Cardinal Health Launches Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000; Introduces Industry-First Service to Interpret Dispensing and Infusion Data
New analytics service interprets Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) and Alaris(R) System data to provide hospitals customized, actionable recommendations to improve patient safety, medication management
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Building on its flagship
suite of medication and infusion management platforms, Cardinal Health today
launched the Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000 and an industry-first Performance
Analytics Service that provides hospitals with customized, actionable
recommendations to help improve medication safety.
The Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000 automated medication dispensing system
offers new features that can help hospitals increase the security of
high-alert medications and reduce medication errors. Key new features include:
-- Enhanced barcode scanning technology - Provides the option to require
clinicians to scan medications upon removal to help ensure they've retrieved
the right medication for the right patient and alert them to incorrect dosage
or other potential errors. The built-in scanner is also used during restocking
to help ensure the right medications are loaded into the right drawer
location.
-- Ability to block loading of specific medications - Provides an option
to reject certain medications from being loaded into a specific Pyxis(R)
MedStation(R) 4000 system, helping to protect against certain types of
medication errors. For example, adult-sized doses of medication can be
programmed from the pharmacy console to never be accepted at a Pyxis(R)
MedStation(R) 4000 located in a neonatal unit.
-- User-specific tracking of undocumented waste - When specific users
remove more of a medication than prescribed, the Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000
system tracks and reminds the user of the need to document the waste. The
information can be used to identify possible incidence of diversion.
Cardinal Health also launched its new Performance Analytics Service, which
securely transmits medication dispensing data from the Pyxis(R) MedStation(R)
4000 and infusion data from the Alaris(R) System to Cardinal Health experts
for review and analysis. Based on data specific to an individual hospital,
Cardinal Health medication management experts provide customized
recommendations that can be used to help improve medication safety and
clinical practice at the facility.
This first-of-its-kind service for hospitals lessens raw data review by
hospital staff to allow more time for patient care and eliminates the need to
outsource costly device data management to a third party. The new Performance
Analytics Service also alerts health care providers to potential risks of drug
diversion and identifies opportunities to improve inventory management
efficiency.
"The Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000 builds on our leadership in helping
prevent medication errors that lead to patient harm and higher costs for
hospitals," said David Schlotterbeck, vice chairman of Cardinal Health and CEO
of its Clinical and Medical Products segment. "Our new Performance Analytics
Service leverages decades of Cardinal Health's medication management expertise
to provide hospitals with recommendations to improve their dispensing and
infusion processes to ensure optimal patient safety."
Cardinal Health highlighted these and other key medication management
solutions at the 43rd Mid-Year Clinical Meeting and Exhibition for the
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), taking place December
7-11 in Orlando, Fla.
Other key offerings highlighted by Cardinal Health at the industry event
include:
-- A new version of the Pyxis PARx(R) pharmacy auto-replenishment system,
to help ensure the accuracy of medications picked in the pharmacy and
delivered to the Pyxis(R) MedStation(R) 4000 system through automated scanning
technology;
-- New STAT identification features and advanced reporting capabilities
for the new version of the Pyxis(R) Connect physician order management system,
to help pharmacists efficiently evaluate the safety and appropriateness of
medication orders;
-- Sentinel RCM(TM) and eRecovery Web-based technologies that help
hospitals compliantly and time-efficiently tap into significant drug discounts
offered by the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program;
-- ReadyScan(TM) medication bar coding solution and CardinalAssist(R)
automated medication replenishment technology, which streamline medication
logistics and help improve medication safety.
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $91
billion, global company serving the health care industry with products and
services that help hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies reduce costs,
improve safety, productivity and profitability, and deliver better care to
patients. With a focus on making supply chains more efficient, reducing
hospital-acquired infections and breaking the cycle of harmful medication
errors, Cardinal Health develops market leading technologies, including
Alaris(R) IV pumps, Pyxis(R) automated dispensing systems, MedMined(TM)
infection surveillance services and the CareFusion(TM) patient identification
system. The company also manufactures medical and surgical products and is
one of the largest distributors of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies
worldwide. Ranked No. 19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more
than 40,000 people on five continents. More information about the company may
be found at http://www.cardinalhealth.com.
