KENTUCKY’S JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS. BAPTIST HEALTH’S NEW, INNOVATIVE PHARMACY IN LAGRANGE IS AIMING TO REDUCE THE COST OF PRESCRIPTIONS WHILE ALSO SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS OF FILLING THEM. WLKY’S ADDIE MEINERS EXPLAINS WHY OFFICIALS BELIEVE IT WILL LEAD THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE OF PHARMACY. THIS IS 102,000FT FACILITY. IT IS A FULLY AUTONOMOUS PHARMACY. IT’S A PROJECT. DECI, THE CHIEF OF PHARMACY OPERATIONS AT BAPTIST HEALTH, HAS BEEN WORKING TO CREATE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND HE BELIEVES IT WILL HELP WITH THE CHALLENGES THE PHARMACY INDUSTRY IS FACING TODAY. AS WE SPEAK, THERE’S ABOUT 300 PLUS DRUG SHORTAGES THAT THAT KIND OF IMPACT EVERY ONE OF US. YOU TALK ABOUT STAFFING SHORTAGES, THERE IS A 60% DECLINE IN PHARMACY SCHOOL APPLICANTS. THE NEW FACILITY WILL CENTRALIZE ALL OF THE REGION’S BAPTIST HOSPITAL, PHARMACY ORDERS TO ONE LOCATION. IT WILL ALSO EMPLOY OVER 200 PEOPLE, BUT WILL BE FULLY AUTONOMOUS. DESAI SAYS THAT WILL CUT DOWN ON BOTH TIME AND COST FOR BAPTIST AND PATIENTS FULLY AUTONOMOUS. YOU WANT MINIMAL HAND TOUCHES WITH ZERO HARM OR ZERO ERRORS, AND WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO IS IT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO SUPPORT PRESCRIPTION FULFILLMENT, INVENTORY MANAGEMENT AND ACTUALLY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A ROBUST CALL CENTER THAT’S GOING TO HELP OUR PATIENTS WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM. BAPTIST HEALTH WILL BE ABLE TO FILL OVER 14,000 PRESCRIPTIONS EVERY TEN HOURS. THOSE PRESCRIPTIONS WILL THEN GO OUT TO NINE REGIONAL BAPTIST HEALTH HOSPITALS. WE’LL ALSO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PRESCRIPTIONS CONVENIENTLY BY MAIL TO OUR PATIENTS THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH AND SOUTHERN INDIANA, WHICH WILL BE A FIRST FOR KENTUCKY AS WELL. GERARD COLEMAN, THE CEO OF BAPTIST HEALTH LOUISVILLE, SAYS THIS FACILITY WILL ALSO PROVIDE BETTER ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS FOR COMPLICATED DISEASES SUCH AS CANCER AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. THOSE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. TRADITIONALLY TAKE 14 DAYS TO FILL AT A TRADITIONAL PHARMACY, BUT BECAUSE OF THIS OPERATION AND BECAUSE OF THE WONDERFUL PHARMACISTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS THAT ARE WORKING HERE, WE’LL BE ABLE TO FULFILL THOSE LIMITED ACCESS PRESCRIPTIONS IN JUST TWO DAYS. THE FACILITY WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN SHIPPING PRESCRIPTIONS BY AUGUST IN LAGRANGE. I’M ADDIE MEINERS WLKY NEWS. THANK YOU ADDIE. AND WITH THIS NEW FACILITY, BAPTIST HEALTH IS WORKING ON A PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH OLDHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS TO GI
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Baptist Health opens central pharmacy facility in La Grange, a first of its kind
Addie Meiners
Reporter/Multimedia Journalist
Baptist Health officials opened the brand new, centralized pharmacy for its health care system on Wednesday.The 102,000-square-foot, fully autonomous facility can fill over 14,000 prescriptions in 10 hours.Nilesh Desai, the chief pharmacy officer for Baptist Health, said this new facility will be able to help several problems the health care industry is facing."As we speak, there are about 300-plus drug shortages that impact everyone. You talk about staffing shortages; there is a 60% decline in pharmacy school applicants. There has been a real technician shortage for the last 15 years," said Desai.The new facility will fill prescriptions for Baptist’s nine area hospitals and medical facilities. By centralizing and automating the process, it will also help cut down on the cost of prescriptions, according to Baptist Health Louisville's CEO, Gerard Colman."What we have embarked upon here, along with the technology and all the innovation, is pharmacy teams that specialize in working with the insurance company, the pharmacy, and the patients to get reasonably priced pharmaceuticals at a lower cost through this facility," said Colman.Being fully autonomous, Desai said that will ensure prescriptions are filled with zero errors. However, there will still be pharmacists checking the prescriptions."No matter how much technology we have, there's always a need for human capital. So we're going to have more than 200 employees just staffing this facility," said Desai.Located in La Grange, the new facility is a big plus for Oldham County. Not only will it bring jobs, but according to Oldham County Schools Superintendent Jason Radford, it will also bring opportunities for students."We look forward to the students in our biomedical sciences pathway benefiting from the opportunities this facility will provide and ultimately a future pathway within Oldham County schools for our students interested in pharmaceutical sciences," said Radford.The new facility plans to begin shipping prescriptions by August.
LA GRANGE, Ky. —
Baptist Health officials opened the brand new, centralized pharmacy for its health care system on Wednesday.
The 102,000-square-foot, fully autonomous facility can fill over 14,000 prescriptions in 10 hours.
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Nilesh Desai, the chief pharmacy officer for Baptist Health, said this new facility will be able to help several problems the health care industry is facing.
"As we speak, there are about 300-plus drug shortages that impact everyone. You talk about staffing shortages; there is a 60% decline in pharmacy school applicants. There has been a real technician shortage for the last 15 years," said Desai.
The new facility will fill prescriptions for Baptist’s nine area hospitals and medical facilities. By centralizing and automating the process, it will also help cut down on the cost of prescriptions, according to Baptist Health Louisville's CEO, Gerard Colman.
"What we have embarked upon here, along with the technology and all the innovation, is pharmacy teams that specialize in working with the insurance company, the pharmacy, and the patients to get reasonably priced pharmaceuticals at a lower cost through this facility," said Colman.
Being fully autonomous, Desai said that will ensure prescriptions are filled with zero errors. However, there will still be pharmacists checking the prescriptions.
"No matter how much technology we have, there's always a need for human capital. So we're going to have more than 200 employees just staffing this facility," said Desai.
Located in La Grange, the new facility is a big plus for Oldham County. Not only will it bring jobs, but according to Oldham County Schools Superintendent Jason Radford, it will also bring opportunities for students.
"We look forward to the students in our biomedical sciences pathway benefiting from the opportunities this facility will provide and ultimately a future pathway within Oldham County schools for our students interested in pharmaceutical sciences," said Radford.
The new facility plans to begin shipping prescriptions by August.
