Terso Solutions and Champion Medical Technologies Join to Create Inventory Tracking System

Fitchburg, Wis.-based Terso Solutions Inc. and Lake Zurich, Ill.-based Champion Medical Technologies Inc. have partnered to offer fully automated tracking of valuable inventory including tissue and implantable devices. Terso’s radio-frequency identification (RFID) enclosures—cabinets, freezers and refrigerators—will provide real-time inventory transactions to Champion Medical’s UDITracker (unique device identification) software providing hospitals with a seamless storage and tracking solution.

“Champion’s UDITracker is transforming how the medical industry tracks high value inventory,” said Joe Pleshek, president and CEO of Terso Solutions Inc. “By integrating Terso’s RFID enabled enclosures into this solution we eliminate the need for manual data entry and add product security, integrity tracking, and chain of custody. We are excited about what this brings to the market.”

“With the FDA’s [U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s] recent announcement of the proposed UDI Rule we are excited to offer an automated solution to hospital staff as they look to fulfill the objectives of this initiative,” said Peter Casady, president and CEO of Champion Medical Technologies. “With the versatility of Terso’s storage solutions our customers will focus less on paperwork and more on patient care.”

Casady is referring to the FDA’s promise, mandated by legislation passed by congress in 2007, that it eventually would require all medical devices distributed in the United States to carry a UDI. Earlier this year, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), introduced the Ensuring Safe Medical Devices for Patients Act, which urges the FDA to act on its promise by the end of this year.

The combined Terso-Champion solution uses secure access control and RFID to automatically capture and process each inventory transaction, reportedly in real time. Unlike other storage solutions that require data entry prior to product access, the RFID enclosures utilize its trademarked “Swipe, Grab And Go” technology, which significantly reduces implant retrieval time from storage to operating room, Terso claims. Hospital costs thus are decreased with reduced waste and easier reconciliation processes. The system also provides 24/7 temperature monitoring for sensitive tissue implants and automates recall investigations, increasing patient safety and reducing liability to hospitals.

Under the partnership, Champion Medical will provide the integrated solution to healthcare providers under the UDITracker brand.

Terso Solutions and Champion Medical technologies provide technological solutions for tracking medical and scientific products in healthcare and the life sciences.

Photo of TS036 RFID freezer courtesy of Terso Solutions Inc.