By Kim Staton, RN – Gayco Nurse Consultant

Do you ever wonder, “Why do my cycle fill strip administration times not match my MAR administration times in Point Click Care?”

When PCC users change administration times to existing orders using the UPDATE function in orders, the changes are not communicated electronically to the dispensing program at the pharmacy. The two programs, PCC at the facility and the pharmacy interface with PCC, do not speak to each other when using the update function to make minor changes to an order in PCC. When using the update feature to change orders, if the system does not prompt you to verify that you are discontinuing the order and creating a new order, then the changes do not electronically communicate to the dispensing program.

If users are changing only the administration times using the update order function, then the user will want to communicate those administration time changes to the pharmacy. These changes can be transmitted via a phone call or a fax notification to the pharmacy. The pharmacy can manually enter the administration times into the cycle fill dispensing program to ensure the medication is dispensed at the ordered time. Ensuring administration times on the cycle fill strip match the administration times on the MAR will help decrease the risk of medication errors, which will also streamline the administration process for the end user during the medication pass.