Bill Klaproth (host): This podcast is brought to you by Omnicell. Omnicell is transforming pharmacy care through outcomes-centric innovation, designed to optimize clinical and business outcomes across all settings of care. To learn more, visit omnicell.com.

This is a special episode of Today in Nursing Leadership, a podcast from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, as we record live from the AONL 2024 conference. I'm Bill Klaproth, as we talk about Maximizing the Value of Your Technology to Unlock Patient-Centric Care. And of course, once again, this podcast is brought to you by Omnicell. And with me is Shawn Vietmeier, Nursing Director at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, and Rett Manley, Clinical Nurse Consultant for Omnicell. Hello, Shawn and Rett.

Shawn Vietmeier: Hey, Bill, I appreciate the introduction there.

Host: Rett, welcome.

Rett Manley: Good morning, Bill. Thank you for having us.

Host: Yeah, great to see you guys. It's conference day. Yeah, let's do it. I love it. Shawn and Rett, can you first tell us a little bit about yourselves? Shawn, let's start with you.

Shawn Vietmeier: Yeah, thanks, Bill. I'm a nursing director with 26 years of diverse nursing experience with primary and critical care and leadership. I hold an MSN in Nursing Administration, as well as a Nursing Executive certification. I'm also a graduate of the 2020 AONL Manager Fellowship track. The last five years, I've had the pleasure of directing several departments within a 528-bed quaternary acute care hospital located in Western Pennsylvania, specifically in the center of Pittsburgh.

My passion lies in monitoring and driving efficient throughput while ensuring optimal care delivery and patient safety is met by utilizing LEAN methodology to reduce workflow redundancy, enhancing nursing efficiency, as well as improving nurse patient interactions. I'm excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and experience to the conversation today.

Host: Yeah. Twenty-six years, that's a long time. Thank you for your service. I love it. Rett, how about you? Tell us about yourself.

Rett Manley: Thanks, Bill. My name is Rett Manley. I'm a Clinical Nurse Consultant with the Point-of-Care Solution Design Team at Omnicell. I've been with the organization for just over two years now. And prior to working with Omnicell, I spent my clinical career in a variety of care settings and leadership roles, most recently serving as the Director of Emergency Services for AdventHealth at Daytona Beach, Florida. At Omnicell, I provide clinical insight on process improvement and safety to increase the efficiency of the healthcare delivery model we see today.

Host: Well, that's great. We have two esteemed gentlemen here today on our panel, so this is great. So, the focus of today's podcast is on medication management technology at the point-of-care and how to get the most value out of it. Shawn, let me start with you. Why do you believe automation is important for nursing practice and medication management?

Shawn Vietmeier: Well, Bill, automation and technology in general is crucial for patient safety and ensuring that the right medication gets to the right patient at the right time. The clinical care of patients, especially at an academic medical center, is growing increasingly complex. At the center of all this complex care delivery is the nurse, who is coordinating care with the interdisciplinary care team comprised of many folks, including the providers, clinicians, specialists, right? We do this daily at constant interactions with our patients and ensuring they're headed in the right dedicated care path.

Therefore, if we have the technology, it will enable our nurses to deliver patient care in the safest, most efficient way possible. Like most of the institutions, medication availability and safety are two driving factors for our medication management technology strategy. To address this at AGH, we have invested in technology. That allows us to store over 90% of our medication light items in the automated dispensing cabinets located on nursing units. Super amazing for us to have this ability. And it also decreases the turnaround time for order placement to medication administration, which therefore decreases the time patient is waiting for the medication. This really could impact the patient's throughput, the critical care that we need to provide for them. It just really makes sure that we get the timeliness of medication to the patient.

With that comes along patient safety and technology provides that ability, especially with printing patient labels at the machine. So, I think a lot of folks don't know that and how important that is. We don't have to wait for medication to come from the pharmacy with a label. It's being distributed directly from the cabinet that we can attach to that medication, it was amazing. Therefore, we can provide that expedited care, not waiting for the medication to be approved by the pharmacist and so forth. So, spending more time at the bedside, reducing margins for error. This is a complete win-win for patients, nurses, and healthcare organizations.

Rett Manley: Yeah. You're spot on, Shawn. And I think one of the biggest things that you pointed out was getting back to the bedside. And that's really what, as a nurse leader, our goal is, is involving the patients in their plan of care, having them front line of decision-making with the providers. We've proven that really has shown wonderful outcomes. And automation isn't just a fancy buzzword. It is the backbone of modern healthcare delivery. The way I think of it is it's fewer errors, smoother workflows, and improved compliance, all leading to safer, more cost-effective care. Plus with today's medication regimens and patient treatments getting more complex by the minute, having technology in our corner to support those intricate regimens is an absolute must.

Host: Absolutely. You guys are really articulated that well. So, let me ask you this then, Shawn, let me start with you. So then, what are the top challenges with medication management technology in today's nursing practice?

Shawn Vietmeier: Bill, it's just introducing new technology to folks who have just done the same thing over and over again, you know, and how it relates to improving patient safety and efficiency to frontline caregivers is one of the greatest challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis when we have things like this come to our attention.

We can buy the latest and greatest gadgets. However, it's about making sure that they are implemented and the staff is set up for success. If they're not prepared, if they're not educated in the right way, if we don't have enough practice, we're just simply not going to use the tool. We've seen resistance to change and lack of understanding of new technology. Without the right education, change management, we're just simply not going to use the tools. We need to make sure that they're prepared.

An additional ongoing challenge is the degree of documentation. Everything from meds to assessments, all while trying to keep up with the new orders and hunting down medications, supplies, or other information, it's a real balancing act. It really is, Bill. And sometimes the administrative side of things can steal the spotlight from direct patient care, especially within our Med-Surg and telemetry care units.

Rett Manley: You touched on a great point there, Shawn. But I do want to highlight nurses are extremely adaptable. But if you don't put the right tools in the right hands with the right training, they're only as good as really what we provided them. So, that's one of the main goals we want is to not only have, the best technology out there, but to have the support, the clinical knowledge, the clinical background. At today's nursing practice, several challenges impact medication management, including as we stated before medication regimens, shortages of medications, supplies and staff. And really, that's just naming a few. As Shawn mentioned, and he highlighted, the burn in documentation is a significant challenge. It's often a detractor from direct patient care. Technology, while it's helpful in some ways, it can also be a burden, if not optimized efficiently.

Host: It's so interesting to hear you say that technology is a barrier. I always think of new technology, new devices as a breakthrough. But as you say, if people don't use the new tools, what good are they? So, that's really fascinating that you say that. And Shawn, when we use the word partnership in the setting of a health system and a vendor, what does that mean to each of you? Shawn, let's start with you.

Shawn Vietmeier: I've worked with many vendors in the past. So, I mean, just having that experience, knowing that the vendor needs to be more than just a handshake, and both parties going to separate ways after something's implemented. It's commitment to ongoing support, education, and growth. Ongoing support, sharing insights, and keeping lines of communication wide open is really helpful. We rely on vendors, like Omnicell, to bring fresh perspectives and global insights, and helping us to stay committed to delivering the best care possible. The commitment on both sides of this relationship helps us to really ensure that we're moving smoothly and we got a great partnership.

Rett Manley: I mean, you couldn't be more correct, Shawn. I think the big key word there is just the commitment. You know, when we talk about partnership, it applies a collaborative and a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust, transparency, and shared goals. In a healthcare setting, it's a strategic relationship aimed at driving positive outcomes for our patients, providers, and their broader healthcare ecosystem. At Omnicell, we're committed to being a trusted partner, offering outcome-driven solutions across care settings, and helping the health systems and all their partners achieve their goals.

Host: So, Rett, both of you have been mentioning partnership a lot. Can you tell us a little bit more about the relationship or partnership that Allegheny General and Omnicell have together?

Rett Manley: Yeah, of course, Bill. So, Omnicell recently launched a new outcome-driven offering that, through structured partnerships with our customers, can enable customers achieve better outcomes with point-of-care medication management technology like we have with Allegheny. The new offering's CarePlus, was launched in late 2023 and layers on our industry-leading XT automated dispensing cabinets with the latest innovations in software, expert services to guide you to more data, curated analysis, and ultimately giving the customers back more time with their patients. That's really the goal. At Omnicell, we're lucky enough to have a trusted relationship with Allegheny General Hospital, who was obviously an early adopter and partner with CarePlus. And I'll let Shawn explain more in details, because he truly has been the ones who's been boots on the ground with this partnership.

Shawn Vietmeier: I appreciate that, Rett. Thanks. As mentioned, we are active partners for Omnicell's CarePlus. Before we started this endeavor, we had implemented automated dispensing cabinets with some new features that enabled our nurses to remotely queue medications from the bedside and enable nursing and pharmacy to manage patient-specific medications.

Two years later, after implementation, we've gone through the pandemic. I think we all knew where we were then and glad to be moving forward. And we experienced, like many other hospitals, turnover in nursing staff and reliance on outside agency staffing to support us. Furthermore, it was not clear that these new features that we had implemented were reaching the goals it set out to achieve, which were to decrease the time nurses spent at the medication cabinet, decreasing the number of missing medications, and reduce non-patient bedside interactions.

It was at that point that we became a partner with Omnicell for CarePlus. Dedicated Omnicell staff, they truly were dedicated, working closely with our team to understand our specific workflows for nursing medication management. They also developed dashboards that provide insight into overall utilization of the features.

While overall, the utilization was low, we were able to drill down to different nurses and nursing units to uncover why utilization was higher in some units and not used in others. Through this exercise, we have Omnicell team on site. We were able to adjust some configurations that would help specific workflows at AGH and develop a plan to educate our nurses on how to use this technology and value could offer them. We're excited to continue to monitor those outcomes of this partnership and hopeful that we can help bring our nurses back to the bedside.

Host: So when it comes to maximizing the value of technology to unlock patient-centric care, it sounds like the relationship that you have together really has definitely worked out. And before we go, I'd like to get from each of you what your dream state of medication management at the point-of-care looks like. Shawn, let's start with you.

Shawn Vietmeier: Sure. You know, I do want to provide some examples and working with our bedside nurses and just understanding the technology and asking them questions to see what's happening. So from there, I mean, really my dream state is to get t more fully patient safe and spending time teaching, observing, interacting with the clinical team.

I'll share that, you know, a little bit more of that experience, meeting with the Med-Surg nurses, making them aware of our partnership with Omnicell, sharing some statistics with it, they were completely shocked that some were unaware that they could queue these medications, right? If you're taking care of four to six patients, sometimes more in some facilities, and you only have one or two Omnicell machines on the unit, there's a long line you potentially could be waiting to pull these medications. Talking with these nurses, interacting with them, you know, they review, sitting down, "Hey, review your patient's chart, queue up your medications. When you're ready at the Omnicell, just hit the button and it just starts distributing the medications for you." So, loved it. You know, I was actually getting some team chat messages, some texts, "Shawn, thanks for introducing this." I said, "Dude, one favor, just teach three or four other people," right? It gives me the goosebumps, man, because it's freeing up the nurses, reducing their time wasted, and getting them back to the bedside where they're interacting with patients, the ongoing assessments, maybe catching some things a little bit sooner because they're spending less time at medicine cabinets. So, I appreciate it, Bill.

Host: Yeah.

Rett Manley: Shawn touched on so many great points, and I really think it highlights why we have such a great partnership and relationship with AGH. It's because of leaders like Shawn. He mentioned there's all these new fancy gadgets that come out. But if you don't have the partnership and the collaboration to show, is this really working to your benefit? Is this doing everything that we're telling you it's going to do? He shines and stands out as a leader with his staff to say, "Hey, these are products that are out there that we have at the fingertips that are going to drastically change your workflow, your work day." Just his commitment to ensuring that the products that he's invested in are really going to show dividends for his nursing staff.

At Omnicell, we see the opportunities of technology to transform medication management. We also know that health systems need ongoing support to maximize the value of that investment. Partnerships, like I mentioned, the one we have with AGH, are helping to ensure clinicians have access to continuous innovation while delivering operational and clinical outcomes.

Host: That's great. This has really been a great podcast. I want to thank you both for being here today. Before we wrap up, is there anything you want to add? Shawn, anything we missed or anything you want to add?

Shawn Vietmeier: Yeah. One key thing I wanted to bring up, I talked about time and saving time for nurses, 11 seconds per transaction they're saving. So, think about a four to six patients or more, 11 seconds per transaction. That's a lot of time as it adds up through the day. That's an important point there. I tell people that 11 seconds isn't much, but it is. Start adding it up. It's time in your hands, right?

Host: Speed is efficiency.

Shawn Vietmeier: Yes.

Host: That's for sure. And Rett, anything you want to add?

Rett Manley: I just want to thank you for hosting this as well. And thank Shawn for taking the time to be with us here at AONL and doing the podcast. But the main topic is how do we really maximize the solutions that we offer. We talk about CarePlus, which is a wonderful offering. But the point is, is all these wonderful functions is to get the nurses back at the bedside where they want to be, ensuring safety, ensuring efficiency, and really just having all these pieces in place to make their work days easier, more efficient, and an overall better place to work. So, I just want to thank you again for having us, and we really appreciate the opportunity.

Host: You bet. and very well said. I want to thank you both. And once again, that is Rett Manley and Shawn Vietmeier. And thanks to Omnicell for sponsoring this podcast. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library at aonl.org for topics of interest to you, just like this podcast. This is Today in Nursing Leadership. Thanks for listening.