Sentara Healthcare now has stake in NuScriptRX

Not-for-profit integrated health system Sentara Healthcare has become a 12 percent partner in long-term care (LTC) pharmacy management company NuScriptRX and also now has a seat on the NuScriptRX board.

“We were impressed with NuScriptRX after we launched their system in our facilities,” says Bruce Robertson, president of Norfold, Va.-based Sentara Life Care, which operates seven nursing centers, three assisted living villages and two Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, in Virginia and North Carolina. “As we started to see the results, we saw an opportunity to improve medication safety in LTC outside Sentara by investing in NuScriptRX and advocating for them with other LTC facilities.”

NuScriptRX, of Nashville, Tenn. has developed a fully automated on-site eMedStat medication dispensing system and a full-service, centralized pharmacy that offers seven-day medication replenishment versus the industry standard of 30 days. This system is designed to ensure timely response to medication changes, resulting in a reduction in product waste of up to a 60 percent and a 10 to 15 percent cost savings, according to the company. The NuScriptRX system also features online resident records, designed to help improve medication safety.

“LTC residents can be admitted at all hours of the day and night, 365 days of the year,” says Dan Haron, CEO of NuScriptRX. The computerized dispensing system stocks up to 380 medications, he adds, and enables medication to be provided within 60 to 90 minutes of order entry.

Executives from both companies talk about the relationship in the video below, shared by Sentara Healthcare.