Regis partners with BESTMED for national eNRMC system rollout

Residential aged care provider Regis Group has partnered with BESTMED to implement an Electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) medication management system nationally across all their 64 homes.

“Applying a safe, quality use of medication approach across our homes, we conducted a comprehensive review of medication management software with our clinical teams and found that BESTMED suited our needs,” said Imtiaz Bhayat, Chief Information Officer, Regis Aged Care.

“A key aspect was that the software had been part of the eNRMC trial and had been used in aged care for several years, together with an intuitive interface and ease of integration. That really showed when we tested the product in a small pilot and it was clear that they knew the medication process well, together with the nuances of day-to-day medication administration and ordering. BESTMED offers a simpler way to manage medication,” Bhayat said.

Working to a rapid implementation schedule, the rollout commenced in late October, with all 64 Regis homes to be transitioned by April 2023.

Melissa McDonald, Executive General Manager, Care and Clinical Practice, Regis Aged Care said, “Apart from the comprehensive training that BESTMED’s onboarding team have provided to the clinical team to facilitate a carefully planned and coordinated implementation at each of our homes, they have also helped identify efficiencies in the medication ordering and administration process that give our staff time back to care for our residents.”

Supporting the transition is a network of connected pharmacies that provide streamlined sachet-packed medication for each of the Regis homes, without the need for transcribing.

“Accuracy and medication safety is paramount and removing the errors that may arise from transcribing from one system to another, further improves the safety for Regis’s residents,” said BESTMED CEO Phil Offer.

The company’s onboarding team is based around the country and manages fast, effective client implementations for facilities of any size, Offer said. “During this time of unprecedented change, we understand client project managers need to move quickly onto the next initiative,” he said, noting that facility managers can be confident the company has the resources to work with clients and meet agreed deadlines.

The implementation coincided with round one of the eNRMC adoption grant funding opportunity, which closed recently. The Department of Health and Aged Care allocated $30 million, over three rounds, in grant funding to assist providers with adopting a conformant eNRMC solution. BESTMED’s Transitional eNRMC conformant status, and approvals from both Western Australian and Tasmanian health departments, have facilitated the opportunity for Regis to rapidly roll out an eNRMC conformant medication management solution across the country.

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/londoneye