PIH Health System

A new approach to eliminating waste in the hospital pharmacy

By implementing Pyxis™ Pharmogistics™ inventory management software, PIH Health reduced expired drug waste—while using fewer resources to manage inventory.

PIH Health regional healthcare network, serving more than two million residents in the San Gabriel Valley, the rest of Los Angeles County and Orange County, dedicates itself to putting patients first.

“PIH Health’s primary concern at all times is our patients’ safety, well-being and medical condition,” said Jacquelyn Cituk, PharmD, Executive Director of Enterprise Pharmacy Services for PIH Health. “The pharmacy plays a significant role in PIH Health’s vision of Patients First by delivering medications for our patients in the most safe and efficient manner possible.”

In 2012, to ensure that it could support the organization’s patient-centered goals into the future, PIH Health’s pharmacy underwent an intense reevaluation of its processes. At that time, the pharmacy managed medications manually, opening itself to potential risks, from incorrect medication picks to inaccurate inventory counts.

To increase transparency and accountability, PIH Health implemented Pyxis™ Pharmogistics software from BD in 2013. Since then, the comprehensive inventory management system has improved PIH Health’s ability to track medications, simplify processes, improve productivity and reduce medication cost and waste.

Medication restocking and purchasing

Before PIH Health installed Pyxis™ Pharmogistics software, pharmacy technicians walked the shelves to determine which medications needed to be restocked and in what quantity. Even when wholesalers provided recommendations, pharmacy staff manually ensured the accuracy of those estimates.

By using barcode verification at all steps, Pyxis™ Pharmogistics software helps the staff more accurately and efficiently fill and restock orders. Medications are scanned, identified by location and verified upon receipt. The system enables just-in-time reordering and also receiving from multiple suppliers, reducing on-hand inventory and waste. The automated system interfaces with PIH Health’s wholesaler, which, according to Cituk, has saved time and increased accuracy for the pharmacy buyer.

“Pyxis™ Pharmogistics software heightens our awareness as to which medications are being used the most often and gives us better control over inventory levels,” said Cituk. “The system provides data analysis that shows us in real time what type of inventory we have so that restocking orders are generated based upon usage and identified PAR levels.”