McLEAN, Va., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Fusion announced an agreement with Hamilton Medical Center to provide barcode technology solutions for phlebotomy collections and verification of blood products prior to transfusion. Hamilton is a 282-bed hospital located in Dalton, GA that is dedicated to providing quality care excellence. The hospital continually receives the maximum 3-year accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and has twice been named one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the United States by HCIA and Mercer Consulting.
Hamilton contracted with Care Fusion for wCareCollect(TM) and wBloodCare(TM), two of the six applications within the company’s comprehensive suite of products. wCareCollect(TM) allows healthcare providers to scan a patient’s barcoded wristband to positively identify the patient, verify orders and print a time-stamped barcode label for any specimen being collected. wBloodCare(TM) also verifies patient identity by scanning the patient’s barcoded wristband and then uses that information to search the database for associated blood delivery orders. Once the order is displayed the healthcare provider scans the barcode on the blood bag (assigned by the blood bank) to confirm a match.
Hamilton formed a committee to explore point-of-care solutions that would focus on positive patient identification for the laboratory and blood bank. The search was limited to vendors that could offer a solution for both. A committee made up of the laboratory director, phlebotomists, clinical coordinators, information technology representatives, blood bank personnel and nurses was formed to look for a solution. Their goal was to find an easy-to-use, wireless, handheld device that could positively identify patients and print labels at the bedside.
According to Hamilton’s Director of Laboratory Services, Margaret Herrin, DLM, “Hamilton has a strong focus on the use of leading technology to advance our mission of providing superior healthcare to improve the quality of life for the community.” The committee looked at several patient identification and transfusion vendors and selected Care Fusion because the company was able to meet all of their needs. A major factor in the final selection process was a successful site visit to a hospital using Care Fusion’s products. “The message throughout that site was how pleased everyone was with the products and that plans are already in progress to implement other applications. That speaks well about Care Fusion. You only form a stronger partnership with a company when the current outcomes have been successful,” says Herrin.
“We are very proud that a hospital with such commitment to patient safety has recognized Care Fusion as their vendor of choice,” says Ken Tighe, Care Fusion CEO. “We are delighted to have Hamilton as a customer and look forward to successful implementation of our products.”
Care Fusion’s project management and implementation professionals will work closely with Hamilton staff members to ensure successful integration with the hospital’s laboratory and blood bank systems, as well as provide complete training services. Implementation is forecasted to begin in November.
Other applications within Care Fusion’s suite of wireless, mobile barcode enabled technology solutions designed to improve patient safety by reducing medical errors include wCareMed(TM) to support medication administration, allergy warnings, safety alerts and complex IVs; 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. In developing its solutions, Care Fusion has partnered with industry leaders including Symbol Technologies, Standard Register, Datatrend Technologies, Micromedex, Xybernaut, Iatric Systems and Picis to ensure excellence in design and implementation.
Hamilton is a member of VHA, a for-profit cooperative that helps health care organizations nationwide identify, integrate and implement best practices to enhance their operational and clinical performance. Because VHA is a cooperative, VHA organizations earn cash and equity each time they purchase a product or service through VHA. In 2003 VHA delivered $1.13 billion in total benefits to members. VHA will hold its “Planning for Automatic Identification Technologies: Bar Coding and RFID Applications in Healthcare” conference October 21-22 in Chicago.
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/