MedEye Appoints Jort Kooistra as Chief Executive Officer
New CEO to drive international growth of MedEye’s unique medication verification platform
Amsterdam, 12 September 2019 - MedEye, an innovative medtech company with an AI-powered medication verification system, announced today that it has appointed Jort Kooistra as Chief Executive Officer to support the company’s international commercial growth. Co-founder Gauti Reynisson will step down as CEO and will lead MedEye’s research and development as Chief Technology Officer.
Jort Kooistra joins MedEye with over 20 years’ experience of the healthcare industry. From significant commercial roles at Zimmer Biomet, Johnson & Johnson and Bioventus, as well as leadership and support of innovative start-up companies, Jort has built considerable expertise in successful product launches and growing international commercial healthcare businesses.
In the US and Europe, one in five medication administrations are incorrect, leading to compromised patient care, inefficiencies at treatment centres and greater costs to healthcare systems. MedEye’s unique bedside medication verification technology makes preventable medication errors in the hospital and long-term care settings avoidable, automatically checking that the medication being administered corresponds with the prescription. Unlike other approaches, MedEye’s medication verification platform can be used for both high risk medication as well as tablets.
Following on from its successful launch in The Netherlands, MedEye is looking to broaden the reach of its unique medication verification technology internationally. The company has been scaling up, expanding its global operations, with rollouts planned for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Jort Kooistra, Chief Executive Officer of MedEye, commented: “A 20% error rate in medication administration is unacceptable. Our aim is to make this as close to zero as possible and MedEye’s unique technology enables this. We want to facilitate a systemic shift, enabling medications to be delivered safely and in the most efficient manner possible. I am excited to be leading the company as it begins its international expansion and I look forward to working with the team to bring this unique approach to more hospitals and care facilities worldwide.”
Dr. Russell G. Greig, Chairman of the MedEye Board of Directors, commented: “MedEye is at a very exciting point in its development as it ramps up its international commercial operations. Jort’s significant commercial experience across global markets, both within large multi-national and smaller innovative businesses, will help drive MedEye’s growth and greater adoption in new markets. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Gauti for his service and dedication to MedEye since the Company’s inception and we are delighted that he will remain as Chief Technology Officer to continue to support its success.”
Gauti Reynisson, Chief Technology Officer at MedEye, added: “I’m very excited to welcome Jort to the team. His appointment is the natural next step for the company as we look to grow the team and achieve our international growth ambitions. With numerous exciting initiatives ahead, I look forward to working closely with him and spearheading MedEye’s ongoing R&D efforts.”
About MedEye
MedEye was founded in 2010 to revolutionize medication safety in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Initially designed as a tool to help nurses give medications to patients safely and efficiently, MedEye has developed a complete medication verification system with both software and hardware that is used by and for the benefit of nurses, patients and clinicians.
MedEye’s AI-powered verification system is driven by the ‘Five Rights’ of medication administration; the right patient, the right drug, the right time, the right dose and the right route. MedEye’s solutions are currently on the market in in Belgium, Iceland and The Netherlands, where the company is active in 14% of healthcare institutions.
Medeye is headquartered in The Netherlands and investors include LSP, Seventure Partners, NSA Ventures and Brabant Development Agency (BOM). For more information please visit www.medeye.com.
For more information, please contact:
Jort Kooistra, Chief Executive Officer
+31 85 011 0200
For communications enquiries, please contact:
Amber Fennell, Chris Welsh, Lucy Featherstone
Consilium Strategic Communications
+44 (0) 203 709 5700