Senators Examine Technology to Reduce Prescription Drug Errors

During a May 3 hearing, the Senate Special Committee on Aging reviewed new technologies that could help curb medication mistakes, including pill-sorting robots, computerized syringes and hand-held computers. Illinois pharmacist Peter Klein demonstrated a hand-held computer system that helps patients who have difficulty reading pill bottle labels, scanning information embedded in a computer chip in the bottle's barcode and then translating the information into speech. Neil Reed, head of the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center's pharmacy department, demonstrated Robot-Rx, a machine for use in hospitals that reads barcodes on individually packaged pills, medicine vials and other products and then sorts them into carts. According to Reed, the robot can dispense thousands of medicines per day and has a 100% accuracy rate. Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) said, "New technologies like these help prevent us from short-circuiting our seniors." But Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) said that such technology is "too expensive for hospitals." Graham is cosponsoring a bill that would give care providers $97 million in technology grants over 10 years to help them purchase such technology (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 5/4). To view a Healthcast of the hearing, click here.