Intelliguard, Cencora Collaborate on Boosting RFID-Tagged Medication Compatibility

Intelliguard, a provider of medication management and data-intelligence solutions, is collaborating with Cencora, a drug wholesaler, in an effort to boost compatibility between radio frequency identification (RFID)-tagged medication and RFID-based medication management systems.¹

Mira Prep and Mira Care workstations—designed by Intelliguard—have the capability to read and decode Cencora medication enabled with RFID to aggregate data from RFID-tagged medications. This service gives providers greater access to medications that are now compatible with Intelliguard’s systems.

The partnership is able to add efficiencies to medication supply chain processes for manufacturers and pharmacists by offering pre-tagged medications to hospitals. It also encourages a move toward utilizing RFID technology when it comes medication management, systems which, according to Gwen Volpe, RPh, LSSBB, FASHP, senior director of medication technology, marketing North America, for Fresenius Kabi, “augment and improve a historically barcode-driven workflow by utilizing the power of RFID to read large numbers of drugs during a single scan—in real time, wirelessly. As a result, it is easier and faster to determine what drugs may need to be restocked or removed due to expiration. This also eliminates manual entry of lot and expiration dates while accelerating the recall process, which saves many hours of often tedious work.”²

In other words, barriers to access and enhances inventory management are reduced, allowing more time to prioritize what matters most: patient safety across healthcare facilities.

"We empower healthcare professionals to focus on patient safety by reducing time-consuming, manual processes,” said Tim Tinnel, COO of Intelliguard. “By joining Cencora to bridge the gap between RFID-based medication management systems and RFID source-tagged medications, we support healthcare facilities in optimizing operations, reducing risks, prioritizing an environment of safety, and maximizing ROI."

As hospitals and health systems begin to adopt RFID technology, manufacturers and distributors are become more involved with the medication tagging process, signifying a crucial development in the industry that benefit multiple parts of the supply chain, from manufacturing to distribution, to hospital administration.

"The lack of sourced tagging for medications puts an additional burden on healthcare providers, which is especially prevalent in hospital pharmacies, as many are then forced to manually apply RFID tags to medications. This additional labor can be a barrier to adopting or expanding utilization of RFID solutions, leaving hospitals at greater risk of medication expiry, stockouts, and inflated inventory overhead," commented Matt Wright, SVP, global products & solutions portfolio leader, Cencora. "Through greater interoperability and reliability on RFID-tagged medication management, Cencora, and Intelliguard are making it easier for hospital pharmacies to adopt RFID technology, enabling them to drive efficiencies that can directly translate into enhanced patient care and improved healthcare outcomes."

References

1. Intelliguard, Cencora Partner to Increase Compatibility of RFID-Tagged Medications, Medication Management Systems. Business Wire. August 14, 2024. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240814828728/en/Intelliguard-Cencora-Partner-to-Increase-Compatibility-of-RFID-Tagged-Medications-Medication-Management-Systems

2. Volpe G. The Promise of RFID for Improving Medication Inventory Management. Pharmaceutical Commerce. May 6, 2024. Accessed August 14, 2024. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/the-promise-of-rfid-for-improving-medication-inventory-management