Omnicell and Fresenius Kabi Join Forces to Improve Controlled Substance Management

Tara Plappert
Product Marketing Manager

Hospitals and clinics face a significant challenge when dealing with controlled substances. In 2019, more than 148 million doses of medicine were lost, endangering both patients and employees. And according to the 2019 Drug Diversion Digest, 47.2 million doses were diverted in 2018, equal to the population of Arizona and California combined. More concerning, on average, it takes about 22 months for a hospital to discover an incident of diversion.

Through a new collaboration between Omnicell and Fresenius Kabi, a global healthcare company focusing on infusion, transfusion, and clinical nutrition, health systems now have new options to manage controlled substances better, reduce diversion, and save nursing time.

The Controlled Substance Dispenser (CSD) from Omnicell offers pharmacies a high-volume, automated single-dose dispensing solution with the automated dispensing cabinet that can help reduce drug diversion, save nursing time, and streamline staff requirements. The Controlled Substance Dispenser dispenses one dose at a time, ensuring security, and minimizing the need for nurse countbacks. It allows nurses more time to focus on direct patient care and saves both nursing and pharmacy time from resolving discrepancies.

Hospitals are already using Fresenius Kabi Simplist® MicroVault® prefilled syringes to help nurses spend less time preparing doses and documenting waste. These prefilled syringes have a four-fold lower error rate than traditional medication administration practices. New cassettes designed in collaboration with Fresenius Kabi for the Controlled Substance Dispenser specifically support Simplist® Microvault® prefilled syringes, offering more flexibility and enhanced controlled substance management.

The new cassettes for the Omnicell CSD will accommodate MicroVault® packaging for a variety of low-dose narcotic medications, including morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl. The syringes are manufacturer-prepared in the United States, with a 24-month shelf life, and are single-unit doses, supporting best practices for medication administration.

Omnicell is committed to improving how healthcare organizations manage controlled substances and optimize inventory while enhancing clinical workflows.  Strategic collaborations with partners like Fresenius Kabi are helping our mutual customers maximize the safety, efficiency, and accountability of controlled substances.

This Fresenius Kabi-Omnicell collaboration is another milestone toward the journey to the Autonomous Pharmacy, a zero-error, fully autonomous medication management infrastructure that is helping to solve some of the most pressing challenges in medication management, including diversion and controlled substance accountability.

Watch the "Industry Partnership for Better Controlled Substance Management" webinar on the Omnicell Illuminate 2021 replay page to learn more.

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author(s). These views are always subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time and may not be held in perpetuity.