About FormChecker

FormChecker is an easy-to-use formulary management and communication system that aids in Joint Commission compliance, ensures pharmacy guidelines are followed and reduces time spent on management of formulary conversions. With FormChecker, pharmacists can effortlessly update formularies, guidelines, alerts and other pharmacy-related information through a Web browser. Changes are instantly available to physicians, nurses, and pharmacists over the Internet, in print, and PDA’s and smartphones. FormChecker also includes integrated drug information and health plan formulary information for over 180 million covered lives.

Features

Easy Set-up and Ongoing Support

• Create formulary from your data (NDCs) and your print copies
  
• Set-up by our licensed pharmacists
  
• We upload your guidelines and your alerts
  
• We customize for your facility
  
• Unlimited customer support
  

Administration

• Create and manage multiple formularies
  
• Create and manage compounded items
  
• Create new routes, strengths and forms
  
• Create guidelines, policies and alerts
  
• Upload relative or actual cost information
  
• Integrate with drug information providers
  
• Select health plan formularies to display
  
• Create P&T newsletters
  
• Maintain pharmacy and staff information
  

Web Use

• Available on Internet and Intranet
  
• Access facility and health plan formularies
  
• Access integrated drug information
  
• Search by drug name and therapeutic class
  
• View formulary status notes, guidelines and alerts
  
• View relative or actual cost information
  
• View black box warnings and industry shortages
• Print hard copies of formulary
  

Handheld Use

• Available on Palm and Pocket PC devices
  
• Access facility and health plan formularies
  
• Search by drug name and therapeutic class
  
• View formulary status, notes, guidelines and alerts
  
• View relative or actual cost information
  
  

Benefits

Compliance

FormChecker helps ensure compliance with a number of Joint Commission medication management guidelines. Plus, use FormChecker to:

• Select, list and procure medications based on your selected criteria
  
• Establish processes that address medication shortages
  
• Identify drug alerts, such as recalls and warnings
  
• Identify look-alike and sound-alike drug names
  
• Define standard drug order elements
  

Drug Cost Savings

According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, drug cost savings of 9%-22% can be achieved through preferred drug list management, therapeutic interchange and generic substitution policies, potential savings that translate to $375,000 to $900,000 per hospital. In short, FormChecker is an economical, easy-to-use component of a hospital’s overall cost saving strategy.

Staff Time Savings

Estimates value time savings through use of a formulary management tool at between $15,000 and $20,000 annually, an estimate based on a University of Michigan study that tracked 1,750 formulary conversions over a three-month period in three hospitals. The study found the average time spent per conversion reached 15 minutes. By providing relevant, accessible formulary information at the point of care, FormChecker can dramatically lower the costs associated with converting non-formulary requests, explaining drug policies and other tasks.

Budget Savings

Rising drug costs. Mounting regulatory pressures. Shrinking budgets. In today’s challenging environment, effective formulary management and pharmacy communications have become critical elements of pharmacy practice. FormChecker helps hospitals and clinics reduce drug costs, save on current IT expenses, and reduce/eliminate printing costs.

Compliance

FormChecker is continually updated to provide turn key compliance with Joint Commission and other regulatory reporting agency requirements and guidelines.

• Communicates policies and makes easily accessible procedures that support safe medication prescribing, ordering and transcribing.
• Identifies appropriate selection of available medications.
• Communicates and identifies special precautions or procedures for ordering drugs with look-alike or sound-alike names.
• Operates online and is updated in real-time for an up-to-date formulary at the time of prescribing.
• Easily updates and makes accessible processes for procuring, storing, ordering, transcribing, preparing, dispensing, administering, and/or monitoring high-risk or high-alert medications.
• Identifies high-risk or high-alert medications.
• Limits access to a set of approved medications.
• Monitors organizational regulations governing the prescribing, dispensing and administration of medications.
• Allows changes as they occur through an online, computer-accessible formulary.
• Gives formulation (active ingredients) of a combination product.
• Displays dosage form(s), strength(s), packaging(s), and size(s) stocked by the pharmacy.
• Offers generic name of the primary active medication entity or product; combination products may be listed by generic, common, or trade names.
• Lists pharmacy operating procedures such as hours of service, prescription policies, pharmacy charging policies, prescription labeling and packaging practices, and medication distribution.
• Provides brief description of the P&T committee, including its membership, responsibilities and operation.
• Offers formulary policies and procedures, including restrictions on medication use and procedures for adding a medication to a formulary.