Evaluating Med Software

Step 1

Determine Needs and Objectives Before Interviewing Technology Companies

The first step is to determine what are the greatest needs of the facility.  This can be done by internally asking the following questions:

• What are the greatest needs that we have as a facility?

• What problems need to be solved with the selected technology?

• How can technology help to solve those problems?

• Talk with your current or future pharmacy about their experiences with the different of med technology solutions.  Especially, if you plan on the pharmacy interfacing with the software.

• Does the pharmacy have a recommendation?  Why?

*Just like consumer technology, “bells and whistles” that come with software should not be a main influencer on your decision.  Keep in mind that many features for most software packages are not used.  This holds true for EHR and eMAR Technology as well.

Step 2

Determine a Budget and Time Frame for Implementation

• When considering a budget, keep in mind the time for employees and management to train and setup the software.

• Although your timeline does not need to be exact, having an timeline that you stick with is going to make it easier to implement and focus your resources towards the change.

Step 3

Understand Facility Initiated or Pharmacy Initiated (Interfaced) Orders and How That Plays into Your Decision

Facility Initiated

• Facility initiated orders occurs when the facility manually inputs the orders into the system whereby the pharmacy has no interface service.

Pharmacy Initiated (Interfaced)

• Pharmacy initiated orders occur when the pharmacy pushes medication data to the facility directly from the pharmacy system.

• If pharmacy initiated orders are appealing, understand that all interfaces are not created equal.  Talk with your current or future pharmacy about how their pharmacy systems communicates with the med software.  Remember that not all interfaces are created equal. 

Pros of PI: 

Orders come directly from the pharmacy therefore their is less order input and the orders should match the label.    

Cons of PI: 

Changes on the pharmacy software side like refills or NDC changes may also come over creating a change depending on the software which may complicate things.  

These changes should be approved by the facility before going to the eMAR so, there must be facility processes in place as these orders and changes come across intermittently when entered by the pharmacy. 

Step 4

System Setup and Maintenance

Since all types of software are different in terms of setup.  It is important to understand the various features and setup options.  For example, if you have multiple locations how does the software treat those locations and how configurable are the settings?  Do the setting options allow the facility organization to create the appropriate operational structure and is it easy to use?

What is the software architecture and how is the software maintained?  What are the outage and backup protocols when the software goes down?

Many med software programs are web based which don’t require updates.  Some software platforms are downloaded as an application and need to be updated periodically through the internet.  The architecture of the software could be an important factor depending on your internet connection and other factors.

What sort of hardware and operating system does the software need to run?

Step 5

Functionality, Efficiency and Training

How does the functionality match your needs as stated in Step 1?  The software in which you select should meet your main needs.  It is possible that their is no software that matches your needs perfectly.  If that is the case, pick the one that is closest to your criteria promoting accuracy and compliance.

The selected software should be efficient especially when doing the most time consuming tasks.  Remember to ask if there are ways to improve accuracy and speed like a bar code scanner or other shortcuts.

Training is one the most critical aspects of selecting med software.  Make sure to understand how the training will be delivered during the implementation and ensure that the training is adequate.  Typically live training is more effective than online training but, will cost more.  The software company should be responsible for the training however, some pharmacies do provide training.

Clarify how the ongoing training will be delivered after the initial training.  This will be important considering staff turnover.