Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA)
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The Indian Health Service (IHS) Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) called Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) is designed for Indian Health Care hospitals have implemented the eMAR within an inpatient unit or are anticipating doing so in the near future. BCMA is an application designed to improve medication administration documentation in a hospital setting and increase patient safety during the process.
IHS has long been a pioneer in using computer technology to capture clinical and public health data. The IHS clinical information system is called the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS). Its development began nearly 30 years ago, and many facilities have access to decades of personal health information and epidemiological data on local populations. The primary clinical component of RPMS, Patient Care Component (PCC), was launched in 1984. The RPMS Electronic Health Record (EHR) graphical user interface, now in use at over 400 locations, was launched in 2004. BCMA is a graphical user interface for medication administration that was launched by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in 1999. Through an inter-agency agreement between Indian Health Service and the VHA's Bar Code Resource Office (BCRO), BCMA is now being deployed within IHS hospitals as another component in the RPMS suite of applications.
Information about BCMA software, hardware and deployment, as well as, links to a number of helpful documents can be found within this website.
