Prepare Meds Reference Guide

The Prepare Meds feature allows staff to prepare, or digitally group, routine orders in advance of Pass Meds. In Pass Meds, prepared orders can be recorded as 'Passed' in one click. The workflow is designed to split the order documentation process into two distinct stages: Prepare Meds and Pass Meds. 

About Prepare Meds 

This feature can be enabled for any client that uses the ALIS eMAR, however note that this feature was specifically designed to accommodate clients whose state (e.g., NY, CT) requires documentation of the medication preparation and subsequent administration. 

Common Prepare Meds workflow 

• Step 1: The Med Tech selects the specific grouping of medications they intend to prepare.
• Step 2: The Med Tech views residents' orders within the selected shift to physically (in the community) and digitally (in ALIS) prepare the doses.
• Step 3: Once medications are prepared, the Med Tech is automatically directed to the Pass Meds page (in ALIS) and takes the cart to the resident to begin the pass (in the community).

Ineligible Meds 

Not all medications can be prepared in advance due to certain order parameters requiring unique documentation. These orders will still be visible in the Prepare Meds workflow but display as Ineligible Meds. 

Orders are generally ineligible for the Prepare Meds grouping if they:

• Have a Narcotic/Controlled label.

• Require a Vitals check/entry at the point of administration. 

• Are set as a Patch or Injection.

• Have the Service Level set to "Nurse Only".

Enable Prepare Meds 

Consult your state requirements to confirm if this feature is right for your company or community. 

The Prepare Meds feature is behind and entitlement and requires the ALIS team to enable it. Once the entitlement is turned on, Prepare Meds can be enabled in each community's Medications Settings. 

Any user that has the ability to Pass Meds as part of their security role permissions will also have access to all Prepare Meds pages and features. 

For enablement assistance, contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team. 

Access Prepare Meds page

Once the feature is enabled, click the Medications dropdown menu and select Prepare Meds to begin preparing medications prior to Pass Meds. 

Step 2 - Preparing the Medications

The next step is to view residents' orders within the selected Med Cart and shift to digitally prepare the doses.

1. On the 'Preparing [Med Shift Med Cart]" page, view each resident's list of eligible orders. 

   • Note: If a resident has Ineligible Orders, these will show at the bottom of their respective list. 

2. For eligible orders, click Prepare (or Prepare All) to mark these orders as part of the prepared group. This can be done as you physically open medication packages and deposit doses into the resident’s labeled cup.

3. Continue this process for all residents with eligible medications on the cart.

4. Once finished, click the green Complete button. 

5. In the pop-up window that appears, click Confirm to be automatically redirected to Pass Meds. 

Cancel Preparing Meds "session": If you selected the wrong Med Shift or Med Cart and/or need to start over for any reason, click the x Cancel button at the top right of this page to clear and reset any prepared meds in the current session. This action returns you to the Prepare Meds page.

Step 3 - Pass Prepared Meds

The final step is to record Prepared Meds as 'Passed' or document any exceptions. On the Pass Meds landing page, prepared medications show the Prepared Meds label. 

1. Click Pass Meds to begin recording administration for the selected resident.

2. On the resident's specific Pass Meds page, prepared orders show fewer details (Medication name, dose, and photo). Visually confirm that the details in ALIS match the contents of the resident’s cup. 

3. Next, record administration outcomes using either of the following outcomes: 

   • All Passed: If the resident takes all medications, click All Passed to record the administration for the entire group simultaneously.

   • x Split with Exception: If the resident refuses a specific pill or there is an issue, select Split with Exception. In the pop-up window, click Split to confirm this action. 

     • This breaks the group apart, returning orders to their default list view where you can record the specific refusal or exception individually.

4. To stamp the MAR, click the green Record Med Pass at the top right of the page.  

Edit Completed Prepared Meds 

On the Prepare Meds page, click Edit next to a Completed session. This takes you back to the 'Preparing' page where you can review previous selections or reset them if necessary (e.g., to reverse a "pre-pour" in the case of mistakes or mis-clicks). 

Audit Prepare Meds History 

The Prepare Meds page includes a History section showing completed preparation sessions. Click Print to download a 'Prepare Meds Report' PDF.  

MAR documents and ALIS Reports 

Using the Prepare Meds feature does not alter the final documentation on reports.

There is no impact on the Pass Med (and other Medications) Reports or the MAR. Whether passed individually or as a prepared group, the data is recorded as a standard medication administration.  

Related Articles:

• How to Prepare and Pass Prepared Meds
• Pass Meds Reference Guide
• Job Aide: How to Pass Meds and Administer PRNs

For more assistance: 888.404.ALIS (2547)  |  support@go-alis.com