Abstract

    Point of Use (POU) technology is used in many modern health care facilities to automate the pharmaceutical and supply dispensing and reordering process in a variety of inpatient and clinical settings.  This paper uses documented results and cost savings from other health care facilities and applies them to the Landstuhl Health System to predict the impact on current operations.

    Point of use technology can measurably reduce medical supply consumption and can provide the capability to charge patients for all supplies and pharmaceuticals used during their inpatient stay or clinic visit.  Analysis of current operations resulted in a $400,000 annual reduction in supply expenditures as well as an increase in annual patient charges of $18,300.  However, due to high purchase price and maintenance costs, the POU project’s net benefit was $(377,125) during the initial five years.

Point of use technology represents a paradigm shift in processes that are currently in use at LRMC.  Although LRMC may face difficulties in justifying implementation of a POU system from a purely financial perspective, the qualitative benefits of the system make it an extremely useful system.  It could potentially produce thousands of additional dollars for the health care system.  In addition to the savings and increased revenue, POU technology can significantly reduce hospital errors and increase managerial controls.

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