CRMC-West 214 E. 23 St. Cheyenne, WY 82001
CRMC-East 2600 E. 18 St. Cheyenne, WY 82001
Health & Fitness 1620 E. Pershing, Cheyenne, WY 82001

(307) 634-CARE

Pyxis Robot

A 700-pound "delivery boy" made its first appearance at CRMC in June. The Pyxis Helpmate SP trackless robotic courier as well as representatives from the Pyxis company demonstrated the skills of the electronic delivery system.

The robot can be used for any sort of delivery, for departments such as dietary, nursing, medical records, drugs and supplies. Using the robot is said to decrease labor costs, have greater security, keep skilled people functioning in their own areas, and is less expensive and more reliable than other automated systems or couriers. It is programmed to know the hospital's corridors, units, etc., through a computerized mapping system and can even call for an elevator. It moves at 2.2 feet per second and 140 feet per minute. At present, seventy hospitals in the United States use Pyxis Helpmate robot.

Central Services

CRMC's Central Supply (CS) department provides patient-care items to the West and East buildings. The staff ensures our core values of Quality Patient Care and Outstanding Patient Satisfaction by seeing that the proper supplies are available to treat our patients. CS is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure patients always receive supplies needed for their care.

Some items CS supplies to the patient-care units are bandages; catheters; intravenous solutions, tubing, pumps and poles; syringes, needles, medical support hose, sterile saline irrigation solution, and sequential-compression devices (SCDs) and sleeves-just to name a few.

The CS department also maintains and stocks the heart carts for ICU and cardiac patients, chest cart for ER and ICU, swan cart (central venous pressure monitoring) for ICU, cardiac arrest "Code" carts for all units, urology cart, cast cart and traction cart. They also provide special equipment such as ultrasonic bladder scanners and bedside commodes.

Also, the staff restocks the Pyxis supply stations, including the new color-coded trauma tower for ER. The Pyxis stations are computerized cabinets containing medical supplies and have the capability to keep track of the number and location of patient-care items on hand available on each nursing unit. When authorized staff members sign in and choose their patient's name, the doors unlock and the item the patient needs is chosen. The employee then pushes the "Take" button, and the item is counted as "in use" for inventory, and the charges are automatically recorded. When used properly, the system ensures accurate inventory and billing records.

"Problems can occur if staff members don't record the items as taken from the Pyxis cabinets," said the CS/Distribution director. "In that case, our records indicate the necessary items are available, but are actually out of stock. Then, we need to rush items to the units as soon as possible, so that patients receive the items they need."

The computerized Pyxis system also supplies read outs three times in each 24-hour period to alert the CS staff to the supplies needed on each nursing unit. If the unit runs out of certain items between these times, Pyxis prints a "Stock Out Bulletin," and CS is then informed of a need to refill those specific items listed.

CS also is responsible for decontaminating medical equipment from the units twice a day. The equipment is taken from the nursing areas to the CS decontamination area for cleaning, followed by clean storage in CS.

CRMC's Distribution department is responsible for the moving and transporting of equipment, storing of large quantities of supplies, and delivering both supplies and medical records from both East to West and West to East buildings. They also supply all the film to Radiology and Smart Carts to the Operating Room.

A plaque given to CS by the Kimberly Clark Corp. hangs in CS and says:

"Central Service is the heart that constantly pumps clean and sterile life blood throughout a modern hospital. Every department and every patient must rely on Central Service for the proper care and treatment of all patients and the essential sterile supplies, without which no medical or nursing team can function."
-Author Unknown

Disclaimer - CRMC's core values are to provide quality patient care and outstanding patient satisfaction to all our patients. Part of providing quality patient care and outstanding patient satisfaction is respecting your privacy rights and maintaining the confidentiality of your medical records. For more information on patient privacy please read our patient privacy policy. CRMC will not use or disclose your health information for any purpose not described in this Notice without your written authorization.

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