RIVA Named Best IV Robot In New Study Of Medical Equipment And Pharmacy Automation

Independent healthcare research firm KLAS gives RIVA technology high marks in its 2013 Best in KLAS Awards

RIVA, the fully automated IV compounding system developed by Intelligent Hospital Systems (IH Systems), has been recognized as the category leader in ‘pharmacy automation: IV robots’ by independent healthcare research firm KLAS. The top ranking was announced in the 2013 Best in KLAS Awards report released this month.

“RIVA provides a comprehensive solution for pharmacy workflow that not only greatly enhances medication and patient safety, but also increases efficiency and reduces costs,” said Dr. Niels Erik Hansen, CEO of IH Systems. “The need for widespread adoption of pharmacy automation is increasingly apparent, and RIVA continues to demonstrate the important benefits such technology can provide.” 

RIVA’s overall score of 86.7 is the highest for IV robots (one component of the RIVA system is a robotic arm) used in pharmacy automation that were evaluated in the report. In addition, 95 percent of RIVA customers surveyed by KLAS indicated they would buy the RIVA system again (and many current customers have purchased multiple systems).

To compile its annual ranking of medical equipment, KLAS collects data from thousands of healthcare providers and administrators across the U.S. through surveys and in-depth interviews. The 2013 Best of KLAS Awards report ranks 42 different pharmacy automation equipment products based on data from more than 3,800 provider evaluations.

This is the second time RIVA has received praise from users in a KLAS study. Last fall, KLAS released a report evaluating five pharmacy automation systems which found that RIVA’s initial data scores were highest among all the systems evaluated. The study, “U.S. IV Automation: Robots and Workflow Solutions in 2012,” also gave RIVA high marks for having needed functionality, being ready for widespread industry use and customers that would buy it again. Significantly, RIVA was the only IV automation system in the study to have all customers report it was meeting or exceeding anticipated ROI.

RIVA is reaching significant benchmarks in IV production and safety. Since RIVA technology was commercialized in 2008, systems have been installed at more than 30 sites worldwide and have cumulatively produced nearly 2 million IV doses safely and accurately. Further, installed units have performed more than 100,000 routine growth media tests with zero failures. The accomplishments are especially notable in light of ongoing pharmacy product recalls and outbreaks linked to contaminated IV medications, which RIVA technology is designed to prevent.

KLAS report citations:
“2013 Best in KLAS Awards: Medical Equipment & Infrastructure,” June 2013. © 2013 KLAS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. www.KLASresearch.com.
“U.S. IV Automation: Robots and Workflow Solutions in 2012,” October, 2012. © 2012 KLAS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. www.KLASresearch.com.

About Intelligent Hospital Systems
Founded in 2006, Intelligent Hospital Systems (IH Systems) is a medical device company focused on the design and development of automated solutions for the hospital environment. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, IH Systems manufactures RIVA, a fully automated IV compounding system that prepares medications for syringes and IV bags in an aseptic environment. Using RIVA, hospitals enhance patient safety, lower the cost-per-dose of medications, reduce their vulnerability to medication shortages and cut waste. For more information, visit http://www.intelligenthospitals.com/.