore, the system keeps accurate records of critical data such as controlled drug usage and implant serial numbers supporting regulatory compliance and clinical governance.