InStockRx announced a strategic partnership with Tanner Health, a regional healthcare provider serving west Georgia and east Alabama, to move beyond traditional medication inventory management toward a model of total medication stewardship.
In the complex world of hospital pharmacy, even the most efficient systems face a “structural gap” – medication that is not yet expired but cannot be returned to wholesalers. The partnership would eliminate medication waste and ensure that every dose is used for treating a patient.
“In a healthcare setting, we cannot view medication waste as just a line item on a balance sheet. A wasted dose is a missed opportunity for a patient,” said Ron Hartman, PharmD, MHA, FACHE, system director of pharmacy at Tanner. “Our team is already incredibly lean and efficient, but we refuse to accept the idea that any amount of waste is standard. If there is a patient in one of our facilities who needs a medication that is sitting idle in another, our job isn’t done. With this platform, we are ensuring that every dose we purchase fulfills its intended purpose.”
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The partnership focuses on creating enterprise-wide visibility to bridge the gap between surplus and need. InStockRx integrates with Tanner’s existing supply chain and automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) to:
- Eliminate preventable waste by identifying medications nearing their “structural gap” and moving them to the point of care before they become unusable.
- Prioritize patient access by ensuring that critical medications are available across all Tanner campuses to reduce delays in treatment.
- Support clinical teams by automating the identification of surplus, so pharmacists can focus on patient care rather than manual inventory searches.
The scale of the challenge is national. While U.S. hospitals spent approximately $115 billion on medications in 2023, industry analysts suggest that 2% to 3% of inventory consistently falls into a “dead zone” that is not yet expired but no longer returnable.
“Tanner is a leader because they recognize that stewardship is a clinical priority. Even if a system is 99% efficient, that 1% represents real patients,” said Mac Dougherty, CEO of InStockRx. “We built InStockRx because we believe that in a world of drug shortages and rising costs, ‘good enough’ isn’t good enough when it comes to patient access.”
SOURCE: Tanner Health