DALLAS, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hospira, Inc. , a leader in the development of medication delivery systems, and Bridge Medical, a patient safety software and services company, and subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, today announced a development agreement to create a new, wireless point-of-care medication management solution that links intravenous (I.V.) devices at the patient bedside with bar-code enabled medication administration verification systems. The integrated solution will help improve patient safety, enhance patient care, optimize clinician workflow and facilitate hospital quality improvement efforts.
The combined offering will integrate Hospira MedNet(TM) with the Bridge MedPoint(TM) system. Hospira MedNet is a customizable safety software that helps hospitals define medication dose limits and track I.V. drug delivery to help prevent and manage errors. Bridge MedPoint is the industry's top-ranked patient safety software that incorporates bar-code scanning, expert clinical knowledge bases, sophisticated warnings and alerts, wireless networking and integration capabilities to help caregivers intercept potential clinical errors at the patient bedside.
"The collaboration between Hospira and Bridge will result in more options and greater flexibility for the growing number of hospitals investing in bar code point-of-care technologies," said John Arnott, senior vice president, global commercial operations, Hospira. "By integrating our infusion therapy devices with both the MedNet and MedPoint platforms, we can continue to accelerate the development of technology-driven solutions to help hospitals manage the delivery of I.V. medications."
Barcode-enabled point-of-care (BPOC) systems are designed to help prevent errors at the point in the medication administration process where errors most frequently reach the patient. BPOC systems can help ensure the "five rights" at the bedside: right drug, right patient, right dose, right time and right route of administration. The new integrated system will close a critical gap in safe medication delivery by incorporating five-rights checking into the infusion device programming process.
"Smart pumps and BPOC systems are two proven and effective technologies available today for the elimination of preventable medication errors," said Denean Rivera, president, Bridge Medical. "By integrating our products, Bridge and Hospira will provide a comprehensive point-of-care medication safety solution that reaches across all routes of administration and delivers five- rights safety to all patients. These integrated systems provide hospitals committed to patient safety with an even smarter infusion administration solution."
With the new solution, wireless communications modules integrated into the Hospira infusion devices will provide two-way communication with Bridge MedPoint. This interoperability allows patient order information to be checked through Hospira MedNet, which determines whether the ordered dose of medication is within the hospital's best practice guidelines. MedPoint ensures that there is a match between the medication and dose ordered by the physician and the correct patient as well as provides safety checks for patient allergies and high-risk medications. The system confirms the match to the caregiver at the patient bedside. Because settings based on the physician's order will now be transmitted electronically from MedPoint to the Hospira infusion device, caregivers will no longer have to manually enter drug, dose and infusion rate, eliminating the opportunity for a programming error.
Hospira (booth #6108) and Bridge Medical (booth #3524) will demonstrate a prototype of the new system at the 2005 meeting of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Feb. 14 through Feb. 17 in Dallas.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen is the largest pharmaceutical services company in the United States dedicated solely to the pharmaceutical supply chain. It is the leading distributor of pharmaceutical products and services to the hospital systems/acute care market, physicians' offices, alternate care and mail order facilities, independent community pharmacies, and regional chain pharmacies. Bridge Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen, is a leading provider of point-of-care patient safety solutions and has been honored for its educational initiatives and patient safety solutions. With more than $47 billion in annualized operating revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 14,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #22 on the Fortune 500 list. For more information, go to http://www.amerisourcebergen.com/ .
About Hospira
Hospira, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company dedicated to Advancing Wellness(TM) by developing, manufacturing and marketing products that help improve the safety and efficacy of patient care. Created from the core global hospital products business of Abbott Laboratories, Hospira is a new company with 70 years of service to the hospital industry. The company's portfolio includes one of the industry's broadest lines of generic acute-care injectables, which help address the high cost of proprietary pharmaceuticals in hospitals; integrated solutions for medication management and infusion therapy; and the leading U.S. injectable contract manufacturing business. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., north of Chicago, Hospira has more than 14,000 employees and 15 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Hospira's news releases and other information can be found at http://www.hospira.com/ .
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Hospira cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Hospira's operations and may cause actual results to be materially different from expectations include the risks and uncertainties set forth in the information statement under the heading "Risk Factors" in the most recent version of the Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference. Hospira undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040503/HSPLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comHospira, Inc.CONTACT: Media, Shannon Gore of Hospira, +1-224-212-2003, or Media,Barbara Brungess of Bridge Medical, +1-610-727-7199, or Financial Community,Lynn McHugh of Hospira, +1-224-212-2363