BESTMED partners with Choice Aged Care

The partnership delivers an integration, where data is securely transferred between BESTMED’s medication management system and Choice Aged Care’s PPASS3 Tool – a free to industry auditing and benchmarking system. This digital ecosystem allows care providers to streamline and automate various data entry, reporting and clinical governance workflows.

“We know that a connected care system provides improved quality, safety and efficiency of care for consumers,” said BESTMED CEO, Phil Offer. “Our integration with Choice Aged Care allows providers the benefits of increased visibility to benchmark their use of medications and drive continuous improvement in medication management and reporting.”

One of the key benefits of the integration is workflow efficiencies captured for facility staff by eliminating the need for time-consuming and error-prone manual data entry. “According to early anecdotal evidence, the automated data flow from BESTMED to PPASS-3 more than halves the facility staff workload relating to the ACQSC’s Psychotropic Self-Assessment Activity,” said Choice Aged Care Owner and CEO, Michael Bonner. “As a clinician, I’m also really excited about the accuracy, higher-level clinical governance and real-time risk alerts that this integration delivers to facility and organisation level staff,” said Mr Bonner.

The reliability and benefits of the integration have already been tried and tested on a large scale with Southern Cross Care NSW/ACT going ‘live’ in late 2022. 

“Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT) recognises that forming partnerships and adopting new technologies is instrumental to improving the well-being of aged care residents and the efficiency of those providing care,” said Gaynor Squillacioti, Chief Operating Officer, Southern Cross Care (NSW & ACT). “The integration of this system in all our Residential Aged Care homes has significantly improved medication management efficiency and governance. Through data automation, our team is advancing our reporting requirements and optimising clinical outcomes associated with polypharmacy and psychotropic medication,” Ms Squillacioti said. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to care and continuous improvement. It also supports our strategic goals of continuing to transform digitally so we can improve our operating efficiency and be a provider of choice fostering partnerships with organisations that deliver high-impact, digital health solutions for optimum outcomes. 

A webinar Masterclass hosted by BESTMED CEO, Phil Offer and Choice Aged Care CEO and Owner, Michael Bonner in April showcased the role of data interoperability in achieving medication management efficiencies and governance as well as providing an overview of the integration. For access to the recording please contact BESTMED.

About BESTMED

As Australia’s favourite end-to-end eNRMC medication management provider, BESTMED is an industry leader in developing systems to improve safety, efficiencies and reporting to meet the changing requirements in aged care. BESTMED invests over $3m pa in research and development to eradicate medication errors and is already working on next-generation solutions in partnership with Macquarie University¹ researchers. It’s why over 550 homes and the majority of Australia’s largest providers choose BESTMED’s Connected Medication Management for their consumers.

1. https://www.mq.edu.au/research/research-centres-groups-and-facilities/healthy-people/centres/australian-institute-of-health-innovation/news-and-events/news/news/new-grant-will-transform-medication-safety-in-aged-care

About Choice Aged Care

Choice Aged Care (CAC) is Australia’s leading clinical pharmacist service provider, delivering government-funded QUM and RMMR Services to 560 facilities and 50,000+ residents throughout Australia.  CAC’s PPASS-3 Tool is free and reflects the aged care sector’s most sophisticated QUM system, delivering quality reporting and clinical governance mechanisms related to psychotropics, polypharmacy, AMS and chemical restraint.  CAC’s integrated subsidiaries include the National Care Academy chain of government-funded RTOs; its Choice Geriatrician service; the Aged Care BUDDY resource; and Choice Pharmacist (embedded onsite residential care and home care pharmacists).

First published in Pulse+IT, 15 March 2023 and Aged Health, 16 March 2023.