October 2024 AI.pothecary Newsletter

As we dive into the crisp autumn air, the latest edition of AI.pothecary brings you insights that could redefine your approach to pharmacy practice. This month, we’re thrilled to feature an exclusive interview with MedMe Health, a trailblazer in pharmacy technology. Discover how they’re empowering pharmacists to optimize patient care and streamline medication management with innovative solutions designed by pharmacists, for pharmacists.

MedMe's platform is a game-changer, enhancing everything from scheduling and documentation to communication. With tools that save valuable time and improve service delivery, you'll learn how these innovations are reshaping the way pharmacies operate. Whether it’s co-booking flu and COVID-19 vaccinations or leveraging AI for efficient patient follow-ups, MedMe is at the forefront of transforming pharmacy practice.

But that's not all! This issue also explores the latest in AI applications across pharmacy, from improving medication history accuracy to enhancing patient adherence through tailored instructions. Join us as we highlight essential research, emerging trends, and case studies that showcase how AI is becoming an integral part of modern pharmacy.

Get ready to be inspired by how technology is not only elevating pharmacy services but also enhancing the quality of care for patients everywhere. Let’s embark on this journey together and explore the future of pharmacy in our ever-evolving healthcare landscape!

MedMe Interview:?

How does Medme health collaborate with pharmacies to optimize patient care and medication management??

At MedMe, we take pride in being a company built with pharmacists for pharmacists, embedding their insights into every aspect of our teams—from engineering to product development. Having the voice of the pharmacist echo through our teams ensures our platform is tailored to the evolving needs of pharmacy teams.?

Our product optimizes clinical service delivery through four core offerings: scheduling, intake, documentation, and communications. Though pharmacists are trained clinically, it is often the aforementioned areas that take up much of their day. Our scheduling allows for flexible options such as multi-service / co-booking for patients to book two services together, creating value for both patients and pharmacists. Pharmacies leverage our Intake product to move information capture and eligibility screening to before the consultation, saving pharmacists and patients valuable time. Documentation efficiency gains are made possible with tools such as batch update and AI scribe allowing pharmacy teams to update documentation for many patients easily. Lastly, our communications engine enables easier follow-ups, reduces no-shows through automated reminders, and allows for custom messages to be sent to patients.?

You’ll notice that many of these tools were meant to support pharmacies with the actions they would already be doing, only in a much more efficient manner. In the next phase of MedMe we hope to introduce innovative features which will change the way pharmacies practice to create better care experiences, higher pharmacist satisfaction, and help generate more revenue.?

What specific pharmacy services does your platform enhance the most, and how have you seen those services evolve??

This might be a tough question to answer (everyone on the team has their favourite module). The service we’ve likely had the largest impact on to date is flu shots. This is the highest volume service pharmacies provide, and year over year we see the administration of flu shots across Canada lean towards pharmacist-administered vaccines. In fact, over 12% of all flu vaccines given in Canada have gone through our platform.?

For example, Flu Shot Waitlists were initially designed to help manage demand and supply but have evolved into pseudo-notification lists months before the season begins. Another game-changing feature has been co-booking, which arose from the challenge of coordinating Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations amidst differing store availabilities, durations, and supply levels. This required a complete overhaul of our booking infrastructure but paid off significantly, as over 70% of patients now co-book both vaccines.?

Some may also say that we enhance more complex services like medication review and MTM services the most as we’re able to help reduce the time it takes a pharmacists to do these services by over 30%. Pharmacies have been able to do a lot more of these traditionally very tedious services through an appointment based model, enhanced documentation features, and follow-up features to check-in on patients regularly.?

Can you share insights on how MedMe Health improves operational efficiency for pharmacies??

MedMe Health enhances operational efficiency for pharmacies by streamlining every phase of the clinical services workflow. We help pharmacies optimize each stage of patient care through automation and intelligent tools:?

• Pre-consult phase: Our platform simplifies patient intake and appointment scheduling by automating key processes like patient triage and data collection. Pharmacists no longer need to spend time managing forms or confirming appointments, allowing them to focus on clinical care. By integrating directly with pharmacy systems, MedMe reduces administrative burdens, saving both time and resources.?

• During the consult: MedMe’s AI tools, such as the in-consult scribe, capture and document key clinical information in real-time. This eliminates the need for pharmacists to manually transcribe notes during patient interactions, which improves both speed and accuracy. Additionally, automated clinical flagging provides pharmacists with relevant care suggestions, enhancing clinical decision-making without added workload.?

• Post-consult phase: After consultations, MedMe automates follow-up scheduling, patient reminders, and even clinical summaries, reducing the manual work of tracking patient needs. Whether it’s booking follow-up visits, sending care reminders, or managing ongoing communication through two-way messaging, our platform ensures nothing falls through the cracks, allowing pharmacies to serve more patients with greater ease.?

By optimizing these critical stages of the patient journey, MedMe reduces time spent on non-billable tasks, cuts administrative costs, and enables pharmacists to deliver higher-quality care at scale, resulting in a tenfold increase in operational efficiency.?

What innovations are you focusing on for the future to stay ahead in the digital health space??

At MedMe Health, our innovation strategy focuses on three critical pillars to stay ahead in the evolving digital health space:?

1. Amplifying AI to deliver greater impact: We are deeply invested in advancing our AI-driven tools to further support pharmacists in delivering clinical services. Our AI functionalities, such as the AI Scribe, are designed to reduce the time pharmacists spend on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on patient care. Moving forward, we are enhancing these tools to integrate even more real-time clinical data, such as patient outcomes and remote monitoring device data, to improve care precision and speed. The ultimate goal is to create an AI-driven pharmacy co-pilot that not only reduces administrative burden but also helps in making clinical decisions faster and with greater accuracy.?

1. Expanding the scope of pharmacy practice: As pharmacists play an increasingly vital role in patient care, MedMe is committed to helping them maximize their impact. We are developing solutions that expand the services pharmacies can offer, such as chronic disease management, minor ailments, point-of-care testing, and medication reviews. By equipping pharmacies with scalable, automated tools for these services, we enable them to take on larger responsibilities in healthcare delivery, helping to fill gaps in primary care. This, in turn, increases pharmacies’ ability to engage more patients, leading to better health outcomes while generating new revenue streams.?

1. Enabling longitudinal and continuous care: We are transitioning pharmacies toward a model of continuous, longitudinal care by integrating patient records, follow-up scheduling, and ongoing communication into one seamless platform. Our platform enables pharmacies to maintain comprehensive, real-time patient profiles that track care over time, facilitating better management of chronic conditions and improving patient outcomes. With features like patient records and follow-up reminders, we help pharmacists maintain ongoing relationships with patients, ensuring continuity of care long after the initial consultation. This shift helps pharmacies move beyond one-off consultations to provide proactive, ongoing care for their communities.?

By focusing on these three areas, we’re not just keeping pace with digital health trends but actively leading the charge in transforming pharmacies into comprehensive healthcare hubs.?

How do you balance maintaining privacy and compliance with integrating AI features into your platform??

Maintaining patient privacy and regulatory compliance is foundational to MedMe Health’s approach to integrating AI. We operate in a highly regulated healthcare environment, and all AI features are built with a privacy-first mindset:?

• Data Security and Compliance: MedMe uses stringent encryption protocols to ensure that all patient data is protected, in line with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations. Our platform’s multi-layered security architecture ensures that patient information remains confidential at all times, whether it’s during appointment scheduling, consultations, or follow-up care. We also routinely conduct security audits and have achieved SOC2 compliance, demonstrating our commitment to data protection.?

• AI as a Support Tool, Not a Replacement: One of the key principles behind our AI deployment is that it serves as a support tool to augment, rather than replace, pharmacists’ expertise. The AI functionalities, such as AI Clinical Search, are designed to provide clinical suggestions based on up-to-date medical knowledge. However, the final decision-making authority always remains with the pharmacist, ensuring that patient safety and clinical judgment are never compromised. This clear distinction helps us navigate the complex regulatory landscape while maintaining high standards of patient care.?

• Ensuring Fairness and Transparency: We are committed to ensuring that our AI tools are developed with fairness and equity in mind. Our long-term goal is to implement mechanisms that allow for ongoing monitoring and adjustment of AI algorithms, minimizing the risk of bias and ensuring equitable care for all patients. As we scale, transparency about how AI is used and how decisions are made will remain a cornerstone of our development approach, ensuring trust with our users and compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks.?

AI Pharmacy Case Use:??

5 Steps to Integrate AI Clinicals in Your Pharmacy (September 10, 2024, Syscreations) This article discusses the transformative role of AI in pharmacy, highlighting its ability to improve medication management, patient outcomes, workflow efficiency, and operational growth through advanced clinical tools. Understanding and leveraging AI in pharmacy is crucial for pharmacists to optimize patient care, enhance safety, and address growing demands, ensuring they stay at the forefront of healthcare innovation.?

Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Medication History (October 1, 2024, Pharmacy Practice News) Carle Health partnered with DrFirst to integrate more complete medication data into their EHR, improving efficiency and patient safety by reducing time spent on manual medication history gathering and enabling more accurate tracking of patients’ medication adherence. This is important for pharmacists as it allows them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on patient care, ultimately improving medication management and adherence.?

AI Can Help Better Manage Polypharmacy Patients, Study Shows (September 12, 2024, MedCityNews) AI can improve medication management for polypharmacy patients, helping prevent hospitalizations and optimize care through accurate data-driven insights. This is crucial for pharmacists as it enhances their ability to manage complex medication regimens, reducing errors and improving patient outcomes in high-risk populations.?

FDB’s Meducation: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Better Medication Adherence & Patient Outcomes (September 17, 2024, First Databank) FDB is leveraging AI, including machine learning and generative AI, to enhance medication adherence through its Meducation solution, providing clear, personalized instructions to patients in over 30 languages and improving outcomes. For pharmacists, these AI tools streamline the process of generating accurate medication instructions, reducing the risk of errors and improving patient understanding, ultimately leading to better adherence and health outcomes.?

Role of AI in Transforming Precision Medicine in Pharmacy (September 21, 2024, Healthcare Tech Outlook) AI is revolutionizing precision medicine in pharmacy by enabling more individualized treatment plans based on a patient’s genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data. By analyzing vast datasets, AI helps pharmacists predict drug responses, optimize dosages, and minimize adverse effects, making medication therapy more effective and personalized. This technology supports better clinical decision-making and enhances patient outcomes, especially in complex diseases where traditional approaches fall short.?

AI Healthcare Business News:??

Why AI Dispensing Will Make You a Better Pharmacist (October 04, 2024, Pharmacy Mentor) The ideas presented on AI dispensing highlight both potential benefits and active applications already shaping UK pharmacy practices. These concepts are not just theoretical, companies are actively implementing AI-driven dispensing systems to streamline operations, improve accuracy, and free up pharmacists’ time for patient-centered care. The article encourages pharmacies to adopt AI technology to future-proof their services and stay competitive in the healthcare sector.?

New Research from Waystar and Modern Healthcare Reveals AI's Transformative Impact on Healthcare Payments (September 24, 2024, PR Newswire)?

New research shows that AI, particularly generative AI, is transforming healthcare payments by increasing operational efficiency, delivering a strong ROI, and reducing administrative burdens across healthcare organizations. This shift highlights the potential for AI to streamline payment and administrative processes in pharmacy settings, allowing pharmacists to allocate more time to patient care and clinical services.?

New Frontiers in Technology: AI Use in Clinical Trial Patient Recruitment in Health Systems (September 13, 2024, Pharmacy Times) AI technologies can enhance clinical trial processes by improving patient identification, recruitment, and data harmonization, particularly for rare diseases, leading to more efficient drug development. These advancements help pharmacists ensure patient safety and streamline clinical trial participation, allowing them to play a vital role in advancing research and facilitating access to innovative treatments.?

AI-Optimized Cash Pricing Can Help Pharmacies Thrive (September 16, 2024, Drug Topics) Prescriptive Health uses AI-optimized cash pricing to help pharmacies offer competitive, affordable medication prices. By analyzing claims and demographic data, their AI-diven platform allows pharmacies to set accurate cash prices within seconds, enhancing efficiency and profitability. This approach helps pharmacies better meet patient needs while maintaining financial health. Additionally, the technology reduces the burden of manual pricing calculations, freeing up time for pharmacy staff to focus on patient care.?

Hospitals are leveraging AI to improve revenue cycle ? (September 26, 2024, Healthcare Finance)?

Healthcare systems are increasingly investing in AI to improve revenue cycle management (RCM) by automating tasks like coding, charge capture, and denials management, with expectations for widespread adoption within five years. As AI becomes integral to healthcare financial operations, pharmacists may experience enhanced efficiency in billing, coding, and payment processes, which could streamline workflows and impact revenue-related activities in pharmacy services.?

Research Papers:??

Bibliometric analysis of artificial intelligence in healthcare research: Trends and future directions (September 13, 2024, Future Healthcare Journal) The article analyzes the growth of AI in healthcare from 2013 to 2023, with major contributions from the USA, India, and China. Highlighting key trends like diagnostics, personalized medicine, and telehealth, while emphasizing AI’s potential to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and address ethical concerns. Understanding AI's applications in healthcare is crucial for pharmacists as it can optimize drug development, improve personalized medicine, and enhance decision-making processes in patient care, ultimately leading to better therapeutic outcomes.?

Potential application of artificial intelligence in cancer therapy (September 1, 2024, PubMed) The review highlights the critical role and challenges of adopting artificial intelligence in cancer care to enhance disease management, streamline clinical processes, and optimize data retrieval. This is important for pharmacists because AI can improve clinical decision support, streamline documentation, and enhance patient communication, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes in cancer care.?

Artificial Intelligence in the Hands of Perfusionists: Revolutionizing Cardiopulmonary Bypass (September 3, 2024, Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery) The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiac surgery and perfusion is transforming the field by enhancing decision support, real-time monitoring, and personalized patient care, ultimately leading to improved surgical outcomes. For pharmacists, understanding AI’s role in personalized medicine and real-time data analysis is crucial for optimizing drug therapy and improving patient safety in complex surgical and postoperative care settings.?

Artificial intelligence as a tool in drug discovery and development (September 20, 2024, WJEM) The article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug discovery and development, highlighting how AI-driven techniques are transforming the pharmaceutical industry. It discusses the ability of AI to improve drug target identification, accelerate the drug design process, and enhance predictions for drug efficacy and safety. The use of machine learning models, big data, and computational approaches are covered, showcasing AI’s potential to lower costs and increase the success rate of drug development.?

The effect of subjective understanding on patients’ trust in AI pharmacy intravenous admixture services (September 04, 2024, Frontiers) This recent study explored why patients might be hesitant to trust AI-powered pharmacy intravenous admixture services (AI PIVAS). The researchers found that patients' subjective understanding of AI played a significant role in their trust levels. While people often overestimate their understanding of human behavior, they struggle to grasp how AI works. To increase patient trust, hospitals can focus on educating them about the technology and how AI PIVAS can improve their care.?

Artificial intelligence to assist decision-making on pharmacotherapy: A feasibility study (September 2024, Science Direct) This study tries to show that artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to help doctors choose the best medications for their patients. By analyzing patient data, the AI system was able to sometimes predict which drugs would work best for different conditions. While there were some limitations to the study, the results suggest that AI could be a valuable tool in providing personalized medication recommendations. However, it's important to remember that AI should always be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional.?

Implementation of Artificial Intelligence–Based Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Quebec: Prospective Validation Study (September 03, 2024, JMIR) This study has revealed the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing the detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a leading cause of blindness among people with diabetes. Researchers evaluated an AI system called CARA, which analyzes retinal images to identify signs of DR. The results were impressive, with CARA demonstrating exceptional accuracy in detecting DR cases. This suggests that AI could play a pivotal role in early diagnosis and prevention of vision loss in diabetic patients.?

The role of artificial intelligence in scientific publishing: perspectives from hospital pharmacy (September 2024, Science Direct) Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way hospital pharmacists write scientific papers. From finding relevant research to improving grammar and style, AI tools are making the writing process more efficient and effective. While AI offers many benefits, it's important to use these tools responsibly to avoid issues like bias and misinformation. Overall, AI can be an asset for hospital pharmacists, helping them produce high-quality research and improve patient care.?

Cybersecurity: a priority for pharmacy services in the age of artificial intelligence (September 2024, Science Direct) The rise of digital technologies in healthcare has led to both advancements and vulnerabilities, particularly from cyberattacks that threaten patient data and disrupt critical services. In pharmacy, these breaches can hinder medication management and jeopardize patient safety. With the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI), pharmacy services can leverage AI for enhanced cybersecurity, such as using predictive analytics to detect threats, automating security tasks, and improving data protection through robust encryption. However, pharmacies must also manage the risks posed by AI itself, including potential system biases and vulnerabilities.? ?

Interesting Reads:?

How AI is Revolutionizing Pharmacy Care (September 16, 2024, TotalRetail)This article highlights how AI adoption in pharmacies can enhance patient care, streamline operations, and improve health outcomes by leveraging data analytics, automation, and personalized services. Embracing AI allows pharmacists to expand their role beyond medication dispensing, enabling them to deliver more personalized, efficient, and proactive patient care in an evolving healthcare landscape.?

Navigating the future: The crucial role of ethics and governance of AI integration in pharmacy (September 4, 2024, The Pharmacist Defense Association) The article explores the integration of AI in pharmacy, emphasizing the need for strong ethical governance to ensure patient safety, privacy, and trust as AI reshapes medication dispensing and care personalization. For pharmacists, it highlights the critical role of upholding ethical standards, ensuring transparent AI use, protecting patient privacy, and maintaining trust as AI transforms pharmacy practice and patient care.?

Novel Settlement Reached in Generative AI Deceptive Trade Practices Healthcare Investigation (September 20, 2024, Holland & Knight) Texas has reached a landmark settlement with Pieces Technologies over misleading claims regarding the efficacy of its generative AI software for healthcare, requiring clearer disclosures and heightened transparency in marketing practices. This development underscores the necessity for pharmacists to critically evaluate the accuracy and transparency of AI tools used in patient care, ensuring that they align with safety standards and do not compromise patient outcomes.?

Pharmacists Must Be Leaders in AI Development (September 25, 2024, Pharmacy Practice News) Pharmacists’ unique expertise in medication management positions them to guide the development of AI tools in areas such as clinical decision support and personalized treatment plans. Their leadership in this space is crucial for ensuring that AI technologies align with the safety and effectiveness required in patient care. By leveragingtheir insights, pharmacists can help shape AI innovations that optimize clinical workflows and improve healthcare outcomes.?

New Associate Professor Says AI is the Antidote to Healthcare Challenges (September 25, 2024, Merrimack College) Don Roosan, a clinical pharmacist turned associate professor, has shifted his career to focus on quantum AI, developing patient-centered technologies such as a dementia detection app and a 3D wound imaging app, with the goal of advancing healthcare through innovative data-driven solutions. Roosan's work highlights how pharmacists can leverage AI and emerging technologies to improve patient care, making the field more proactive in addressing healthcare challenges through advanced data and technology.?

Thank you for reading and feel free to comment or make suggestions for future newsletters!