1

Actioning statewide insights

into medication usage

James Robinson : Sponsor

Ronan Herlihy: Project Manager

Penny Webb : Pharmacy SME

Tan Do : Data ArchitectFor Information Contact : Ronan.Herlihy@health.nsw.gov.au or Tan.Do@health.nsw.gov.au

22

Public Hospital drug administration in NSW

• In NSW, over $650m is spent on

medications each year

• 3.6 million medications are

dispensed annually

• Public hospitals use a range of

25,000 medication products

33

The iPharmacy application

• Previously know as Stocca

• State-wide deployment – several years

• Application manages:

– Hospital Pharmacy Procurement

– Dispensing of drugs

• Ward stock

• Patient dispensing

44

Status in 2010

• 90 pharmacy departments

• 32 databases

• 21 different product files

• 5 versions of i.Pharmacy

55

Pharmacy improvement program

• Address standardisation

• Improve support

• State view of medication use and cost

66

One version of software, one

product file

77

Successful completion of Program.

What do you think was deferred?

88

Answer

• Reporting

• Benefits Realisation reporting

99

New opportunity

• 2015 – state license for Qlikview

• Request for access to Life Saving Drugs

Register

• Analytics was on the agenda for NSW

Health

1010

Pilot project

Pilot project demonstrating a new style of self-

service reporting using Qlikview. PharmLytics

Dashboards created on iPharmacy data.

1111

BI Architecture Overview

1212

Before pharmacy improvement program,

Key requestors of data:

• Procurement

• Ministry of Health

• NSW TAG

1313

Impact of PharmLytix

Before After

Up to 9 months to collect data 4 hours preparation

Each LHD had to collate the data Time saved - automatic

Retrospective data Real-time

Some data quality issues Data is based on actual transactions

Significant effort to map data Time saved, no mapping required

Static presentation of the data Dashboards to explore – self service,

new questions answered.

Partial benefits from pharmacy

improvement program

Full benefits achieved and new value

being discovered.

1414

Rapid Iterative Design

Good prototype:

pharmacist and architect

Clinicians unsure what they wanted

Users request changes

Quick development of

changes

Users review and refine

Users start using and

discover for themselves

1515

PharmLytix is used for

1. Monitoring state-wide strategy/policy

2. Studying medication usage patterns

3. Analysing procurement trends

4. Assisting health managers with resource

planning

5. Innovation

1616

Monitor Strategy

1717

Medication Usage Variance

Drug X is used

extensively at

hospital 11

compared with

peer hospitals

1818

Medication Usage Penicillin

1919

Medication Usage Top N

Analysis of top

“N” drugs by

unit cost,

spend and

usage

2020

Procurement Price Variance

Unit cost

of drug Y

varies

between

$40-$180

2121

Resource Planning Activity

Plan

pharmacy

staffing

requirements

2222

Innovate – Life Saving Drugs Register

Find life

saving drugs

in minutes

instead of

hours

2323

Innovate Medicine Locator

Crisis

Management :

Shortages and

Recalls

2424

Current and future usersCurrent Users Future Users

Population Health, MoH Other LHDs

Procurement Team, HealthShare

NSW

Poisons Information Centre

5 LHD’s HealtheNet

Safety & Quality - CEC Ambulance and Other Emergency

Services

InforMH, Mental Health State Enterprise Data Warehouse

NSW TAG Collaboration with South Australia

2525

Conclusion

Success criteria:– Data standards enable analysis

– Good engagement – understanding clinicians interests

– Quick turn-around to keep the interest

– Good design so users can explore for themselves

– Good support for continuous improvement

2626

The change for the future

• Information requirements will be

considered at the initiation of projects

and not at the end.