Global healthcare bar-code leader receives award for promoting patient safety
United States of America (Press Release) April 24, 2008 --
Bellevue WA April 22, 2008—Amid growing concerns over medication errors in American hospitals, The TerraPharma Project, LLC today named John Roberts its 2008 Way-Paver Award recipient for his continued efforts to promote patient safety.
The Way-Paver Award recognizes the exceptional contributions of individuals and institutions that have helped clear a path and pave the way for the adoption of bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) safety technology in healthcare. Roberts will be honored at the conclusion of The unSUMMIT for Bedside Barcoding on May 2, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas.
“Early on, John Roberts grasped the value of bar code technology in eliminating errors at the point of medication administration,” says Mark Neuenschwander, cofounder of The TerraPharma Project, “then he dedicated himself to helping facilitate the technology’s adoption in healthcare.”
During his 26 years with the Department of Defense, Roberts focused on improving healthcare logistics. To this end, he and his team proposed the Universal Product Number (UPN) to Industry and ushered bar codes into US military medical operations, an effort that awarded them two vice-presidential citations known as Hammer Awards and landed Roberts in the Defense Logistics Agency Hall of Fame in 2001.
After his distinguished career with the Department of Defense, Roberts became the director of healthcare for GS1 US in 1998. There, Roberts and his team invented and patented two smaller bar codes to fit on virtually all drug packages. He also facilitated piloting and proving the efficacy of these bar codes with several drug companies and hospitals.
Over the years, Roberts has championed bar coding through writing and addressing public forums, including presentations to the FDA. “He offered articulate, authoritative, and convincing testimony at the 2003 FDA hearings on bar-code packaging,” says Neuenschwander, who also testified at the hearings. “John’s contributions were invaluable for educating the FDA and persuading them to issue regulations requiring bar codes on drug packaging.”
“It is unlikely,” adds Neuenschwander, “that we would have bar codes on all immediate drug packages today were it not for the expertise, leadership, and tenacity of John Roberts.”
About The unSUMMIT
The unSUMMIT is a unique educational event that facilitates peer-to-peer exchange and offers hospitals a one-stop-shopping experience to evaluate bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) systems and associated technologies. Since its initiation in 2005 when estimated adoption rates lagged at less than 10 percent, BPOC adoption rates have grown to more than 20 percent, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
About The TerraPharma Project
The TerraPharma Project, LLC (TTP), Bellevue, WA, is fueled by the conviction that bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) technology is low-hanging fruit that delivers high returns for patient safety. Committed to promoting the adoption of BPOC in hospitals across the nation, TTP produces The unSUMMIT and PointofCareForum.com. For more information go to http://www.unsummit.com/terrapharma.html
For more information on the Way-Paver Award or The unSUMMIT, please direct all inquiries to Mark Neuenschwander, cofounder of The TerraPharma Project, LLC at mark@unsummit.com or by phone at 425-644-6797.
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The Way-Paver Award recognizes the exceptional contributions of individuals and institutions that have helped clear a path and pave the way for the adoption of bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) safety technology in healthcare. Roberts will be honored at the conclusion of The unSUMMIT for Bedside Barcoding on May 2, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in Austin, Texas.
“Early on, John Roberts grasped the value of bar code technology in eliminating errors at the point of medication administration,” says Mark Neuenschwander, cofounder of The TerraPharma Project, “then he dedicated himself to helping facilitate the technology’s adoption in healthcare.”
During his 26 years with the Department of Defense, Roberts focused on improving healthcare logistics. To this end, he and his team proposed the Universal Product Number (UPN) to Industry and ushered bar codes into US military medical operations, an effort that awarded them two vice-presidential citations known as Hammer Awards and landed Roberts in the Defense Logistics Agency Hall of Fame in 2001.
After his distinguished career with the Department of Defense, Roberts became the director of healthcare for GS1 US in 1998. There, Roberts and his team invented and patented two smaller bar codes to fit on virtually all drug packages. He also facilitated piloting and proving the efficacy of these bar codes with several drug companies and hospitals.
Over the years, Roberts has championed bar coding through writing and addressing public forums, including presentations to the FDA. “He offered articulate, authoritative, and convincing testimony at the 2003 FDA hearings on bar-code packaging,” says Neuenschwander, who also testified at the hearings. “John’s contributions were invaluable for educating the FDA and persuading them to issue regulations requiring bar codes on drug packaging.”
“It is unlikely,” adds Neuenschwander, “that we would have bar codes on all immediate drug packages today were it not for the expertise, leadership, and tenacity of John Roberts.”
About The unSUMMIT
The unSUMMIT is a unique educational event that facilitates peer-to-peer exchange and offers hospitals a one-stop-shopping experience to evaluate bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) systems and associated technologies. Since its initiation in 2005 when estimated adoption rates lagged at less than 10 percent, BPOC adoption rates have grown to more than 20 percent, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
About The TerraPharma Project
The TerraPharma Project, LLC (TTP), Bellevue, WA, is fueled by the conviction that bar-code point-of-care (BPOC) technology is low-hanging fruit that delivers high returns for patient safety. Committed to promoting the adoption of BPOC in hospitals across the nation, TTP produces The unSUMMIT and PointofCareForum.com. For more information go to http://www.unsummit.com/terrapharma.html
For more information on the Way-Paver Award or The unSUMMIT, please direct all inquiries to Mark Neuenschwander, cofounder of The TerraPharma Project, LLC at mark@unsummit.com or by phone at 425-644-6797.
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