Cullman Regional Medical Center Deploys MedSnap ID Enterprise Solution

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, more than $200 billion is wasted each year in the U.S. due to suboptimal medication management.  Focused on addressing this threat to patient care, Cullman Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Cullman, Ala., a recipient of Hospital & Health Networks' 2012 Most Wired Innovator Award has become the first hospital in the U.S. to deploy the MedSnap ID Enterprise solution in many patient care areas of the healthcare facility.

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Since early 2013, Cullman's clinical staff has been testing the MedSnap ID application in a variety of clinical settings and has seen attributable improvements in staff efficiency and medication safety. Using MedSnap's patent-pending computer vision technology and precision imaging Snap Surface, MedSnap ID can identify an entire set of prescription medications from a single image in seconds, including generics. The app lists medications by name and strength, screens for drug-drug and drug-disease interactions and provides detailed drug monographs via a comprehensive database.  Importantly, the app can output the clinician-verified patient medication list via printer, email, or through secure import into the electronic health record.

"Medication safety is very high on our list of patient safety initiatives. Outpatient medication issues drive lengths of stay and readmissions and in our senior population can determine their ability to remain independent," states Jim Weidner, president and CEO, Cullman Regional Medical Center.  "The MedSnap team has delivered a powerful solution to improve our medication reconciliation process that integrates with our existing infrastructure and clinical workflow.  That takes it from brilliant idea to plausible solution, and that's what we needed."

CRMC Sees Value in Pharmacy, Emergency Department, Home Health

The first area to receive MedSnap's application was Pharmacy, where Pharmacy Director Dr. Stacey Hill's staff applied it by randomly screening patients' home medications brought in on admission. "We were frankly blown away by the issues uncovered – especially some of the drug-condition interactions," she states. "Patients do not always provide complete or accurate medication information to clinical staff. For patients on more than five drugs we hope to grow the use of MedSnap by augmenting a patient's medication history or medication list with a Snap of their home medications. During our testing phase, it has proven to be of high value in catching a surprising number of potentially serious issues."

MedSnap ID is also used by CRMC Home Health & Hospice services. Jennifer Smith, Director of CRMC Home Health & Hospice of Cullman County, states, "MedSnap ID allows our nurses to quickly and accurately inventory a patient's current medications in the home setting. With this new technology, we receive electronic documentation of patient medication lists from the field to speed our record keeping."

Future plans are to incorporate MedSnap ID into CRMC's Emergency Department, inpatient units and pre-op screening process. It has also been embraced in its community outreach activities. Later this month, CRMC's Senior Choice Group will participate in a free medication screening luncheon overseen by CRMC Pharmacy and other clinical staff using the MedSnap ID solution to produce verified medication lists for all attendees.

"As one of the country's most progressive medical centers, Cullman's adoption of the MedSnap ID Enterprise solution has allowed us to confirm our expectations of its value in the clinical setting," explains Dr. Patrick Hymel, CEO and co-founder of MedSnap, LLC.  "We're thankful to CRMC for their support of this innovative and critically important patient safety technology."

For more information on MedSnap ID or to subscribe, visit www.medsnap.com.

About MedSnap
MedSnap, LLC. is a healthcare informatics company providing solutions to improve medication safety and adherence.  The company was co-founded by successful healthcare entrepreneurs Patrick Hymel, MD, Chief Executive Officer, and Stephen Brossette, MD, PhD, Chief Science Officer, whose backgrounds in patient safety, machine learning and healthcare analytics place them at the forefront of healthcare informatics.  MedSnap's mission is to improve medication safety by visually organizing the world's pills.  MedSnap ID is available for individual or institutional licensing. MedSnap ID is compatible with iPhone 4S^® and iPhone 5^®. Individuals may try MedSnap ID for 30 days by registering at www.medsnap.com and receive two free Lite Snap Surfaces. Headquartered at Innovation Depot in Birmingham, Alabama, MedSnap is privately held. More information can be found at www.medsnap.com.   

About Cullman Regional Medical Center
Cullman Regional Medical Center is a fully accredited 145-bed medical center that covers a five-county service area of 150,000 residents and has been a part of the community since 1939. CRMC is dedicated to promoting wellness by providing excellent healthcare services in the most efficient manner and exceeding the expectations of those we serve. CRMC is the recipient of numerous awards for innovation and quality including: 2012 Most Wired, 2013 Nursing IT Innovation Gold Award, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Transition to Better Care Program Award, and Modern Healthcare's Spirit of Excellence Award for Patient Safety. For more information on the services provided by CRMC, visit www.crmchospital.com.

SOURCE MedSnap, LLC