Seattle – The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) has awarded Qualis Health a grant for $398,049 to pursue a novel application of technology to improve medication management. Qualis Health is one of six awardees to receive the first round of grants disbursed by LSDF.

The Qualis Health project, titled “Applying Health Information Technology to Improve Medication Management,” will be led by Jeff Hummel, MD, Qualis Health’s medical director for Healthcare Informatics. Hummel developed this grant proposal in response to the growing problem that medication errors have caused in the healthcare delivery system, resulting in adverse outcomes for patients.

Hummel’s project combines information technology that places current and accurate patient prescription refill data in the hands of healthcare professionals, along with a workflow enhancement process, using lean process improvement methodology. The goal of the project is to reduce medication errors through improved access to patient medication information, as well as achieve greater efficiencies in clinical workflows. The study is designed to dovetail with a number of national and local initiatives that support health information exchange.

About the Life Sciences Discovery Fund
Established by the Washington State Legislature and governor in 2005, LSDF supports “innovative research in Washington State to promote life sciences competitiveness, enhance economic vitality, and improve health and healthcare.” For this first round of grant award decisions, the American Association for the Advancement of Science convened an expert panel to rank 75 proposals. The projects were chosen for their potential to improve healthcare for a large number of Washingtonians. LSDF grants for this inaugural competition, totaling more than $4.5 million, are being funded through a combination of private and public sector donors. Learn more about the Life Sciences Discovery Fund at www.lsdfa.org.