Using Technology to Keep Our Factor Cool

By Maria Manahan, VP of Finance and Operations

The phone rings.  There’s a power outage on Roswell Road.  Is the generator running?  Are all the refrigerator temperatures in range?  Do we need to go to the pharmacy and check on the factor?  It’s 10:30 p.m.

Factor can’t get too hot or too cold.  Several years ago, we had a low tech solution to monitor the factor stock when the office was closed.   A suspected refrigerator failure or area power loss usually involved a drive to the pharmacy to check on the refrigerators.  But all that has changed and now we can be confident that our clients’ medication is safe and sound while we sleep or enjoy a long holiday weekend.

Each pharmacy refrigerator has been upgraded for precise temperature control and monitoring.  A digital thermostat replaced the factory installed units and two digital thermometers help us keep an eye on the temperature.

Then there’s the security company.  Each refrigerator is wired with a temperature monitor and a panel that records the temperatures.  If the temperature rises or falls outside of a preset range, an alarm goes off and alerts the pharmacy and the security company, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  If the pharmacy is not staffed, the security company calls a list of emergency contacts, alerting us of a potential problem.

Oh, and I must not forget to tell you about the backup power generator!  It sits right outside my office.  It is programmed to run a “test” every Wednesday morning at 10:00.  If you call me then, you’ll hear it, loud and clear.  It is sweet music to my ears – an assurance that when we have a power outage (and for reasons unbeknownst to me we have lots of power outages in our area), the factor will stay nice and cool!

Thank goodness for technology.  Now, when it’s 10:30 at night and the phone rings it seldom results in a trip to Roswell Road.