A new procurement framework focuses on speed and expertise to help scientists fight public health emergencies such as an outbreak of Ebola or Zika. The new public health microbiology diagnostic framework will enable flexibility, speed and innovation in the development of cutting edge diagnostics and treatment tools, according to Public Health England (PHE), the statutory body that exists to improve the nation's health. PHE also expects it to generate savings on regular spend.
Amcor Rigid Plastics, a division of Australia-based packaging company Amcor, has announced the release of an RFID-integrated pill-dispensing solution. The battery-powered system, known as the S.M.R.T bottle (the initials stand for separate, monitor, release and track), has a clock-calendar function that registers and stores the time, date and number of each dose taken. Smartphones equipped with near field communication (NFC) functionality can then read, display and transmit the information
The quality of any healthcare laboratory - whether it's servicing the biomedical, clinical trial and research, diagnostic or pharmaceutical community - depends on its ability to provide accurate, precise and timely results. In recent years, some labs say they have begun using RFID to automate manual processes to track human specimens and other samples, preventing loss and misidentification, assuring chain of custody, enabling quick retrieval when needed and facilitating compliance with government regulations.
UPS has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Marken, a global provider of supply chain solutions to the life sciences industry. The transaction, which provides UPS with growth opportunities across the life sciences customer base, is expected to close by Dec. 31, UPS said. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Grace Medical Center, a 123-bed hospital in the Grace Health System, has prevented $15,000 in food from spoiling since August by installing a real-time location system (RTLS) to monitor the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers, the hospital says. The system, made by ZulaFly, consists of the company's own cloud-hosted Fuzion software platform to capture data from CenTrak RFID temperature sensors.
The path to greater agility and control may lead outside your company. In fact, many midsized and smaller healthcare companies need to learn to let go of supply chain tasks and operations that are better handled by expert third-party logistics providers (3PLs). By focusing on what you do best, and outsourcing critical but peripheral activities to 3PLs, your business is in a better position to experience cost efficiencies that you can pass on to patients.
No one looks forward to a hospital stay, but the tech amenities at Jacobs Medical Center could make visits more comfortable for patients. With an iPad and Apple TV in every room, patients will be able to control room settings such as temperature, lighting and window shades, the hospital says. They can access games, log into their own social and entertainment apps, and control the TV. The iPad also provides access to a patient's electronic medical records, including information such as medications, caregivers' names, diagnostic data, and upcoming lab work or medical procedures.
University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center says it will attach Visybl's Bluetooth beacons next month to packages of naloxone, an opioid-blocking drug, to determine whether patients discard the medication before leaving the premises and to gauge their willingness to have the medicine tracked.
A drone service delivering blood for transfusions has been launched by the president of Rwanda. The drones are expected to make between 50 and 150 life-saving deliveries a day to remote and inaccessible clinics across the western half of the country, according to Zipline, the company behind the technology.
The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the healthcare industry. Learn how healthcare companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.
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