ICU Medical (NSDQ:ICUI) said today that a multi-hospital study showed improvements in potentially catastrophic dosing errors and drug library compliance when its Plum infusion pumps and Hospira (NYSE:HSP) MedNet safety software were integrated with the hospitals’ electronic medical records.
The rate of potentially catastrophic dosing errors fell by 52% after smart-pump EMR integration, the study found, and compliance with a participating hospital’s drug libraries increased by 156%, on average.
One hospital found that the rate of potentially catastrophic dosing errors fell by as much as 73%.
The study, which was performed at 3 community hospitals in the U.S., integrated a Cerner Millennium EMR with ICU Medical’s Plum smart infusion system and Hospira MedNet safety software. The study’s 3 metrics – incidence rate, variability of severity and compliance – improved at each hospital following integration.
“Both the reduced range of variance of PCDEs and the narrower confidence intervals in the post integration data demonstrate that variability in programming is greatly reduced after integration,” study author Valerie King said in prepared remarks. “Successful integration of infusion devices and hospitals’ EMR enables healthcare providers to ensure the ‘5 Rights’ verification—right patient, medication, dose, time and route.”
This month, ICU Medical closed its $900 million buy of the Hospira infusion pump business from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), confirming rumors that the drug giant was looking to sell the business.
The deal was scaled back from $1 billion and called for ICU Medical to offer 3.2 million new shares, or $419.3 million, and $275 million in cash, along with an additional $225 million contingent upon performance milestones through the end of 2019.
The transaction brings Hospira’s infusion systems business, including IV pumps, solutions, disposables and other assets to ICU Medical, while Pfizer will hold a 16.6% stake in ICU.
