The Problem
A 1999 study conducted by the Institute of Medicine in Washington D.C. estimated that as many as 98,000 hospitalized patients die each year due to accidentally receiving inappropriate or incorrect mediations. Cost of Illness models of drug related morbidity and mortality conducted by the Center of Pharmaceutical Economics of the University of Arizona estimated expenses associated with medical errors to be between $30 and $136 billion yearly in the United States. Additionally, over 2% of all patients experience some sort of other “adverse event” while in these facilities.
The Solution
A Denver-based start up company targeted this issue and was looking for a way to help prevent the errors at bedside. If there was a way to accurately validate that the administrator of the medication was working with the right patient, medication, dosage, time, and route, then it would be highly likely that errors could be prevented. The start up team devised a new program called the Medical Information Management System. This was the conceptual answer to identifying and validating the “5 Rights”. The team needed help in further defining the technical solution and bringing the product to market.
The Result
The product concept was refined and technical specs were developed. The technology was based on processing that occurs in today’s worldwide credit and debit card transaction processing. A Debit Card authorization and approval process was the perfect model. A beta system was completed a short time later and, using a hand held computer manufactured by Symbol Technologies, proved the concept viable. A local hospital agreed to pilot the program. The long term vision of the team was clearly in sight.