Envision Telepharmacy's Recently Patented Process Lowers Sterile Compounding Costs

Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:25pm EST

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Lets technicians and pharmacists work together without pharmacists gowning-up
and entering the restricted area or technicians interrupting their work to wait
for, or seek out, their supervising pharmacists
ALPINE, Texas,  Feb. 13, 2013  /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Telepharmacy, LLC, a
pioneer in remote pharmacy technology and services, announced today that the US
Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent  8,374,887 covering the remote
supervision and verification of sterile compounding by non-pharmacists in
hospital and health care system settings. The patented method covers images or
videos of the compounding process at appropriate stages, review by
remotely-located pharmacists, and an indication of pharmacist verification.

To reduce the cost of high-risk compounding in restricted areas, Envision
incorporated this patent into its  Pharm-Q In the Hood  (ITH) product.   Pharm-Q
ITH  lets technicians and pharmacists work together without pharmacists
gowning-up and entering the restricted area or technicians interrupting their
work to wait for, or seek out, their supervising pharmacists.

"The recent 2012 public health crisis tied to the New England Compounding Center
(NECC) began to highlight systemic problems in sterile product compounding, and
has underscored the importance of the both the methods of preparation used and
accountability for process," said inventor and Envision CEO  Emily Alexander,
PharmD., BCPS.   

"Increasing use of outsourced sterile products has, in part, been an attempt to
manage drug shortages and provide patient-driven health care.  The need for
sterile compounded products will continue to increase as pharmaceutical
companies continue to abandon drug production in response to declining margins.
With increased oversight by state and federal agencies, the cost of producing
sterile products will only rise.  

"This makes for the perfect storm, driving all healthcare institutions to
re-visit the economics and risks associated with compounded injectable
preparations.  While safeguarding patients, our proprietary technology can help
take the bite out of a costly but indispensable workflow element - pharmacist
oversight and verification.  Our method allows best utilization of pharmacists
and pharmacy technicians by allowing them to focus on the parts of the process
that most need their specialized training and skills.  It also provides better
process documentation, an area where increased scrutiny from regulators and
accrediting agencies is already underway."

The recently assigned patent was licensed exclusively to Envision Telepharmacy,
becoming part of Envision's ever-expanding technology portfolio. Since its
inception nearly 10 years ago, Envision has made significant investments in
technologies that generate real returns to hospitals and health care
institutions while meeting increasingly complex medication preparation
requirements.

About Envision Telepharmacy, LLC
Envision Telepharmacy was established in 2004 to provide better ways to extend
pharmacy services for hospitals and health care systems in need. We are a
pioneer in developing tools, services and systems  that provide electronic
supervision and remote order processing through high-bandwidth, standards-based
web technology, still imaging, and high resolution video.  Enabling and
realizing safe, quality patient care and pharmacist access through the use of
compliant and cost-effective telepharmacy solutions is our mission.

For more information about Envision Telepharmacy, LLC visit  www.envision-rx.com
 or contact CEO  Emily Alexander, PharmD, BCPS at (432) 897-0754 ext 105 or
email envision(at)envision-rx(dot)com.

SOURCE  Envision Telepharmacy, LLC