Baxter Healthcare Corporation unveiled complementary new technologies in the areas of bar coding, patient information and medication management, which advance the quality, content and usage of patient and medication information in a clinical setting to help clinicians reduce the risk of medication errors.

Baxter introduced ENLIGHTENEDHRBC Bar Coding, a next-generation, high-resolution bar code technology for flexible IV bags that includes lot number and expiration date information. The inclusion of lot number and expiration date in the bar code sets a new standard for the health-care industry and solves a problem the industry has not previously been able to address.

Baxter also is launching its next-generation Autros Point of Care System, a computerized, wireless patient information and medication management system that will also directly link to Baxter's Colleague CX infusion pump, which is used to administer intravenous medications to patients. The new connectivity between the Autros Point of Care System and the Colleague CX infusion pump will assist clinicians in an automatic comparison of the pump's settings (e.g. dosage, flow rate) to the physician's order for intravenous medications. This enhancement will allow the nurse to verify that the pump setting matches the order before starting the infusion. It will also help nurses to monitor infusion pump status, providing a secondary indicator for alerts and alarms, from virtually any location in the hospital.

"Throughout our 70-year history, we have time and again advanced patient care practices by introducing innovative technologies designed with built-in safeguards for both patients and caregivers," said David Bonderud, president of Baxter's Medication Delivery business in the United States. "Our next-generation ENLIGHTENEDHRBC bar code and Autros Point of Care System technologies are the latest examples of Baxter's commitment to and investment in safety."

"Bar codes are an important enabling technology that can significantly improve patient safety and facilitate operational efficiencies throughout the health-care system," Bonderud continued. "These next-generation technologies provide Baxter with the unmatched capability to address the important need to reduce medication errors through a comprehensive, integrated approach."