Automated Dispensing Cabinets Upgrade Medication Management

Clinicians at smaller hospitals around the country share the same commitment to quality care as their colleagues at major medical centers. Yet, they typically cannot afford the same technologies, such as automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), that are common at large hospitals to reduce medication errors, ensure security for controlled substances and streamline operations.

High cost is commonly cited as the barrier to adoption at smaller hospitals – and that was the case at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City, Oklahoma, a 62-bed not-for-profit hospital providing comprehensive, high-quality healthcare to communities in Western Oklahoma and the Eastern Texas Panhandle.

Most of the facility used an oldfashioned night cabinet made with pegboard, with hooks and bags to hold patient medications prior to the initial MedDispense installation. The cabinet was locked, and the house supervisor kept the only key, which meant nurses often had to wait to get medications.

The move to a new facility in 2009 provided an opportunity to upgrade medication management throughout the hospital – and Metro's MedDispense Series provided a cost-effective option that opened the way to adoption of ADCs. Metro's MedDispense solution provides secure, 24/7 access to medications at about one-third the cost of other systems.

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