Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System is partnering with medtech company Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) to integrate artificial intelligence-powered medication management systems.
Through the partnership, facilities within the Wellstar system will have access to BD Pyxis Pro and BD Alaris platforms, two medication dispensing technologies. The companies said the collaboration “reflects a shared vision to strengthen safety, efficiency, and patient outcomes across the continuum of care.”
The BD Pyxis Pro tool will allow a view of system-wide medication inventory, reduce waste and optimize labor efficiency, the companies said. Meanwhile, the BD Alaris tool allows clinicians to send infusion orders directly from electronic medical record (EMRs) systems using barcode scanning and receive statuses back into the EMR.
“At Wellstar, our focus is on delivering safe, innovative care to every patient, every time,” said Susan Wright, Pharm.D., Wellstar Health vice president of pharmacy services, in a statement. “Partnering with BD to implement this technology strengthens our ability to focus on patient-centered programs and empower our teams to deliver care with confidence and compassion.”
Some tools are already live at Wellstar sites and more implementations are planned “in the coming months,” a BD spokesperson told Fierce Healthcare in an emailed statement.
The companies expect the platforms to be deployed system-wide through a “phased approach over the next several years,” according to the spokesperson.
The partnership comes as more health systems implement AI solutions to streamline workflows and ease clinician burden.
A March survey from Eliciting Insights found 75% of systems across the U.S. are now using at least one AI application, up from 59% the year prior. Fifty percent of respondents also report that their systems use three or more applications.