Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to Automate IV Preparation with ForHealth’s IntelliFill i.v.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA – June 13, 2007 – ForHealth Technologies Inc., makers of IntelliFill i.v.™, a high-speed robotic system for the preparation of IV medications in syringes, announced today that Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has purchased its IV robotic technology to automate a significant portion of their pharmacy’s IV preparation processes. The hospital plans to integrate IntelliFill i.v.’s barcoded syringes with their barcode medication administration (BCMA) system once IntelliFill i.v. is fully implemented. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is currently using their BCMA system throughout the entire hospital.
“We are committed to continuous quality improvement of our medication use processes. A key component of our strategy is to implement automation and other technologies wherever it makes the most sense from both the safety and economic perspectives,” said Beth Williams, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. “Upon performing a gap analysis of our entire process, we felt strongly that IntelliFill i.v. would fill a major gap in our IV preparation process. Our decision was ultimately driven by IntelliFill’s combination of outstanding quality and safety features, as well as our financial projections of saving several hundred thousands of dollars in drug costs per year.”
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center plans to use IntelliFill i.v. syringes in numerous areas of the hospital for both adult and pediatric care. Williams said a steering committee had been formed and the group will determine in which specific areas to pilot and eventually roll out the system. She said they plan to use the system in both batch and patient-specific modes of operation.
“In addition to providing these areas with barcoded syringes and helping us reduce drug costs, IntelliFill i.v. will help us to eliminate the possibility of touch contamination and to reallocate pharmacy technician labor,” said Williams. “We also expect to reduce waste by implementing just-in-time IV dose preparation.”
“We are delighted to gain the support of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center,” said Steve Thomas, CEO of ForHealth Technologies. “One of the reasons why they are one of ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ is because they have vision and are willing to deploy best-in-class systems like IntelliFill to improve their medication use process. We love partnering with customers who pursue improving quality and safety while taking costs out of their system at the same time by embracing IntelliFill.”
About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, please visit www.wfubmc.edu.
About ForHealth Technologies Inc.
Founded in 1998, ForHealth Technologies, Inc., a leader in automation technology 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 with approximately 18 million doses prepared in hospital environments. For more information, please visit www.fhtinc.com.
