CareFusion Introduces New Technologies To Improve Enterprise-wide Medication Management

CareFusion (NYSE:CFN), a leading global medical technology company, today announced multiple new technologies across its device and software platforms to help improve the safety, efficiency and cost of intravenous (IV) medications to enhance enterprise-wide medication management.

For the first time, hospitals will be able to seamlessly track IV medication from the time it arrives at the loading dock to when it is administered to the patient and then record it in the electronic health record (EHR). The new technologies will also be able to track unused IV medications for return to the hospital pharmacy for possible reuse, saving time and money. The new capability is made possible through innovations across multiple CareFusion technologies.

Building on the continued success of the Pyxis(®) ES platform, new technologies under the Pyxis(®) brand include hardware and software that tracks medication at the hospital's receiving department and helps to better organize inventory and optimize labor efficiency within the hospital pharmacy and IV room. The Pyxis IV system* provides enhanced workflows and a more efficient process for compounding IVs. In addition, new tracking features can locate IV medications across the hospital to determine where medication orders are in the delivery process. This enhanced visibility can save clinicians time locating medications and can save hospitals money by better managing the IV return or reuse process.

"We have seen hospitals lose millions of dollars each year because of poor processes and wasting IV returns that could have potentially been used elsewhere in the hospital," said Tom Leonard, president of Medical Systems for CareFusion. "Our new technologies can help reduce those losses, as well as improve workflow from the point of receipt to compounding and through administration. We believe this will be a game-changer for hospitals looking to both improve quality and reduce the cost of care."

New technologies from the Alaris(®) brand of infusion systems include interoperability with EHR systems. This solution enables infusion pumps to receive medication orders directly from the EHR and pre-populate the infusion parameters, helping to reduce the risk of manual keypad errors. The infusion data is also sent in near real-time back to the EHR to aid in clinical documentation and surveillance. The Alaris(®) System is the only infusion system with bi-directional interoperability capability for both large volume pumps and syringe pumps, using a single interoperability platform.

Also debuting is Alaris(®) Infusion Viewer for Charge Capture, a new software application for the Alaris(®) System that captures infusion data to support accurate billing and improved reimbursement opportunities. Charge Capture automatically records the start and stop time, infusion type and order of every infusion being administered through an Alaris(®) Pump or Syringe module in a hospital or health system, as well as other required data for outpatient billing to private or public payors. The infusion data is tied to specific patients and can be used to facilitate decisions in assigning proper billing codes, specifically enabling hospitals to adhere to guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outpatient prospective payment system.

In addition, CareFusion is launching new products to improve patient and clinician safety when preparing and administering hazardous drugs, such as cancer therapy. The new Chemo Safety System featuring the SmartSite VialShield((TM)) is the first and only FDA-cleared needle-free closed system transfer device (CSTD) available for all common vial sizes and is the only CSTD that achieves a closed system without the need for additional components when used in conjunction with Alaris(®) IV sets. The new system helps protect health care personnel and patients from exposure to hazardous drug vapor, spillage, spraying or surface contamination during drug reconstitution, transport and administration. The new system is designed to help optimize safety, simplify care and minimize costs.

CareFusion SmartWorks
The company also introduced CareFusion SmartWorks, an enterprise-platform for CareFusion technologies that enables a common source of data with a single architecture across all CareFusion devices to help standardize interoperability between devices and health care information technology systems. CareFusion SmartWorks also encompasses the company's analytics offerings that help simplify device data into actionable information.

"Our strategy is to provide not only the devices that help improve patient safety, but the software that provides critical insight into how those devices are being used and how hospitals can improve processes to be safer and reduce costs," Leonard said. "CareFusion SmartWorks describes our ability to create interoperability within our devices and to third-party health information systems, as well as the analytical software that helps standardize and simplify workflow, technology and systems. When hospitals invest in CareFusion devices, they are investing in CareFusion SmartWorks, which provides peace of mind that their devices will be able to evolve with the fast-moving health care information technology landscape."

Because every hospital has a different IT infrastructure and different quality and cost goals, CareFusion SmartWorks can be customized and configured to meet the individual needs of hospitals and health systems. This ensures that hospitals acquire only the specific software functionality they need to meet their patient care goals.

The company made these announcements at the 48(th) Annual ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition being held today through Thursday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The company is exhibiting these technologies with live demonstrations at booth #1741.

Clinical Excellence Grants
The CareFusion Foundation also announced $500,000 in grants aimed at programs that help measurably improve the safe and efficient management and administration of medication. This is the second year that CareFusion will award $500,000 through its Clinical Excellence Grant program. In 2012, CareFusion awarded approximately $517,000 in funding for projects related to infection prevention best practices.