Schreiner MediPharm and Kit Check offer automated medication management for hospitals

 

Error-free medication management in hospitals can save lives. Medicines equipped with RFID-labels can be tracked from the hospital pharmacy to bedside dispensing and their availability ensured. This presupposes that the RFID-Label and tracking system are perfectly matched. The new partnership between pharma label specialist Schreiner MediPharm (Oberschleißheim, Germany) and the US company Kit Check, a provider of RFID tracking software and hardware, is intended to ensure this in the future.

With the RFID-labels developed by Schreiner MediPharm combined with Kit Check’s tracking solution hospital pharmacies can track and manage their entire inventory and usage of medications by means of intelligent software. For instance, a large number of syringes and vials equipped with RFID-labels can automatically be scanned by a Kit Check scanning station to identify their batch numbers and expiration dates. Subsequently, an inventory report is generated that shows which medication is missing or expiring. This not only saves hospital staff a lot of time but, above all, reduces the risk of medication errors and contributes to patient safety.

Compatible and high-performing RFID-labels are a prerequisite for Kit Check’s viable RFID solutions. To ensure compatibility and performance, the company reviews the label manufacturer’s technical capabilities and compliance with Kit Check's standards around certified inlays, EPC (Electronic Product Code) standards, serialisation activities, and quality processes. If found to match Kit Check’s requirements, the supplier is awarded the “Works with Kit Check” trust mark as a certified manufacturer.

Stefan Wiedemann, senior director strategic marketing and business development at Schreiner MediPharm, explains the reasons for the cooperative partnership: “Kit Check’s innovative tracking software and hardware based on RFID is an ideal fit for our portfolio of smart label-integrated RFID solutions. The special design of our customised, highly robust labels ensures reliable readability via the Kit Check systems, thus enabling a safe and efficient supply chain in hospitals.”

Tim Kress-Spatz, co-founder of Kit Check, also welcomes the cooperation: “We know that Schreiner MediPharm has a track record of bringing unique innovations to market in the pharmaceutical space, including functional labels with integrated hangers, tamper-evident features and tactile security elements. We are excited to see the joint innovations that we are going to launch through this partnership.”

Caption: RFID-labels from Schreiner MediPharm for syringes and vials, combined with Kit Check’s tracking solution, enable an automated medication management (photo: Schreiner Group)