MCLEAN, Va., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Fusion announced an agreement with Central Michigan Community Hospital (CMCH) to provide barcode technology solutions to be implemented throughout the hospital.
CMCH contracted with Care Fusion for a comprehensive suite of products including: wCareMed(TM) to support medication administration, allergy warnings, safety alerts and complex IVs; wCareCollect(TM) to verify and label lab specimens; wCareAssist(TM) to record vital signs and patient care information; wCareView(TM) for a consolidated view of patient data; and wCareCapture(TM) for point-of-care billing for supplies and inventory control.
CMCH began exploring technology to enhance patient safety. A committee of nurses, pharmacists, information technology representatives and administrators from key areas was formed to look for a solution. Their charge was to find a cost-effective way to provide caregivers instant access to patient information at the point of care, reduce medical errors and documentation variances, and improve staff efficiency.
According to CMCH Chief Information Officer Pat Wallace, the group began by looking at automated medication cabinet systems to assist with medication administration, but realized there was a need for a larger solution. “Those systems streamlined documentation for pharmacy and billing, but didn’t solve the issue of ensuring patients were given the right medications at the right time in the right way,” says Wallace. “We backed up a step and decided to look at our whole patient care system.”
It became clear that point-of-care documentation was key to improving accuracy while also increasing the time staff can spend caring for patients instead of sitting at a keyboard. After reviewing available technology and visiting sites to see systems in action, Care Fusion’s solutions were chosen because of ease of use and the ability to interact with CMCH’s current Meditech information system.
“We needed a product that would make it easy for a nurse to do her job without being tied to an electronic device,” says Wallace. “We liked the wireless aspect and found Care Fusion’s products easy to use.”
Wallace also appreciates Care Fusion’s ability to adapt its technology to fit the unique needs of her hospital.
“We work closely with our customers to be sure our products work in their world,” says Ken Tighe, Care Fusion CEO. “We’ve assembled a team of technology partners so our customers’ needs aren’t seen as problems, but opportunities to continuously fine-tune our products.”
For the CMCH installation, Care Fusion will work closely with its software and programming partner, Iatric Systems, Inc. Iatric is a leader in integration solutions for Meditech systems. Its familiarity with both companies will be key to smoothly implementing the new Care Fusion products.
“Iatric Systems provides custom interface solutions to meet the way each hospital does business,” says Ken Hoffman, Iatric Systems Vice President of Interface/Integration. “Care Fusion listens to these custom needs and reacts, making it much easier for us both to meet the hospital’s requests. We look forward to another successful integration with the Care Fusion suite of applications at CMCH.”
Care Fusion has also partnered with other industry leaders including Symbol Technologies, Datatrend Technologies, Standard Register and Xybernaut to ensure excellence in design and implementation.
CMCH will begin implementing wCareMed immediately to bring the first nursing unit online in August and hopes to have the entire hospital using the system by October. The other Care Fusion products will be implemented in a phased approach following wCareMed.
While the timeline is fairly aggressive, Wallace believes staff will appreciate the benefits of bedside documentation and that momentum will drive the implementation. “This tool will give our staff more control and more information so they will be empowered to provide the best care for their patients.”
Even though CMCH is not a large hospital, the investment in healthcare technology makes sense for the long-term. “The attitude of our leadership is that the greatest risk to our future is complacency,” says Wallace. “We are committed to providing our community quality healthcare and we will continue using technology to enhance services and solve problems in providing that care.”
Care Fusion is a leading provider of barcode enabled positive patient identification systems that support the clinical workflow of nursing, laboratory and blood bank personnel.
For more information on Care Fusion’s wireless barcode solutions, visit http://www.carefusion.com/
For more information: Kenneth Tighe, Chief Executive Officer kentighe@carefusion.com 703-714-0730
Care Fusion
CONTACT: Kenneth Tighe, Chief Executive Officer of Care Fusion,+1-703-714-0730, or kentighe@carefusion.com
Web site: http://www.carefusion.com/
