Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Demonstrating the Benefits of Scanning UDI Barcodes on the Front Lines
The Miami, Fla Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center 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.
To address these challenges, they partnered with Champion Healthcare, a GS1 US Solution Provider, to introduce GS1 barcode scanning to their inventory management processes. This case study outlines the results.
1Source: Miami VA Hospital
“We can locate and use items that are due to expire first. To check expirations manually on packages, lens by lens, is extremely time consuming – especially when you have hundreds of lenses. The expiration date information [contained in the GS1 barcode … when scanned] saves us money as well as time.”
Margreth Spruill, Surgical Technician, Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center
