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LifeScan,
Inc.
Announces Strategic Alliances
MILPITAS,
CA, June 27, 2002 —
LifeScan, Inc., the market leader in bedside blood glucose
monitoring systems for hospitals and other medical institutions,1
announced today that it has formed two unprecedented
strategic alliances to help impact the financial health of
institutions by further enhancing efficiencies and cost savings
in point of care testing (POCT) and expanding these benefits
beyond blood glucose monitoring into other areas.
LifeScan is the supplier of DataLink™, a labor saving
blood glucose data management system that can interface
completely with the laboratory information system and has
demonstrated positive financial impact for institutions.
The
advanced efficiencies the LifeScan alliances will make possible
are increasingly important as staffing shortages reach a
critical point. More
than one in seven hospitals report a severe shortage of nurses
(more than 20% of RN positions vacant),2 with more
than 126,000 positions vacant across the nation.3
The resulting increases in salaries, overtime, premium
pay and recruitment costs are further taxing hospitals' already
stretched finances.
That
staff shortages are also having an effect on patient care is
well documented. Six
out of ten RNs report the shortages in their institutions make
it harder to provide quality care, while one third of
institutions report patient satisfaction problems as a result.2
In addition to the increased availability of the point of
care coordinator's (POCC) time made possible through the
DataLink system, institutions also benefit from the delivery of
more timely and complete clinical information to inform clinical
decision-making.
The
independent alliances with Medical Automation Systems, Inc.
(MAS), integrating DataLink with RALS®-Plus, and TELCOR Inc.,
integrating DataLink with QML (Quick Multi-Linc™), now make it
possible for LifeScan’s customers to manage all their POCT
data with a single system and choose the tests and brands that
are most likely to benefit their bottom lines and impact patient
care.
“We
are very excited about the enhanced capabilities we will be able
to offer our customers to improve efficiency, provide better
patient care and improve the overall financial health of their
institutions,” commented Karen McCormick, Vice President,
Institutional and Cardiovascular Business Units, LifeScan.
“The DataLink system has already demonstrated
significant cost and revenue benefits for our customers.
LifeScan is first to build dual partnerships with TELCOR
and MAS, allowing institutions to reap similar benefits across
their entire POCT programs.
This is a reflection of LifeScan’s on-going commitment
to our customers.”
As
a measure of efficiency gains made possible by DataLink, a
recent study in a 620-bed healthcare system demonstrated savings
of more than 60 hours per month in POCC hours spent uploading
and downloading blood glucose results.4 Significant
revenue gains have also been observed through increases in the
number of captured and billed blood glucose tests.5
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Quick
Multi-Linc™ (QML)
QML
is a point-of-care data management software solution, developed
and licensed by TELCOR, that integrates results from all POCT
devices and eliminates multiple workstations and software
programs. It
provides a single display of testing activity, including patient
and quality control results, overdue devices and samples
requiring follow-up.
“With
the addition of QML, LifeScan’s customers will be able to
consolidate results from all point-of-care testing devices with
a single integrated system,” noted Mitch Fry, Senior VP
Business Development and Marketing, TELCOR Inc.
RALS®-Plus
RALS-Plus
is a vendor-independent information management system developed
and licensed by Medical Automation Systems, Inc. (MAS).
The system provides an almost instantaneous electronic
link between POC sites and central laboratories.
The leadership MAS maintains within the Connectivity
Industry Consortium (CIC) ensures that RALS-Plus will always
reflect the latest industry standards.
“RALS-Plus
will allow LifeScan to provide more choices for their
customers,” stated Greg Menke, President and CEO, MAS.
“The integration of RALS-Plus and DataLink will provide
customers with point-of-care information management systems in
areas besides blood glucose monitoring, such as coagulation,
urinalysis, blood gases and electrolytes.”
“Within
minutes of the test being performed, I have accurate results
that can be reviewed the same day by the physician," stated
Melody Botterbusch, M.T., Point of Care Coordinator, York
Hospital, York, Pennsylvania. "My department now has more time to devote to other
point-of-care responsibilities.”
“The
DataLink system has really provided me with the tools to control
and improve efficiency, and to effectively manage close to 1,000
operators,” said Ann E. Snyder, B.S., M.T., (A.S.C.P.), Point
of Care Testing Coordinator, GBMC Healthcare and President of
the Maryland Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.
“Previously, this level of management would not have
been possible. I
now have more time to devote to other areas of point-of-care
testing.”
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1.
As measured by test strip sales, IMS
Health DDD Hospital, March 2002.
2.
The Healthcare Workforce Shortage and Its Implications for
America's Hospitals, First Consulting Group, Fall 2001,
commissioned by the American Hospital Association.
3.
The State of Hospitals' Financial Health, April 2002,
American Hospital Association.
4.
Snyder, AE, Improving a point-of-care testing program
with connectivity, Poster presentation at 53rd
Annual AACC Conference, 2001.
5.
Bauwens, J, Outcomes and benefits of connectivity for
point-of-care glucose testing, Poster presentation at 53rd
Annual AACC Conference, 2001.
About
LifeScan, Inc.
For
over two decades, LifeScan has been committed to improving the
quality of life for people with diabetes.
Five years
after incorporation, LifeScan joined the Johnson & Johnson
family of companies in November 1986. Headquartered in Milpitas,
California, LifeScan has manufacturing facilities in Milpitas
and Puerto Rico, and employs more than 3,500 employees
worldwide. In addition to
blood glucose monitoring, LifeScan has a strong commitment to
bringing more point-of-care connectivity solutions to
institutions with their DataLink™ Data Management System.
LifeScan’s SureStep®Flexx and DataLink systems can be
tailored specifically to an institution’s needs.
TELCOR
Inc.
TELCOR
Inc., an employee owned company in operation since 1994,
provides innovative and practical software products and services
to the healthcare industry and is a worldwide leader in
point-of-care data management and interface solutions.
TELCOR also provides consulting and deployment solutions
that allow both healthcare providers and vendors to maximize the
quality and efficiency of their services. TELCOR's unique
industry experience positions it as a leading provider of
connectivity deployments between point-of-care testing systems
and clinical information systems.
About
Medical Automation Systems, Inc.
Medical
Automation Systems, Inc. (www.medicalautomation.com)
is the leading supplier of information management systems for
point-of-care testing with over 300 installations and 15,000
connected devices throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The company's flagship product is RALS®-Plus (Remote
Automated Laboratory Systems), a multi-instrument,
vendor-independent information management system for POCT.
MAS products include RALS®-LIS, a standalone
connectivity solution that simplifies the LIS/HIS order and
result entry process, including automatic patient verification
via the RALS®-ADT capability.
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