Transitioning to EPIC

The Role of the Pharmacy Buyer

Transitioning to EPIC

Learning Objectives

1) Describe the implementation process of EPIC

2) Explain the effects of EPIC on the day-to-day Pharmacy Buyer routine

Find the EPIC Team for your location, be sure to get included in the initial meetings so you know what is

going on and what the time line is.

Implementation: Where to start?

• Implementation what does that mean?

– Who? Where? When? Why? How?• Who : The implementation team –

– EPIC will supply people to help walk you through this process, but remember they may not pharmacy back ground so be patient but persistent with your questions and request.

• Where: Meetings monthly, weekly, daily– The team should be meeting often to ensure things are moving

along, conference calls work well and if they are not discussing medication purchasing type problems, kindly excuse yourself, you don’t want to get lost is all the “what if” scenarios.

• When: Target dates – keep them focused– Each facility will be given target dates, communication is key in making

sure that everyone is keeping on track. Things happen and if you get behind be sure to relay that message to your pharmacist lead so that your part doesn’t get skipped. Remember early is better if possible.

• Why: Are we making the transitions?– EPIC is all about patient safety and ease of accessing information on a

global level. The process of implementation can be painful but remember it is all about patient care.

• How: Can I as the buyer help to better patient care and saftey.– Knowing what you purchase and how it is used is the biggest help to

your organization and your day, remember that you are the front line when it comes to medication purchases, so being on top of the game is very important. Be familiar with your most common items and NDC’s.

Getting Started…..

• Be sure to get a complete scan of your facility. This includes all areas medication may be kept. (Remembering in EPIC that contrast media / dietary / hydration is all considered medications.)

• Be able to confirm how you are admixing medications. What solutions are being used.

• WAS / IS lists – this is very important especially if you are a 340B campus as it will ensure your accumulations move with you and continue to accrue.

Epic Scan List:

• This is a list of medications that was scanned by the EPIC team for every medication used / stored in your hospital NOT just pharmacy. Contrast Media / hydrations / dietary are all part of this.

• Get with the department Pharmacist lead to look at this list with you to ensure that all medications are on it. Compare to your current stock & existing common order sets.

• Run use / purchase reports on medications commonly purchased.

• Verify that all the “odd” medications are accounted for IE direct purchased or specialty medications.: things like OTC medications or items that are “not” formulary but used.

Example slide – Scan list

Drug Order Sets

• Work with your Pharmacist lead to assure the items that are being set up on the order sets are in fact products you are purchasing.

• Make a list of all items that are on the order sets that are not currently purchased.

• Help to ensure that the medications you are purchasing or will be purchasing are qualified for the correct accounts (340B/GPO/WAC)

• EPIC can get you a WAS/IS list to help ensure that billing charges are correct.

Example slide – Admix list

EPIC WAS / IS lists

• Once you have your scanned list from EPIC and you are in the review process it is very important to look at purchase history to ensure what WAS being ordered IS what will be ordered.

• If you find things are not so, the earlier in the process you find these items the faster you can get them or try to get them added pre go live.

• Things that happen after go live are very hard to get fix, because again everything effects everything else.

Example – WAS / IS list

EPIC – A buyers day…..

• Remember that everything is subject to change, be ready to roll w/ it.

• If your organization has a Standard Medication protocol, be sure to get a copy and look at the medications on it.

• Note that there are likely to be more NON-Formulary medication request as the Doctors are doing the ordering.

• 340B – if you are maintaining the NDC’s then the process will be easy to monitor, if you get behind it can take a lot of extra work and research to correct. Remember everything effects everything else.

• NDC maintenance– Who will do this?

• The buyer will assist in maintaining all the ndc’s for the scanning data base. You are the one who will see the change first. Remember NOT all barcodes are scanable, you may have to create you own for things like UD oral syringes/bulk UD tabs/caps.

– How often does it need to be done?• Stay ahead of the game, this needs to be done as

soon as a new item is identified. If you are bar- coding at the bedside this is a must.

EPIC – A buyers day…

• Dispense Prep– This will help you to ensure that the NDC’s being

used to make the medication are being accounted for.

– This will let you accumulate on the correct medication to maximize your purchasing.

– This will also help maintain your 340B accumulations and keep the records and billing correct.

Tools to Help:

Tools to Help:

Remember Reporting is your friend!!!

Run purchase reports from your wholesaler to confirm the medications purchased are listed correctly in the system

If you are 340B campus set up weekly reports to run automatically

AccumulationsBilling Unmatched NDC’s in crosswalk / catalogDirect purchases.

Questions ?????????