January 15, 2015
PACE Case: Treating Interstitial Nephritis

An 83-year-old female participant was recently diagnosed with interstitial nephritis. Due to worsening renal function, her diuretic (furosemide) and ARB (valsartan) doses were temporarily held. The prescriber requested a targeted medication review to understand any possible medication-related causes of the newly diagnosed interstitial nephritis. Click here for the full case and clinical pharmacist intervention. 
Quote of the Month
 
"Thank you for establishing such a wonderful relationship with us at St. Paul's...  
We truly appreciate your giving spirit and your team's  
dedication to excellent pharmacy services."

 - Carol Hubbard
   Executive Director, St. Paul's PACE
Medication Synchronization (Med Synch)

Medication and pharmacy services for PACE can be very complex. One way to simplify--and to increase participant adherence and understanding--is described by the new buzz-term "medication synchronization." Med synch refers to coordination of a patient's prescriptions to be filled on the same day each month.

 

The 28-day CareKinesis cycle-fill process achieves medication synchronization. Also, for new medications, we dispense 'partial' quantities (when appropriate) and then schedule the full dispense with the next cycle. Med synch reduces administrative and med room burden, decreases medication waste, increases participant adherence, consolidates deliveries, and with our adherence packaging simplifies self-administration of medication.

 

For more information, email us.
 
EireneRx MU-2 Certifications

In 2014, EireneRx™ achieved ONC HIT 2014 Edition Modular Ambulatory EHR certification.  

 

This certification designates that the software is capable of supporting eligible providers with meeting both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Meaningful Use measures required to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

 
Technology News
The new year brings some exciting new initiatives:
  • EireneRx 101 Webinar: 2/12 @ 3pm
  • Bedtime eMAR option - deployed 12/14, allows for documentation of bedtime dose on e-MAR (client-requested feature)
  • Quick-refill functionality - deployed 1/15, allows for quick-refill of multiple medications (client-requested feature)
  • Coming soon: E-Prescribing of Controlled Substances (ECPS) and revision of prescription renew/reissue functionality
If you have questions about these or any other new features, kindly email us!.
Visualizing Health Policy: Medicare Spending
These Kaiser Family Foundation infographics provide an overview of Medicare spending. They show that "in recent years, Medicare spending has been growing at historically low rates and is projected to grow more slowly than private health insurance on a per-person basis over the next decade; Medicare continues to face financial challenges in the long-term, however."
2014 Compliance Report

 

We are proud to announce that the CareKinesis Compliance Hotline had no activity throughout 2014. CareKinesis contracts with an independent organization to manage internal / employee compliance/ethics reporting.

We are pleased to continue our trend of perfect performance since 2011!
We are passionate about improving lives for PACE participants through medication risk mitigation. For more information, visit www.CareKinesis.com or call 888-974-2763.
  
Happy New Year!