Hi Everybody,

I am new to the forum but I was wondering if anybody has had experience with contracts with a compounder called Pharmidiam. I would appreciate any help that i can get because I hate contracts.

Thank you

City, State: Acute care

Years as a Buyer: 1

We used to use a compounding company called PharMedium, is that who you're talking about? We were getting some premade oxytocin bags made by them but I recently switched over to Ameridose compounding company because I could get better pricing and dating on the product. The contact number for PharMedium is
800-304-0498 and the number for Ameridose is 888-820-0622. I hope that helps you out.

Years as a Buyer: 19 buyer 34+tx

You sought information about Pharmidiam. I assume you might mean PharMEDium. This is from their website pharmedium.com:

"For more than 15 years, we have been the leading provider of outsourced pharmacy compounding services.

PharMEDium Services is a nationwide network of state licensed compounding pharmacies providing trusted solutions to more than 1,500 hospitals throughout the United States. Managed by licensed pharmacists and staffed by certified technicians, we are knowledgeable of all appropriate state laws and FDA regulations, including USP Chapter 797 as well as DEA and GMP requirements.
Every PharMEDium facility is operated in accordance with standardized and validated processes, each designed and implemented through standard operating procedures (SOPs) that ensure consistent aseptic compounding. The result of this meticulous attention to detail is a reliable, traceable and reproducible system that delivers high quality services to our customers."

More information can be found on their website www.pharmedium.com so you might look there too. They displayed at last year's Pharmacy Purchasing Networking Conference. Hope this helps.

Name of Facility: Summerdale Enterprises, Inc.

We use PharMedium and have never had an issue. I have been using them for years for our premix Morphine and Hydromorphone PCAs as well as L&D Epidurals. We use them now for premixed Oyxtocin and Mag 2gm and Cefazolin 2gm. We use it so fast we don't have an issue with their 45 day dating.

They have CSOS for narcs and online ordering for everything else. turn around time is great.

Name of Facility: Arnot Ogden Medical Center

City, State: Acute Care 256 beds

Years as a Buyer: 7

Welcome to the Forum.

I don't believe there are contracts. I would find out from Lee Ann.
Her phone number is 847-457-2345.

Name of Facility: Teaching Trauma II Hospital

Years as a Buyer: 6

PharMEDium definitely has a contract! They send you to the "principal's office" (read CEO)and threaten hefty fines if you vary from it.

I agree with the other Ruth about Ameridose--better pricing and the dating on things like oxytocin bags, which have just 14 days from the date of manufacture, translates into about 11 days by the time you get them, made it an easy switch for me to Ameridose.

Ameridose will you up to order online with all the products you want to get from them--very easy!

Name of Facility: PORTER

City, State: acute care

Years as a Buyer: 9+

I also switched from PharMEDium to Ameridose because of pricing and dating...

Years as a Buyer: 2

Any idea of the pricing difference from the two companies for Hydromorphone 1mg/ml 50 ml syringe (PCA)?

Name of Facility: NFP

City, State: Hospital

Years as a Buyer: 30

I just saw your question!
The price we have from PharMEDium for hydromorphone PCA is $18.00; Ameridose is $17.25 and the dating is 60 days from date of admixing.

Name of Facility: PORTER

City, State: acute care

Years as a Buyer: 9+

The main reasons I switched from PharMedium to Ameridose was the pricing and the dating on the bags. I get at least a two month dating on bags instead of a couple weeks with PharMedium. Also I talked to Alan and told him what I wanted to pay and we agreed on a price per bag that I was very happy with. I received the product at a much better price and I can have it on the shelf a little longer with no waste. It is so easy to go on line and order and I have the product in just a couple days. Ameridose is the way to go.

Years as a Buyer: 19+ tx 34+

Hi Everybody,

I just wanted to thank you all for your feedback in regards to Pharmediam. I actually called the other company Ameridose and they were AWESOME !!!!!!. They were able to help me with everything and even offered a whole host of medications that my director did'nt even know was commercially available and they had great dating and customer service. We are a small hospital and we don't have a 24h pharmacy so volume commitments with contracts are out of the question for us. I am actually making up a list of other things to run by the forum so I will be in touch.

City, State: Acute Care

Years as a Buyer: 1

Tom,

Glad to have you on board and participating in the forum.

I didn't catch where you work?

Regards,

SA

Name of Facility: St. Joseph

City, State: Acute

Years as a Buyer: 14

We have used Pharmedium the past few years. They have a great online ordering system (including CSOS). We purchase Oxytocin, magnesium, morphine and dilaudid PCA's.

Everyone has commentted on how much better the expiry dating on Ameridose is so much better than Pharmedium. When I asked this very question to Ameridose, the only documentation they could supply was one study that shows their product was still 99% potent. Keep in mind that the testing is done in a controlled enviornment. They do not take into account temp flucuations during transport (they sit on a delivery truck in the hot sun). Pharmedium's testing is much more scientific and they can back it up too.

Bottom line. We stuck with Pharmedium for the safety of our patients. I do not see how one company can offer 21 days and another company 45 days.

Name of Facility: University Community Hospital

City, State: Hospital

Years as a Buyer: 3+

Dear Brian,

We at Mass General Hospital also consider patient safety our number 1 priority in fact we have had teams tour the Ameridose facilities and they are second to none in terms of producing quality products and great service.
They back up all their products with an extensive testing program that is above and beyond the industry standard.
We know this because we do a very detailed analysis of their policy, procedure, quality and safety before we are willing to use any product on our patients compounded by an outside vendor.
Needless to say, we are very confident and extremely satisfied with the many products that we receive from Ameridose.
Just an FYI, Ameridose received a favorable review from the FDA in December of 2007 (482). Have you asked the other vendors out there for their reports? If you did a fraction of the homework that we have, you’d see that many of the other vendors have received negative reviews (483’s).

Also, I thought this was NOT a forum for promoting one vendor over another. I think choice is a good thing for our hospital and hope that in the future these posts will be more informative than promotional.

Name of Facility: Massachusetts General Hospital - 1000+ beds

Years as a Buyer: 9

Dear Claudio,
This is a forum to express views, which is what I did. It is very presumptous of you to say that I have only done a "fraction" of the homework that you have done. That was just very judgemental on your part.

Also, concerning your last paragraph, this forum has a great collection of people with many different views and practices. I was not Promoting one vendor over another as you, again, presumed. My opionion was asked for and I gave it.....just as MANY other participants did prior to my comment about Pharmedium and Ameridose. I would be happy to entertain business with Ameridose so long as they can provide the extensive back up dating to their products.

So, with that being said, it sounds like you are promoting Ameridose.

At any rate, thank you for sharing you knowledge with the rest of us.

Name of Facility: University Community Hospital

City, State: Hospital

Years as a Buyer: 3+

I thought I was the only one who reacted to Claudio's remarks.
The original question asked for our experiences with PharMEDium. I think that's what all the following postings dealt with--our experiences with compounding companies. I see no promotion of one over another, just opinions based on our dealings with either PharMEDium or Ameridose.

How else do we share information except by drawing on what we've learned being in the trenches day in and day out?

I hope everyone continues to freely express their opinions, questions, concerns in this forum. I have learned so much and , I hope, have been able to give back a little.

Name of Facility: PORTER

City, State: acute care

Years as a Buyer: 9+

I have been using this website for many purposes and found the discussions to be helpful. However this section has led me to participate only because I feel sharing pricing in this forum goes beyond sharing experience. What our GPO and others work out on pricing is out of our control but should remain confidential. Each facility has their own ability to negotiate price and should try.
Our Director contracts with Pharmedium because the value in the product by them goes beyond what we could ever get from another compounder. I asked our director at one point to look into another compounder NECC/Ameridose. She felt that there there was misrepresentation on their products and shelf life.I had asked for product info and every time I had a question they could not answer, they lowered the price. To me and my director, Pharmedium has not misrepresented what they have to offer or has never done anything to make me believe that I should look anywhere else.

So my opion is that Pharmedium has been a good choice for us and we will stick with that.

Name of Facility: Upper Eastside Regional

Years as a Buyer: 14

Point taken and you're right, pricing is subject to individual contract negotiations.
I'm glad you mentioned it. I needed a reminder that sharing in generalities is preferred.
Thanks!!

Name of Facility: PORTER

City, State: acute care

Years as a Buyer: 9+