Hunt Regional Medical Center Becomes the First Hospital in Texas to Implement ClearCount to Prevent Retained Surgical Sponges

MUNDELEIN, IL–(Marketwire – October 28, 2010) –  ClearCount Medical Solutions and Medline Industries, Inc. today announced that Hunt Regional Medical Center has become the first Texas hospital to deploy the most comprehensive technology for the prevention retained surgical sponge incidents. Hunt Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has implemented the SmartWand-DTX, part of ClearCount’s radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based platform that uniquely identifies each sponge so that they can be easily counted and detected. Medline is the exclusive distributor for the SmartWand-DTX and the SmartSponge System, the first FDA-cleared systems using RFID.

“The deployment of the latest safety technology in our OR is consistent with our commitment to both our community and our employees,” said Richard Carter, chief executive officer at HRMC. “We are pleased to be on the cutting edge of technology in this area, and our deployment reinforces our commitment to bringing the best care to the community we serve.”

“The SmartWand-DTX provides a safety net for human error. Anything that we can do to improve patient safety is extremely crucial. This technology not only allows our staff to operate at an exceptional level of patient safety, but also provides staff with a safer and more efficient method for reconciling our surgical counts,” said Katherine Magee, RN, OR director at Hunt Regional Medical Center.

HRMC has implemented the SmartWand-DTX into its full suite of operating rooms. The hospital is part of Hunt Regional Healthcare which is affiliated with Baylor Health Care System.

“We’re pleased to add Hunt Regional Medical Center to our rapidly expanding customer base,” said David Palmer, chief executive officer of ClearCount. “Their selection of our safety technology demonstrates the trend that many hospitals are now taking action to make retained sponge incidents a true ‘Never Event’ through the use of RFID technology.”

Despite designation as a “never event,” retained items are estimated to occur in one of every 1,000 to 1,500 abdominal surgical procedures, which can lead to hospital inefficiencies, unnecessary costs, serious infections and even death. Hospital infections add an estimated $30.5 billion to the nation’s hospital costs each year. In one study using a retrospective review of medical malpractice claims data from a statewide insurer in Massachusetts, sponge counts had been falsely thought to be correct in 76 percent of non-vaginal surgical cases involving retained sponges. “Falsely correct” sponge counts were attributed to team fatigue, difficult or long operations, sponges “sticking together,” shift changes or procedures with a large number of sponges. In July 2010, new Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Recommended Practices for the Prevention of Retained Surgical Items highlighted that membership may consider use of adjunct technologies to enhance surgical count procedures in order to avoid retained incidents.

About ClearCount Medical Solutions
ClearCount Medical Solutions is a medical device company focused on patient safety solutions. ClearCount has assembled an extendable RFID-based platform that provides a comprehensive solution to improve efficiency while preventing medical errors, distributed exclusively by Medline. ClearCount Medical Solutions has been recognized with a Popular Science 2009 Best of What’s New Award, and has received additional recognition from TIME and WIRED magazines, the 2009 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award, the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) and more. ClearCount’s SmartSponge and SmartWand-DTX systems are the first RFID enabled systems for counting and detecting surgical sponges, thereby improving patient and OR safety, enhancing productivity, and reducing cost. To learn more, visit www.clearcount.com.

About Medline Industries, Inc. 
Medline, the nation’s largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended-care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies. Headquartered in Mundelein, Ill., Medline has more than 900 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.

Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest-growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 450 major hospitals and healthcare systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities and on-staff clinicians.