Community Hospital North Chooses IntelliFill i.v. to Increase Patient Safety

Automated I.V. Dose Preparation System Reduces Errors and Hospital Costs


INDIANAPOLIS, IN and DAYTONA BEACH, FL--(Marketwire - March 25, 2008) - Community Hospital North recently announced its installation of ForHealth Technologies Inc.'s robotic I.V. dose preparation system. IntelliFill i.v. will enable the Indianapolis hospital to automate its pharmacy I.V. drug preparation processes, reducing errors, increasing patient safety and lower costs. The new system was activated on Monday, March 17, and can produce up to 600 doses/hour.

As the number of intravenous drugs being administered and the number of doses being compounded increase, the possibility for errors rises. IntelliFill i.v. reduces errors in the hospital pharmacy through bar code identification and advanced robotics. IntelliFill i.v. automates the compounding and labeling of intravenous doses and has demonstrated its effectiveness in the preparation of over 21 million patient doses.

The 490-bed Community Hospital North is part of the Community Health Network system, which last month was ranked 15th in an annual list of the top 100 most integrated health networks in the United States by Verispan, a Pennsylvania-based health care data and consulting firm. The addition of IntelliFill i.v. comes on the heels of the Community Hospital North's announcement of an automated system for the repackaging of oral solid tabs. Bringing these automated technologies together ensures that all medication leaving the pharmacy will have a machine-applied bar code. In conjunction with Community Hospital North's Point-of-Use dispensing system, all medications are checked for 100% accuracy and are contamination free before leaving the pharmacy.

"Patient safety is our number one priority and the IntelliFill i.v. robot has an error-free track record," said Steve Hultgren, Vice President of Pharmacy Services for Community Health Systems. "This technology will dramatically change the way things are done in the hospital pharmacy. Automation is becoming a key factor in ensuring that patients are safe. IntelliFill i.v. takes Community Hospital North to a level of quality healthcare which otherwise couldn't be achieved."

Community Health Network plans to use IntelliFill i.v. as the central component in a hub and spoke model. The speed and accuracy with which the robot produces I.V. doses will allow for the automation of all doses for the five local Community Health Network hospitals: Community Hospitals North, South and East, Community Hospital Anderson and The Indiana Heart Hospital.

About Community Health Network

Ranked among the top 20 integrated health care networks in the nation, Community Health Network has more than 70 sites of care throughout central Indiana. This includes Community Hospitals East, North and South in Indianapolis and Community Hospital Anderson; The Indiana Heart Hospital, a dedicated heart hospital; Indiana Surgery Centers; Community Physicians of Indiana; Community Home Health Services; MedCheck urgent care centers and MEDPOINT express convenience clinics; employer health services; nursing homes; and other health care facilities. Community Health Network is committed to getting you well and back to your life. For more information about Community Health Network or to find a physician, call 800-777-7775 or visit eCommunity.com.

About ForHealth

Founded in 1998, ForHealth Technologies delivers 21st century technology combined with professional support to uniquely enable hospital pharmacies to stay ahead of the growing challenges faced in preparing injectable medications. ForHealth Technologies solutions deliver quantum-leap improvements in key I.V. room performance metrics: accuracy, patient safety, clinician safety, speed, cost reduction, and regulatory compliance. More information is available at www.fhtinc.com. ForHealth Technologies: Innovating for Your I.V. Room's Future™

Contact Information: For additional information, please contact: Community Health Network Lynda de Widt 317-621-3636 ForHealth Technologies Inc. Katie Delach Hart-Boillot 781-893-0053