Enhancing Patient Care with Innovative Medication Dispensing Solutions by Intelligent Dispensing Solutions (IDS)

As the healthcare industry evolves rapidly, innovation has become necessary to keep up with the increasing demands. Technology has emerged as a crucial component of this transformation, especially for healthcare providers who strive to provide optimal patient care. A robust and adaptable healthcare infrastructure is essential for streamlining medical professionals’ workflows and ensuring that patients receive top-tier care.

 

The groundbreaking medicine  dispensing machine solutions provided by Intelligent Dispensing Solutions is revolutionizing healthcare innovation. IDS uses cutting-edge technology to provide accurate and personalized medication dispensing, making it a game-changer in the industry. This innovative approach improves the efficiency of medical professionals and reduces the risk of errors, waste, and loss of vital medical products and medications used in patient treatments. As a result, patient safety is enhanced, and medical facilities and EMS benefit from better inventory management. In this article, we’ll explore the profound impact of IDS’s avant-garde solutions on the quality and delivery of patient care.

 

A Leap Toward Life-Saving Measures 

Managing narcotics and other critical medical supplies is more than just a matter of compliance; it’s a matter of saving lives. Medical institutions, from clinics to hospitals to assisted living facilities, rely heavily on these supplies, often in time-sensitive scenarios. That’s where UCapIt comes in. It’s an IDS product that uses a cloud-based operating system to provide real-time inventory updates and detailed reporting. This allows for a clear understanding of what supplies are being used, how they’re being used, where they’re being used, and why they’re being used. With this seamless accessibility, first responders and healthcare providers can access vital supplies instantly, ensuring patients receive the precise dispensing they need based on their needs.

 

UCapIt eliminates overstocking and supply shortages, reducing costs and enabling medical professionals to deliver heightened patient care. In addition, the technology aids in flagging equipment due for maintenance or replacement. Its cloud-based architecture simplifies supply consumption management across multiple locations through a single access point.

 

Compliance Meets Security 

UCapIt’s iQ technology ensures the safe storage of medical supplies and equipment in their smart lockers. These versatile vending machines and storage lockers give supervisors complete control over their supply rooms. This fortified system secures storage and keeps track of and distributes a wide range of emergency medical supplies.

 

Access control is an essential aspect of managing healthcare facilities. Managers are responsible for monitoring and logging all withdrawals, ensuring they align with established training and tech clearance levels. Security is greatly improved with a range of access methods, including biometrics, prox cards, barcodes, and PINs. Furthermore, this system fully complies with FDA and DEA regulations, making it an indispensable tool for healthcare professionals and emergency response teams. By streamlining compliance-related tasks, UCapIt enables these teams to focus on what matters most – saving lives.

 

Elevating Inventory Management for Enhanced Efficiency  

To efficiently manage inventory, professionals require valuable insights, foresight, and an intricate system that forms the foundation for informed decision-making. UCapIt, a state-of-the-art system, provides EMS, pharmaceutical, and medical experts with real-time usage data and inventory tracking capabilities. These insights empower organizations to reduce costs, minimize wastage, and mitigate liabilities.

 

Interested in experiencing these advancements first-hand? Request a customized demonstration with Intelligent Dispensing Solutions today. Discover how IDS’s solutions can revolutionize inventory management, enhance patient care, and drive significant cost savings. In the healthcare industry, every innovation positively impacts people’s lives and raises the bar for care standards.

How Harm Reduction Vending Machines Are Savings Lives

 

Harm reduction vending machines

 

A Harm reduction vending Machine Closer Look

In recent years, there has been a shift in the way addiction is viewed and treated. Instead of relying solely on abstinence-based models, many organizations are developing harm-reduction strategies to help those struggling with addiction and other health-related issues. Among the most promising public health technologies gaining traction is the use of harm-reduction vending machines, which aim to provide access to life-saving resources to those in need. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these innovative machines are changing the lives of countless individuals worldwide and how they can help create a healthier, safer environment for all.

Overview Of The Harm Reduction Model

The harm reduction model is an approach to health and social issues that seeks to reduce the negative consequences of certain behaviors. Primarily used with drug use and other areas of health, such as the spread of infectious diseases, and in situations where individuals are unable, unwilling, or unlikely to stop or reduce their harmful behavior without assistance. It seeks to reduce the harm these behaviors may cause to the individual, others, and the community through various preventative, supportive, and other interventionist strategies. 

These strategies may include introducing safer alternatives or reducing the behavior’s negative consequences. Harm reduction models can be used for anything from providing clean needles for individuals who are intravenous drug users to providing education on preventing the spread of infectious diseases to reversing the deadly effects that drug consumption could induce.

What Are Harm Reduction Vending Machines?

Harm reduction vending machines are a relatively new yet effective public health technology to provide access to life-saving resources, like overdose response kits and naloxone, to those who need it most. These machines dispense medication like naloxone and other essentials that may help reduce the risk of injury or infection. Unlike other vending machines that offer goods and services for a cost, these vending machines are free, intending to reach the most vulnerable populations that may not be able to access these resources otherwise.

These machines are usually placed in high-risk areas like homeless shelters, drug use/shooting sites, and other locations where individuals are most likely to consume drugs or be at risk of contracting an infectious disease. They are also placed in areas where individuals fear accessing government or community-based support due to stigma.

“There’s times that these users — there may be, like, a stigma associated with getting these types of supplies, so they don’t want to interact with someone face to face. And so that’s another way that our machines kind of alleviate that concern or that hesitancy,” – Ashley Hubler, chief marketing officer for the Wittern Group

These machines are getting increasingly popular in America. The story behind it is quite comprehensive, but it generally allows anyone to access these resources, regardless of whether they have a prescription, health insurance, or any other requirement. It is an anywhere, anytime facility that can be accessed whenever needed. Since they are on wheels, they can be moved, dropped off, and set up in different locations, allowing them to serve a larger population. 

The Impact Of These Machines On Communities

Their overall impact can take time to measure. While it’s challenging to collect data on the effects of harm-reductionvending machines, there is one area we can look at to get a sense of their impact: overdoses.

Data from Vancouver and surrounding areas show that Naloxone dispensed by vending machines and given out by emergency responders and health care providers saves lives. In Vancouver alone, emergency responders have administered Naloxone over 5,000 times since the beginning of 2016.

“They’re putting them in fire stations, jails, churches, places that are public,” said Julie Burgess, head of a division Wittern created to handle higher demand from groups distributing Narcan.

The Potential

Harm reduction vending machines testify to the role vending machines can play in expanding access to critical health resources and information. In time, we will likely see even more vending machines popping up across the globe, dispensing a range of essential resources to those who need them. This will even include medications like insulin for those with diabetes or other life-saving resources like water in areas where clean water is scarce. To learn more about harm reduction vending machines, click here.

Customer Spotlight – AIDS Care Ocean State Harm Reduction Vending Machines

Customer Spotlight – AIDS Care Ocean State Harm Reduction Vending Machines

When we think of vending machines, we tend to think of candy bars, soda, and chips. But in Rhode Island, through the AIDS Care Ocean State (ACOS) Prevention Center, vending machines dispense harm reduction supplies. These supplies help reverse overdoses and reduce the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV. Through these machines, people can access free naloxone (Narcan®), rapid tests for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), sterile syringes, fentanyl test strips, hygiene, and wound care kits 24/7.

Harm Reduction Vending Machines

ACOS’s harm reduction vending machines provide easy accessibility for people who want to avoid direct contact with healthcare personnel and maintain anonymity when getting access to the medication. These factors explain the need for harm reduction vending machines, and the need is more than ever before. 

Listen to ACOS’s interview with Rhode Island’s Department of Health on the Public Health Out Loud podcast here

Caracole, an AIDS/HIV service organization, has installed a ‘harm reduction vending machine’ outside their headquarters that offers free fentanyl test strips, Narcan – a drug reversing overdoses, and safe use supplies. The vending machine’s phone number also connects to Caracole’s harm reduction service coordinators.  

Over 107,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2021, highlighting the necessity of evidence-based interventions. The University of Cincinnati undertook new research in partnership with Caracole, which showed a self-service vending machine for harm reduction supplies such as Naloxone helped prevent overdoses and contributed to the reduction of Hamilton County’s overdose deaths in 2021. Furthermore, research by Daniel Arendt, Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati was released in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association on November 11, 2021. 

Harm Reduction Strategy  

According to Arendt, harm reduction theorizes with drug and addiction education that assumes people are always seen consuming drugs. However, harm reduction does not enable or support drug use. Instead, it aims to meet people empathetically during their drug use habit and helps empower them to take action and minimize the dangers linked to its use. 

Arendt explained that harm reduction includes distributing naloxone and other supplies such as fentanyl test strips, bandages, tourniquets, and sterile syringes. “You would never tell someone who has wildly uncontrolled diabetes to get their blood sugar in check before we will help them or give them insulin.” 

He then went on to say, “So it is critical to recognize that substance use is not a moral failing, and it’s not this thing that should be stigmatized. Instead, we can acknowledge that drug use is becoming increasingly risky, and we can use that recognition to help spur the development of new, innovative methods of providing people with the care, services, and support that they need, no strings attached.”  

An Effective Approach  

Arendt was introduced to Suzanne Bachmeyer and her colleagues at a meeting regarding the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition. Suzanne Bachmeyer is the director of prevention at Caracole, an HIV/AIDS service organization located in Cincinnati. At the meeting, Arendt reflects on how he and Bachmeyer immediately began discussing the implementation of a harm reduction supply vending machine. During their discussion Bachmeyer said, “A cornerstone of harm reduction is to help people who use drugs stay as healthy as possible.” She also said, “Vending machines provide 24/7 ready access to lifesaving and disease prevention supplies, so people feel empowered to take control of their health. People can’t get healthy or seek treatment if they aren’t alive.”  

For decades, self-service syringe vending machines have been utilized in other parts of the world resulting in a positive impact. However, Arendt said that harm reduction vending machines in the United States were only located in Puerto Rico and Las Vegas prior to their initiative. Arendt also stated, “So our thought process was why not here, why not us, why not Cincinnati. Just because this hasn’t been done in the U.S. doesn’t mean it can’t be done in the U.S., so let’s bring it here and show that this is not just something that works in Europe, but this is something that works here.” 

How Harm Reduction Vending Machines Work

Harm reduction vending machines work this way: The program participants call Caracole, enroll, and then complete an anonymous survey. Next, they receive an access code that is valid for 90 days. To continue using the machine, re-enrolling can take place every 90 days after first joining the program.

During the enrollment process, harm reduction counselors offer more information on topics including Hepatitis C and HIV testing and prevention, counseling, local housing programs, prenatal care, and substance use disorder medical treatment.

Each person with the access code can dispense two nasal spray naloxone doses, two doses of naloxone injections, a safer smoking kit, a safer injection kit, a container to dispose of sharp objects such as needles, a safer sex kit, a PPE (personal protective equipment) kit, a bandage box, and a pregnancy test from the vending machine every seven days.

Final Thoughts – The Need for Harm Reduction Vending Machines

Based on a study, harm reduction vending machines increase access to harm reduction products and services. The research on harm reduction vending machines in Hamilton County, found that since installation, 637 people registered for the program. Out of the 637 registered people, 12% of them had not used harm reduction services before.

In the first year of installation, the vending machine dispensed 10,155 fentanyl test strips and 3,360 naloxone doses, which is more than other syringe service programs in the county. In addition, the installation of the machine was associated with a lower amount of HIV incidences and unintentional overdose deaths all over the county. 

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions (IDS) is a leading manufacturer of smart integrated vending machines and supply lockers. Our harm reduction vending machines can be used to deliver clean syringes, clean needles, and needle disposal containers for used needles. To know more about our products and how they would suit your requirements, click here.

UCapIt: The Only Machine Made for EMS

“When we waste dollars through inefficient practices, we are not being good stewards to our patients, our taxpayers, or to our EMS mission,” Jonathan D. Washko, MBA, FACPE, NRP, AEMD.

The problems with today’s emergency medical supply management are multifold: Paramedics and EMTs are running short of critical and non-critical (but important) supplies. The scramble to locate stocks kills precious time, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction. Agencies that overstock supplies to prevent stock shortages find themselves looking for items within overstuffed cabinets and bags. Overstock can also lead to product expiration, creating a problem of another kind. 

Successful inventory management requires insight, foresight, and a sophisticated system – a foundation that can help build a practical and unique framework for smart inventory management and decisions. Such a system can help organizations reduce costs, reduce wastage, and cut down on liabilities. 

Introducing UCaplt

UCapIt is a system designed to help EMS, pharmaceutical, and other medical professionals save time and money and enjoy the benefits of real-time usage data and inventory tracking. 

UCapIt vending machines and supply lockers provide administrators with access control, inventory management, and accountability over the entire medical supply lifecycle. The versatile hardware offering of UCapit vending machines and supply lockers enables them to have control over their supply room. Using this, they could store, track, and dispense a range of emergency medical supply products in a secure manner.

Simplified, Cutting-edge Inventory Management

The healthcare fraternity faces many challenges in the current ecosystem. They are increasingly required to provide quality patient care at reduced operational costs amidst increased regulations and patient volumes. UCaplt is the solution you might be looking for, as it provides a simple yet effective solution to the inventory problems faced by hospitals, EMS, and other healthcare facilities.

“The UCapIt system gives us a hard data inventory report we can rely on.”
Dan Lottes, Firefighter, D.C. Fire and EMS

UCaplt meets and exceeds the standard of inventory control. It helps you take back control of your medical supplies, ensure safe and secure storage of narcotics and medical equipment, and offers various ways to authorize crew members to access inventory – by entering a unique code on a pin pad, proximity sensor, barcode reader, magnetic strip, or biometrics scanner. 

Our supply vending machines and lockers help check multiple forms of ID. With UCaplt’s own iQ Technology software, you can catalog all withdrawals from the stock, time stamp them, and regulate them as per tech clearance or training level. 

Types of UCapIt Hardware 

UCaplt hardware includes: 

Supply Dispensers

Refrigerated and non-refrigerated Supply Dispensers facilitate the secure dispatch of medical supplies, narcotics for medicinal intervention, and pharmaceuticals to authorized personnel. They provide a single point of access to the entire team – ensuring the safe and secure maintenance of inventory.

Supply Lockers

Supply Lockers also serve the purpose of facilitating access to medical equipment and supplies. It also facilitates the return of these products. Each bay in a Supply Locker can be adjusted to fit taller supplies if necessary.

Virtual Tracker

The Virtual Tracker is designed to make inventory management for many items that don’t fit in a Supply Dispenser or Supply Locker  as simple as it can be. With this, you can maintain stock accounts accurately, locate bins, pick orders, and receive inventories.

UCapIt Powered by iQ Technology 

iQ Technology is UCapIt’s proprietary inventory management software, as it allows users to know the status of their emergency medical dispensing inventory, helps reduce cost by cutting down on shrink and hoarding, and eliminates waste that occurs through expired products. iQ Technology tackles the drawbacks of modern inventory management, such as stock shortages, identification of stocks, and security, with a cloud-based backend that is easy to use, track, and manage. And wouldn’t managing inventories be much easier with real-time analytics that can help make data-driven executive-level decisions? 

IDS has a storied history in the dispensing industry. We have served customers for over 90 years in the automatic merchandising business. Contact IDS today to learn how we can help your organization save time and money with our secure dispensing hardware and software by calling 1-866-409-3024.