WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Pharmacy Week will be celebrated Oct. 15-21 at Wright-Patterson Medical Center.
During this time, the medical center will recognize the invaluable contributions pharmacists and pharmacy technicians make to patient care in hospitals, outpatient clinics and other health care settings.
At Wright-Patterson AFB, pharmacists play a vital role in patient care by advising doctors and nurses on the best therapeutic options and performing quality checks to prevent harmful drug interactions, reactions and medication-related errors.
Patients are directly managed by pharmacists for chronic disease states, comprehensive medication reviews and anticoagulation monitoring through the use of Coumadin, a blood thinner. The hospital’s highly trained, nationally certified pharmacy technicians and licensed pharmacists are experts on the safe and effective use of thousands of medications, and it takes each one working together to ensure the safe dispensing of these medications to beneficiaries.
The hospital recently underwent a transition from its legacy electronic health record to the new and improved MHS GENESIS platform. This system provides a multitude of benefits for patients as records are no longer base-specific but are accessible in real time at any military medical facility.
Pharmacy staff were recently highlighted as one of the most efficient teams to go live with the new electronic health record, and they are working diligently to lower wait times and increase accessibility to prescriptions through several initiatives.
The pharmacy also recently unveiled the installation’s first ScriptCenter kiosk Oct. 4, located in the Main Exchange near the entrance to the commissary. This automated locker system allows patients to pick up their refills and is conveniently located adjacent to shopping locations. It extends pickup availability times to anytime the Exchange’s doors are open.
Pharmacy services have also been tailored to be as efficient and user-friendly as ever.
For example, when a new electronic prescription from an on-base provider is issued, patients may activate those prescriptions via our Q-Anywhere service. Simply text “Get in Line” to 877-909-2578 and follow the text prompts that are sent back. Make sure the “main pharmacy” is selected when prompted. Patients can do this from anywhere, so there is no need to wait in line at the Atrium Pharmacy. Once activated, patients can pick up their filled prescriptions in about two hours.
MHS GENESIS allows for all prescriptions to be ordered electronically, including controlled substances. For electronic prescriptions that are sent to the Kittyhawk Pharmacy from off-base providers, patients are encouraged to utilize the Q-Anywhere service for activation. Make sure “satellite pharmacy” is selected when asked and then proceed to pick up your prescriptions once you receive a notification that your medication is ready.
Alternately, patients may activate their electronic prescriptions by calling the Kittyhawk Pharmacy at 937-656-1656. If patients are given hand-written prescriptions from off-base providers, those prescriptions may be placed in its paper prescription drop box. This secure box is conveniently located right outside of our Kittyhawk lobby entrance and is accessible during the duty day as well as after hours. Simply follow the directions on the drop box sign, drop your prescriptions in the secure box, and return the next duty day to pick up your filled prescriptions.
For urgent medication needs, patients can always visit the Kittyhawk lobby, grab a ticket from the kiosk, and speak with one of our pharmacy team members for same-day service.
When picking up prescriptions, patients can enter the Kittyhawk lobby and go directly to the prescription pickup-area window. There is no need to pull a ticket when picking up your filled prescriptions.
The medical center’s goal is to ensure all patients receive their medications in a safe and timely manner. The next time you visit the installation, check out all the ways the pharmacy staff makes a difference in your delivery of medical care.
Contact Dawn Soulati, the hospital’s director of clinical and support pharmacy services, at 937-257-1427 with any questions about pharmacy services.