BeaveRx Online

In January, the Old Town Clinic Pharmacy in Portland reopened after 4 months of closure due to remodeling. Part of the remodel included a new, state-of-the-art IntelliCab system. The system, donated by GSL Solutions Inc. Co-Founder and Principal, Shelton Louie (’78), has made a significant impact in the efficiency and safety of the pharmacy.

 
Anderson (’73) and Louie (’78) in front of the IntelliCab storage unit

The IntelliCab system is a high-tech medical storage unit designed by Louie and has been used primarily on military bases. The System is designed to be scalable. GSL has installations where only one cabinet is needed for pharmacies doing less than 1000 prescriptions per week, to sites with 20 cabinets doing 82,000 prescriptions per week. Louie’s invention centers around utilizing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track prescriptions. RFID tags are embedded into workflow baskets called SmartBaskets. Louie says, “Like GPS in your phone we utilize RFID in pharmacy to track prescriptions in real-time by just moving it. This has proven to increase worker efficiency and patient safety. This is especially useful for patients with numerous medications, and prescriptions ordered at different times.”

The Old Town Clinic pharmacy fills 500 prescriptions per day to an underserved population, a large majority of which are homeless. Many have over a dozen prescription drug medications. If a patient leaves with the wrong medication or only part of their prescriptions, the pharmacist has no way to contact the patient. The patient will take the medications and won’t return until they need a refill in 30 days. The IntelliCab system ensures patients receive correct and complete medication orders.

From Left to Right: Mike Daher (’13), Sandy Anderson (’73), Melanie Chan (P4),

Alumna Sandy Anderson (’73) runs the pharmacy in conjunction with OSU College of Pharmacy where Dr. Harleen Singh manages extensive student involvement. According to Anderson, the new system provides pharmacists more time to talk with and counsel patients. Anderson calls each interaction with a patient a “touch” and says, “More time with patients equals more touches.” These touches make a world of difference for the patients at this pharmacy. She tells the story of one such patient who was receiving an antibiotic for an infection. The IntelliCab system allowed Anderson to find the prescription quickly, and have extra time to converse with the patient.  She found out his infection was caused by a dirty heroin needle. Anderson spoke with the patient and made suggestions about getting assistance. The patient has since decided to go into a rehabilitation center—all because Anderson had time to ask, “What happened?”