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Beginning April 29, Renown Pharmacy – Pringle Will Be Open 24/7 Weeks after the only 24/7 pharmacy in Reno-Sparks announced it is no longer open overnight, Renown steps up to fill the community’s need, offering peace of mind knowing that any time, day or night, people can fulfill their essential medication prescriptions at Renown Pharmacy. Renown Health is pleased to announce that beginning on Monday, April 29, Renown Pharmacy - Pringle will expand hours to serve as the only 24/7 pharmacy in the area to serve all customers. The Renown Pharmacy located inside Renown Regional Medical Center will fill a gap left in the community after Walgreens on N. Virginia Street in Reno announced that they will no longer operate on a 24-hour, seven day a week schedule. Renown’s “all-hours, around the clock” pharmacy access will allow patients post-discharge from any area hospital the ability to fill their pharmaceutical prescriptions at any time, along with granting all community members the opportunity to pick up their prescriptions when it is most convenient for them. “We are proud to be able to step up to provide round-the-clock access to essential medications and healthcare services for our growing community, said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President & CEO for Renown Health. “We understand the importance of accessibility to medications and healthcare support, especially during times of urgent need. Our decision to operate our pharmacy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, reflects our commitment to serving the needs of our community and ensuring individuals have convenient access to the care they need, day and night.” “We are grateful for the pharmacy service that Walgreens provided the Reno-Sparks area for many years. We are excited that Renown can now provide our community with access to 24/7 Rx care,” said Adam Porath, Pharm.D., BCACP, BCPS, FASHP, Renown Health Vice President of Pharmacy Services. “By offering continuous pharmacy services, we aim to provide peace of mind to our customers and community- knowing that they can rely on us, any time, day, or night, to fulfill their prescription needs and offer professional guidance on medication management. Our talented team of pharmacists and techs are eager to serve our community with the Renown Pharmacy at Renown Regional Medical Center, starting Monday, April 29.” “In times of illness, timely access to medications is crucial for effective treatment and swift recovery. Whether its managing chronic conditions or addressing acute symptoms, adhering to prescribed medication schedules can significantly impact one’s health outcomes,” said Bill Plauth, MD, MMM, CPE, Chief Medical Officer for Renown Health. We believe that by extending our pharmacy hours, we can better support the health and well-being of our community, ensuring they receive care they deserve when they need it most. We invite our people to take advantage of our expanded pharmacy and experience the convenience and reliability of our 24/7 services.” Renown Pharmacy - Pringle is conveniently located on the first floor of Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. The Renown Pharmacy is near Starbucks and specializes in hard-to-find pharmaceuticals at lower costs, such as certain compound medications not typically stocked at other retail locations. Prescriptions can be transferred to any of Renown’s three retail pharmacy locations by calling the most convenient location and allowing expert pharmacy staff to complete the process. You can then request refills and check your prescription status in the MyChart app. Renown Pharmacy Pringle, 75 Pringle Way: 775-982-7737 Renown Pharmacy South Meadows, 10101 Double R Blvd.: 775-982-5366 Renown Pharmacy Locust, 21 Locust St.: 775-982-5280 For full pharmacy information, visit: renown.org/pharmacy/. Renown Health continues to expand and hire in-demand clinical positions, including positions at Renown Pharmacy. Visit renown.org/careers to learn more.     About Renown Health Renown Health is Nevada’s largest, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown is currently enrolling participants in a community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®.

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Renown's Medications to Go program offers time-savings and convenience for patients and their families. It can be difficult leaving the hospital after a stay. Learning and understanding detailed care instructions and settling in to a new routine, can be an overwhelming experience for both patients and their caregivers. Plus, there’s the added inconvenience of visiting the pharmacy to pick up prescribed medications.  Because it is so inconvenient, one-third of these prescriptions never reach the patient, and remain in a basket at the pharmacy, awaiting pick-up. Because the patient never takes their medication, recovery time can take longer, and in some cases, the patient goes without the needed medications and may be readmitted to the hospital.   To make the process more convenient for patients and their families, Renown Pharmacy now offers a new Medications to Go program.  Patients can now receive Medications to Go at Renown hospitals. Opting in when they arrive, and the day they leave, their medication will be hand-delivered to them in their room by a member of Renown’s pharmacy team, along with medication counseling by a Renown pharmacist. There is no additional cost for patients to use this service aside from their normal medication copays. “Medications to Go is another example of how we are using new approaches to deliver an excellent patient and customer experience, and helping people choose, access, experience and prefer Renown Health providers and hospitals,” said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, president and CEO of Renown. “We want to help our patients on their journey to health and wellness.”  The Renown Pharmacy team has been recognized for several national best practice programs. A similar pilot program showed a 25 percent reduction in hospital readmission rates for patients with Medicaid insurance, emphasizing the need for the service for all patients at all Renown hospital locations. Since June 1, 2020, Medications to Go has been available to every patient at Renown Regional Medical Center, Renown South Meadows Medical Center and Renown Rehabilitation Hospital. “We’ve filled more than 1,600 prescriptions through the program to date,” said Adam Porath, Doctor of Pharmacy, and Renown’s interim director. “Patients are very happy – especially new moms and parents of our youngest patients at Renown Children’s Hospital.”      About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Heath, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information, visit renown.org.

Read More About Renown Pharmacy Introduces New Program: Medications to Go

Adam D. Porath, Pharm.D., BCACP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology is promoted to serve future generations and improve the health and well-being of Nevadans. Renown Health is excited to announce Dr. Adam Porath has been promoted to vice president, pharmacy to lead clinical pharmacy and pharmacy operations and ensure excellent care for patients and families.  “We are pleased to promote an experienced and talented leader like Dr. Adam Porath,” said Dawn D Ahner, DSc, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, Acute Services. “Adam will continue to foster a culture of caring and excellence, while ensuring the highest level of pharmacy practice and experience for both care providers and patients.”  Dr. Porath has served in roles within pharmacy at Renown since 2006. Since June 2020, he has served as Interim Director of Pharmacy where he has led strategic planning for pharmacy operations, precepted students and residents, identified business growth opportunities, developed novel clinical pharmacy services and oversaw quality assurance of pharmacy operations. He began his career as a pharmacy practice resident at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno.  “I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve the medical community and patients of Renown Health,” said Dr. Porath. “What a source of pride it is to be able to deliver the high-quality, compassionate patient care Renown is known for, and to help serve and lead in the pharmacy profession.” Dr. Porath received his doctor of pharmacy degree from Idaho State University. He is a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist with added qualifications in cardiology and board certified ambulatory care pharmacist. Dr. Porath has a BS in Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno.  Dr. Porath serves as adjunct clinical faculty for several colleges of pharmacy including the University of New England, Oregon State University, University of New Mexico, Idaho State University and University of Wyoming. He has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including CHEST, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the Canadian Medical Association Journal.  Here in Nevada, Dr. Porath successfully lobbied the Nevada Legislature on behalf of the Nevada Society of Health System Pharmacists (NVSHP) to pass Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) legislation in 2011, permitting Nevada pharmacists to adjust drug therapy per physician-signed protocol in any practice setting, as long as the pharmacist is under a physician’s direct supervision. Currently, 48 states permit some degree of CDTM. In 2017, Adam helped to pass further expansion of the pharmacy practice act. He is currently serving as a director at large of the NVSHP board. Dr. Porath has served as a state of Nevada delegate to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) House of Delegates since 2012. In 2018, Dr. Porath was appointed to the Nevada Attorney General’s statewide partnership on the opioid crisis. In 2019, he was appointed to the ASHP Council on Public Policy.  In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown South Meadows Medical Center was listed #1 in the State of Nevada. Renown Regional Medical Center was named #2 Best Hospital in Nevada. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety and volumes. Hospitals earning a high performing rating were significantly better than the national average.  About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Heath, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project® . For more information, visit renown.org.

Read More About Renown Health Welcomes New Vice President, Pharmacy

Renown Health announced today that it is now using ARxIUM’s Robotic IV Automation (RIVA) system in its pharmacy to streamline the production process of IV admixtures. RIVA is a fully automated compounding system designed to precisely and accurately prepare IV syringes and bags in hospital pharmacies. This state-of-the-art system is considered the gold standard when it comes to safety, effectiveness and precision in pharmacy technology. To operate the robot, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians load drugs into the machine, in addition to drug vials, syringes and IV bags. Everything that goes into RIVA receives a barcode as it’s loaded to help the robot identify each item. The operator then instructs the robot to create the drug and RIVA goes to work, allowing employees to go about other duties as the robot maximizes efficiency. RIVA validates each component during the admixture process including size, barcode and weight of each ingredient to ensure accuracy. For an added level of safety, RIVA uses high-intensity pulsed ultraviolet light for disinfection of all vial and bag parts prior to compounding the drugs. “The contamination of IV products usually comes from humans – from our skin, breath, hair or other particles in the air,” said Renown Regional Medical Center’s pharmacy manager, Derek Gillespie. “Plus, the repetitive process of a human mixing 100 items of the same thing and the possibility for distraction can lead to errors. By automating the complex admixture process using the RIVA system, we’re able to significantly reduce the risk of contamination and human error.”  RIVA has the continuous capability to learn how to produce new admixtures through detailed programming done by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The system stores the information so it can recreate the drug whenever it’s instructed to do so.  With the help of pharmacy staff, RIVA produces a batch of approximately 50 items at a time, and can make up to 500 admixtures a day. By using RIVA, the pharmacy’s goal is to have items available on hand to help meet patients’ needs quickly. Additionally, in the case of a drug shortage, RIVA would enable the pharmacy to make its own IV solutions or admix items unavailable for purchase.  Only 27 pharmacies in the country currently use the RIVA system. Up until recently, Renown’s pharmacy team did all of its admixtures manually. “It’s exciting to have this new technology in our pharmacy and to know that at Renown Health, we are leveraging the latest technology out there to make our patients as safe as possible,” said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, president and CEO of Renown. “Our staff takes pride in using technology like the RIVA system as it allows them to hone their craft on the best technology in the field. We look forward to maximizing our IV production capabilities and fulfilling our patient’s needs more efficiently than ever thanks to RIVA and the incredible team that operates the robot.” For b-roll of RIVA in action and an interview from Derek Gillespie, click here.     About Renown Health Renown Health is a locally governed and locally owned, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. Renown is one of the region’s largest private employers with a workforce of more than 7,000. It comprises three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest and only locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown has a long tradition and commitment to continually improve the care and the health of our community. For more information, visit renown.org About ARxIUM Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Buffalo Grove, Illinois, ARxIUM is an industry-leading developer of pharmacy automation, workflow and consulting solutions that improve safety, productivity and workflow. The company provides solutions to shared service centers and health system, hospital, long-term care, retail and government pharmacies. ARxIUM is the developer of the only fully automated IV compounding system in the market today, and offers automated packaging, dispensing, vial filling and high volume systems. In addition, the company provides inventory management, scheduling and workflow software, technical consulting, and system implementation assistance, among other services. ARxIUM is also the creator of the Pharmacy 4.0 approach, which seamlessly converges clinical pharmacy, central production and automation advancements into fully automated, interactive data processes. The approach allows pharmacies to better monitor and react in real-time to address patient care and medication delivery demands. For more information, visit www.arxium.com.

Read More About New Automated Robot System in Renown Health