Demonstrating the benefits of scanning UDI barcodes on the front lines

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Miami, Florida, once spent countless hours each week manually entering product codes into systems for hundreds of medical implants and other products that were received, placed into inventory, and ultimately used in patient procedures and care.

To stay on top of correct product names and expiration dates, to prevent inadvertent human error, and to positively impact patient safety—a better system was needed.

Although implementation of the U.S. FDA UDI Rule is ongoing, according to the VA hospital, nearly 90% of products used by their operating rooms have such barcodes today. As medical devices and implants are received, the Miami VA hospital scans the barcodes, capturing this valuable product information automatically. The information is then stored in the hospital’s Medical Device Management System (MDMS) called UDITracker®, provided by Champion Healthcare Technologies, a GS1 US Solution Partner.