Omnicell Unveils Largest Ever Medication and Supply Automation Product Launch: the G4 Platform

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMCL), a leading provider of medication and supply management solutions to healthcare facilities, today announced its fourth generation Omnicell® G4 platform that includes 11 products to advance medication and supply automation management. The new platform offers a single unified database across the continuum of medications maintained in automated dispensing cabinets with a new intuitive user interface across the products. The G4 platform is designed to help hospitals closely manage medication and supply inventory to reduce costs, comply with increasingly stringent regulatory pressures and safeguard the patient.

In the current era of accountable care, U.S. hospitals struggle to remain financially stable while increasing clinician efficiency and improving patient care. Hospitals are responding to these pressures by redesigning operations to maximize productivity and enhance coordination across the entire organization. Medication and inventory management is at the center of this quest to lower costs and increase quality care, and Omnicell is committed to developing innovative solutions that address these challenges.

The G4 platform's single database across automated medication dispensing cabinets decreases the risk of human error and saves significant pharmacy time by eliminating the need for repetitive entry of drug formularies and rules in multiple locations.

Recognizing the financial constraints faced by hospitals, Omnicell's unique business model protects its customers' investments in technology by allowing them to upgrade their medication and supply management solutions with the G4 platform at their desired pace and in a modular fashion, without the hassle and expense of whole product replacement.

"In partnering with Omnicell, South Jersey Healthcare is able to stay at the forefront of technology, improve patient safety and increase efficiency for staff to provide the highest quality of care to our community," said Elizabeth Sheridan, chief operating officer, South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center and chief nurse executive, South Jersey Healthcare System, an early user of the G4 platform. "As we adjust to the changes from healthcare reform Omnicell has helped us through the process of financial tightening without compromising patient care, and enhancing the patient safety aspect that is so important for us."

Omnicell collaborated closely with end users to develop the G4 platform, including extensive testing in clinical environments at four leading hospital systems.

To hear more about the G4 platform from Omnicell CEO, Randall Lipps and clinicians from South Jersey Healthcare and Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, please click here:  http://bcove.me/89amo10t

Omnicell previewed some elements of its new platform at the December 2010 meeting of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, including: Savvy™, CSM and three partnerships. Today's announcement completes the offering with six significant releases in its automated dispensing cabinet product lines and makes most of the new products available for immediate sale and shipment. CSM and OptiFlex™ can be ordered and will be available for installation later in 2011.

Some of the new products in the G4 platform, each connecting to a single unified database, include:

The G4 Cabinet Console which provides easier workflows for accurate medication retrieval, waste and accounting. Continuing historically strong user ratings for Omnicell cabinets by independent ratings firms such as KLAS and MD Buyline, recent user tests of the new G4 console achieved a five-fold increase in the highest possible measure of nurse satisfaction scores. Nurses attributed this to the G4 console's innovative intuitive user-focused interface, improved interactive high-resolution display and other innovations. The new Touch & Go™ G4 biometric ID system, designed with state-of-the-art biometrics hardware and software, improves efficiency and security.

Also, the new integrated Medication Label Printer, a unique Omnicell offering, allows nurses to print patient-specific labels during medication issue, supporting compliance with the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. The G4 console leverages Microsoft® Windows 7® and the latest Intel ® Core™ multi-core processor to boost reliability, security and performance. The new G4 platform with the latest Omnicell 15.0 software also positions customers to take advantage of future innovations.

Omnicell Anesthesia Workstation G4 is redesigned with a more compact form factor to improve ergonomics and enhance workflow. It is an automated dispensing cabinet for the operating room that allows for secure, convenient access to drugs required during surgery and documentation of controlled substances while relieving the anesthesiologist of the tedious task of counting medications. Waste is tracked automatically, and the clinician is prompted regarding unreconciled items at the end of the case.

Omnicell's Controlled Substance Management (CSM) system is designed from the ground up based on customer insight, analysis of existing and anticipated regulatory requirements and emerging patient care standards. CSM provides perpetual inventory management and an automated audit trail to help the pharmacy comply with regulatory standards while increasing efficiency. The shared database between pharmacy, the operating room and nursing cabinets tracks and monitors narcotic movement throughout the hospital, providing a true closed-loop solution for dispensing reconciliation.

Savvy Mobile Medication System defines a new product space in the management of medications by integrating with Omnicell's automated dispensing cabinets and the hospital's HIT system to allow nurses to safely and securely transport medications from the dispensing cabinet to the bedside. The Savvy system helps address stringent patient safety requirements such as the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Core Process 10 for safe transport of medication, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expectation that drugs are to be administered within 30 minutes before or after the scheduled time.

"With the Omnicell Savvy system, we now have a mobile medication distribution system that will help us better manage and track our inventory from the pharmacy all the way to the patient administration to improve staff efficiency and patient safety in the hospital," said Qazi Halim, MS, RPh, director of pharmacy at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center.

Other products, upgrades and partnerships rounding out this launch serve to further reduce hospital costs, enhance clinician workflow, maximize patient safety and help hospitals meet their regulatory compliance needs. These include PandoraVIA 2.1 analytics software, a new software release, Omnicell 15.0, a new 8-bin locking drawer and enhanced OptiFlex supply management software. New partnerships include CardinalASSIST® which expands options in cabinet restock, RxScan® for barcode check and verification on all doses leaving the pharmacy, and Sentry Data Systems to reduce medication costs to hospitals that participate in the 340B program.

"For nearly twenty years, Omnicell has been solely focused on collaborating with healthcare providers to develop the best and most cost effective automated dispensing solutions to help better manage medications and supplies, which account for up to 25 percent of a hospital's total operating costs," said Randall Lipps, president, CEO and chairman of Omnicell. "Omnicell's new G4 platform is evidence of our commitment to partnering with hospitals in their quest to lower costs and raise quality—solving today's problems and anticipating the challenges on the horizon."

About South Jersey Healthcare

SJH is a nonprofit, integrated health care system, providing access to a continuum of health services. SJH provides hospital services, numerous community health clinics, home health services, and specialty services, which serve the medical and health care needs of Southern New Jersey residents. Please visit www.sjhealthcare.net to learn more.

About Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center

Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center's mission is to provide superior service to patients and the community in a caring environment. The hospital serves a community of over 1 million residents in the Brownsville, East New York, and Canarsie sections of Brooklyn. This 530-bed facility is an accredited community teaching hospital with six ambulatory care sites, an Emergency Department and Level I Trauma Center that are among the busiest in the region. Brookdale is also a New York State Department of Health designated Stroke Center.  Areas of expertise include a brand new Coronary Critical Care Unit, a Hyperbaric and Wound Healing Center, Digestive Health Center and an Adult Sleep Center. Brookdale's Pediatric Department enjoys an excellent reputation and provides a wide range of services for children from birth to adolescence including: The "Live Light – Live Right" Program, a multi-disciplinary service for the treatment of Pediatric Obesity. In addition, the hospital offers the "Breathe Right! One Child at a Time" educational asthma program, a division of Pediatric Pulmonary Care with a pediatric sleep center to diagnose and treat children with sleep disorders, and a comprehensive centers for the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease and Pediatric Oncology.  www.brookdalehospital.org

About Omnicell

Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ: OMCL) is a leading provider of systems that enable healthcare facilities to increase operational efficiency, enhance patient safety and allow clinicians to spend more time with their patients.

Founded in 1992, Omnicell's medication-use solutions include complete automation systems for the central pharmacy, anesthesia workstations for the operating room, dispensing cabinet systems for nursing units, and safe, secure medication transportation and verification systems to the patient bedside. From a medication's arrival at the receiving dock to its dosing to the patient, Omnicell systems store it, package it, bar code it, order it, issue it, and provide information and controls on its use and reorder.

Omnicell supply product lines provide a healthcare institution with comprehensive supply chain solutions that result in fast, effective control of costs, capture of charges for payer reimbursement, and timely reorder of supplies. Products range from high-security closed-cabinet systems and software to open-shelf and combination solutions in the nursing unit, cath lab and operating room.

For more information, visit www.omnicell.com. 

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SOURCE Omnicell, Inc.