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Bayer
Rapidpoint® Coag Analyzer
Joins the RALS®-Plus Information Management System
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Charlottesville,
VA – October
18, 2002 – Medical Automation Systems, Inc. (MAS;
Charlottesville, VA) announces the integration of the Rapidpoint®
Coag device module from Bayer Diagnostics for the RALS®-Plus
Information Management System for point-of-care testing.
The
Rapidpoint Coag analyzer is a multi-test analyzer used in
monitoring anticoagulation therapy and determining a patient's
coagulation status at the point-of-care.
RapidPoint Coag technology was developed by Pharmanetics
(Morrisville, NC) and is distributed by Bayer.
The Rapidpoint Coag device module for RALS-Plus
successfully completed beta testing last Summer and is available
in the current commercial release of RALS-Plus.
“Being
a part of the RALS-Plus vendor-independent platform is an
important step in Bayer’s quest to provide point-of-care
solutions that not only address the time-critical nature of
testing, but the ability to provide and manage, in real time,
critical patient information through a single system gateway,”
says Dianne Hunter, Bayer Head of Marketing Near Patient
Testing.
The
RALS-Plus vendor-independent, information management system for
point-of-care testing, manages all components of a hospital’s
or health system’s POCT program, including device data,
operator certification, and device and reagent lot information.
The system includes robust reporting capabilities and
features a consistent look and feel, from device to device, that
enhances usability, reduces training, and minimizes support
issues. Its
client-server architecture enables a single RALS system to
handle individual institutions as well as enterprise-wide
systems using multiple LIS from any number of vendors.
“For
years, Bayer has been synonymous with Critical
Care diagnostic testing of ph/blood gases, electrolytes,
metabolites, CO-oximetry and coagulation,” says Greg
Menke, chief executive officer and president of Medical
Automation Systems, “and we are excited about adding the
Rapidpoint Coag device to the RALS-Plus portfolio in our efforts
to provide customers a vendor-independent information management
solution for POCT.”
The
Rapidpoint Coag analyzer, which uses a simple, easy-to-use test
card format, provides the full menu of point-of-care coagulation
tests, including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial
thromboplastin time (aPTT), and a next generation heparin
management test (HMT®). HMT is a more accurate version of the activated clotting time
test (ACT) and is used to monitor moderate to high doses of
heparin (an anticoagulant) during surgical and non-surgical
procedures. HMT is
less affected by hemodilution or hyperthermia than traditional
ACT testing. Several
clinical studies comparing HMT on the Rapidpoint Coag with the
conventional ACT tests concluded that HMT is more precise and
correlates more closely to actual heparin concentrations.
By providing this improved accuracy, HMT can potentially
reduce the risk of thromboembolism and/or hemorrhage.
With
approximately 7,000 employees worldwide and 2001 sales of $1.8
billion, Bayer Diagnostics (www.bayerdiag.com), based in
Tarrytown, New York, U.S.A., is one of the largest diagnostic
businesses in the world.
The organization supports customers in 100 countries
through an extensive portfolio of central, self-testing, nucleic
acid and near patient care diagnostics systems and services for
use in the assessment and management of health, including the
areas of cardiovascular and kidney disease, oncology, virology,
women's health and diabetes.
Bayer Diagnostics is a part of the worldwide Bayer Group,
a $29 billion international health care and chemicals group
based in Leverkusen, Germany.
Bayer Diagnostics’ global headquarters in the United
States operates as part of Bayer Corporation of Pittsburgh, a
research-based company with major businesses in health care,
life sciences and chemicals.
Medical
Automation Systems (www.medicalautomation.com/)
is the leading supplier of information management systems for
point-of-care testing with over 350 installations and 20,000+
connected devices throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The company's flagship product is RALS®-Plus (Remote
Automated Laboratory Systems), a multi-instrument,
vendor-independent information management system for POCT.
MAS products include RALS®-LIS, a standalone
connectivity solution that simplifies the LIS/HIS order and
result entry process, including automatic patient verification
via the RALS®-ADT capability.
RALS-LIS uses Direct (EDI) HL7, Terminal Emulation
(Scripted) and Windows™ Interfacing methods, is compatible
with all major LIS vendors as well as the company's RALS®-Plus
vendor-neutral information management system.
MAS is a charter and founding member of the Connectivity
Industry Consortium (CIC) which ensures that RALS products will
always reflect the latest in industry standards.
The company is privately held and is based in
Charlottesville, Virginia.
Rapidpoint
is a registered trademark of Bayer Corporation. RALS®, RALS®-Plus and the MAS logo
are registered trademarks of Medical Automation Systems,
Incorporated. HMT®
is a registered trademark of Pharmanetics.
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