ForHealth Technologies Inc., makers of IntelliFill i.v.â„¢, a high-speed robotic system for the preparation of IV medications in syringes, announced today that Children's Medical Center Dallas has achieved the milestone of producing over three million syringes using the IntelliFill i.v. system. Children's implemented the IntelliFill i.v. in October 2002. The hospital's inpatient pharmacy is currently producing 20,000 syringes weekly using the robotic system.
"Patient safety is and always has been the number one priority at Children's. Reaching this milestone is significant because it demonstrates our commitment to delivering high quality, controlled, and consistent IV doses for our patients," said Michelle Kromelis, director of pharmacy, Children's. "Robotic IV technology's use of barcode scanning and various quality control protocols certainly contributes to a safer and more efficient environment for hospital pharmacies, nursing stations, and the patient bedside."
According to Kromelis, Children's inpatient pharmacy currently operates the IntelliFill i.v. "around the clock" (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) in a clean room environment with minimal intervention. A group of six pharmacy technicians over three shifts serve as part-time operators to replenish syringes, IV bags, and vials, and to perform general system maintenance.
Using the system's vial mode, the pharmacy currently produces patient-specific doses for Cefazolin, Cefotaxime, Cefuroxime, Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime, Dexamethasone, and Furosemide. The pharmacy employs IntelliFill i.v.'s reservoir mode to produce saline and heparin flush solutions and morphine sulfate doses. All doses produced by IntelliFill i.v. are usable for bedside barcode scanning using Children's barcode point-of-care (BPOC) system.
"Three million syringes prepared with robotic accuracy speaks volumes to Children's emphasis and commitment to patient medication safety" said Rod Wolford, CEO, ForHealth Technologies. "Children's Medical Center of Dallas is at the forefront of patient safety and we are pleased that our technology is helping them continue to enhance that position."
About Children's Medical Center DallasChildren's Medical Center Dallas is private, not-for-profit, and is the only academic healthcare facility in North Texas dedicated to the comprehensive care of children from birth to age 18. Through the hospital's affiliation with UT Southwestern, the medical staff conducts research that is instrumental in developing treatments, therapies and greater understanding of pediatric diseases. Children's is licensed for 406 beds, and has more than 50 subspecialty programs, and is the only pediatric hospital in the Southwest with a designated Level I trauma center. To better serve the region's growing pediatric population, the 72-bed Children's Medical Center Legacy will open in 2008 in Plano, Texas. Children's enjoys a stellar reputation as one of the largest and finest pediatric facilities in the United States, but prides itself on making life better for the patients it sees during more than 340,000 visits each year. More information about Children's is available at http://www.childrens.com.
About ForHealth Technologies Inc.Founded in 1998, ForHealth Technologies, Inc., a leader in automated devices for intravenous drug preparation, is committed to increasing patient safety and decreasing operating costs by automating the preparation of small-volume injectable medications in healthcare organizations worldwide. Offering safety, accuracy, efficiency and reliability, its robotic technology, IntelliFill i.v., automates the preparation of IV syringes, greatly enhancing both the safety of patients and the efficiency of hospital pharmacies. For more information, please visit http://www.fhtinc.com.
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