Medical/Healthcare

 

APPLICATION: 

Medical products documentation 

 

MODEL: 

TTP-245C Series

 

Since 1998, the European Medical Device Directive (MDD) for the protection of patients has required physicians to document all medical products and devices used in their practice. All relevant data must be collected, including the name of the manufacturer and supplier, charge number and expiration date, and the date products were used in treatments. Without the latest Auto-ID technology, the task of documentation would be time-consuming and expensive. To help medical practices with documentation, DIOS GmbH, a company located in Reken-Westphalia, Germany, has developed DIOS MP tracking software, which is used in conjunction with TSC label printers. 

 

Solution: 

DIOS MP software generates self-adhesive barcode labels used by dental and ophthalmologist practices, surgical practices and private clinics in the administration of sterile goods, including implants, threads, filling material, nails or swabs – generally all items that are used directly on the patient, or that remain in the patient’s body even after treatment. 

 

DIOS MP interfaces with TSC’s TTP-245C thermal transfer printer to create disinfectant- resistant foil polyethylene barcode labels, which are imprinted with a resin ribbon. Barcode encoding is done using the common Health Industry Barcode (HIBC). Products and instruments that are not received in sterile packaging are disinfected and sterilized according to Robert-Koch-Institute standards. Each step in the sterilization process must be documented and archived along with essential process data. 

 

DIOS MP supports the documentation of these steps. After treatment, shrink-wrapped sterile packages are labeled and delivered in autoclaves. The packaging barcode contains all sterilization process data, including the expiration date. As soon as the expiration date is reached, DIOS MP automatically notifies personnel that it’s time for re-sterilization. If a sterile instrument is used in a treatment or operating room, its barcode can be scanned and linked to patient data and the name of the attending physician.

 

Benefits: 

• The integration of DIOS MP software with TSC’s TTP-245C printer helps medical personnel with the critical – and legally required – task of documentation, ensuring that doctors and their staff treat patients with safe, sterilized products. 

 

• TTP-245C’s Ethernet interface, a standard feature, makes it easy to connect the printer to other devices on a local-area network. “The choice of a location for the printer is not limited by a USB cable," said DIOS-Sales Manager Otto Wiechert. "It can be set up virtually anywhere and used from every PC in the practice." 

 

Features: 

The low acquisition costs, high performance and small footprint of the TTP-245C make it very attractive. The TTP-245C incorporates a 200 MHz 32-bit processor that offers fast “first label out” throughput, with no between-label delays, even when using its internally scalable True Type fonts. Using its standard internal Ethernet port, the TTP-245C can be quickly integrated with any network. 

 

Wiechert praised the level of service and support delivered by TSC. If there is a problem with a printer, TSC will replace or repair it within a week, he said. The two-year limited warranty – the best in the industry – is another attractive feature, along with the printer’s user-friendly operation, he added. 

 

"A label printer should be easy to use for the entire staff. Generally, in a doctor’s practice, no IT or printer specialists are employed, so the TTP-245C’s user-friendly design is very important," he said. 

 

About DIOS GmbH: 

The German software producer Daten-Informations-und Organisations-Systeme GmbH (DIOS) provides medical and dentist practices with bar code solutions used to document all medical products and devices. Founded in July 1988, the company is the fifth-largest provider of dental practice software in the German market, with more than 1,400 product installations. 

Healthcare industry 

 

APPLICATION: 

Medicine-bag printing at pharmacy in Taiwan 

 

MODEL: 

ME240 die-cast print mechanism

 

Thousands of doses of medication are prescribed each day to patients by hospital pharmacies in Taiwan. Preventing prescription mistakes, which can produce dangerous drug interactions, overdose, and other side effects, is absolutely critical. 

 

To reduce drug-dispensing errors and improve patient safety, hospital pharmacies print diagnostic information on patient medicine bags before they are dispensed. In addition, Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) has enacted new regulations that mandate the labeling of 13 items on every medicine bag, including the name of the pharmacist, expiration date, and the name of the pharmaceutical company. 

 

Solution: 

In a typical hospital pharmacy system, patient prescriptions are sent automatically from a central database to an automatic dispensing machine (ADM), which then prints the required prescription information on each bag, including the patient and doctor’s name, date, type of medicine and intake directions. 

 

To speed up the automated process, many hospital pharmacies now use the TSC’s ME240 thermal print mechanism and ribbon in their automated-dispensing machines. Using the high-performance ME240, the ADM prints medication information on the prescription bag, and then inserts and seals the drugs in the package – a high-quality, streamlined process that ensures that all prescription information meets the new DOH regulations. 

 

Benefit: 

• Ensures the delivery to patients of properly labeled prescriptions, reducing the likelihood of medication errors. 

• Helps pharmacists prepare accurately labeled prescriptions, while increasing the effectiveness of medication process management. 

• Provides detailed prescription information that makes it easier for the hospital staff to answer patient questions about their medications.

 

ME240 Print Mechanism Features: 

The ME240 printer’s unique design features a heavy-duty die-cast aluminum print mechanism, which TSC will make available as a standalone unit to partners who want to design and build their own custom-packaging machine or label applicator. The print mechanism includes a ribbon handler and printhead assembly and is designed to hold the electronics main board and power supply. This compact assembly is ideal for resellers who want to develop low-cost customized solutions for packaging, product marking and other applications. 

Healthcare 

 

APPLICATION: 

Expedited patient treatment and specimen tracking 

 

MODEL: 

Alpha-3R

 

With the aid of TSC’s Alpha-3R portable printer, Taiwan hospitals are able to easily print patient information, nursing staff IDs and test tube labels, while expediting doctors’ instructions to nursing staffs. 

 

Solution: 

After a member of the nursing staff inspects a patient’s record via computer, he or she downloads and double-checks the doctor’s instructions. The Alpha-3R barcode printer is then used to print the patient’s ID data on a label, along with test tube labels for patient specimens and an ID label identifying the attending nurse. When a patient undergoes a test, a hand-held computer (personal digital assistant) can be used to verify the name of the patient, identity of patient specimens and name of the attending nurse. 

 

Benefits: 

• Automated wireless connection to lab-test instruments for improved specimen tracking 

• Reduction of the time spent traveling between a patient’s hospital bed and the nursing station 

• Increased efficiency and quality-control of patient-specimen testing 

• Elimination of noisy dot matrix printers (which can disturb patients), resulting in a reduction in paper costs

 

Alpha-3R Features: 

Alpha-3R is a comfortable, light-weight printer capable of working with any mobile receipt/label printing application where you need quick, simple receipts on demand. It is designed for a rough life, inside the IP54-rated protective case to resist dust and water and with its rubber over-mold design prepared to take up to a five foot fall and keep printing. 

 

Use USB, or optional Bluetooth®, 802.11 b/g/n Wireless or Serial to connect to a mobile computer or even a smart phone and produce clear easy-to-read receipts/labels hour after hour. 

Laboratory and clinical studies in medicine 

 

APPLICATION: 

Patient-specimen labeling 

 

MODEL: 

TTP-225

 

The National Agency for clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LLC (NACPP) is one of the largest clinical diagnostic laboratories in Moscow, processing more than 10,000 patient specimens per day. The clear, accurate labeling of specimen containers is critically important. Lives depend on it. 

 

Unfortunately, specimen-tracking equipment from a previous vendor had trouble keeping up with the work volume and was not always dependable, slowing down testing, hampering operations and service, and driving up the cost of expensive chemical agents.

 

“When the specimen flow started to increase like an avalanche, the problems with the old equipment became obvious,” said the laboratory’s RuLIS Information System Development and Implementation Manager. “The need for speed, quality of printing, and printer reliability became even more apparent to us.” 

 

Solution: 

TSC and its Russian reseller offered the perfect solution – TSC’s TTP-225, a compact two-inch-format 203-dpi barcode label printer that is used in medical facilities around the world. The TTP-225 prints on high-strength polypropylene labels instead of paper to ensure durability and readability, one of NACCP’s key requirements. And it can use the existing ribbon stock purchased for the lab’s old printers, reducing the cost of consumables. 

 

The TTP-225 is much easier to calibrate than the previous printer and supports web-based printing via a Java plugin. It also runs on either Win 32, Win 64 and Linux platforms and comes with a two-year limited warranty, the best in the barcode printer industry. 

 

“All of these factors convinced us that we were making the right choice. We would definitely recommend TSC’s solution to new clients,” the RuLIS manager declared. “The quality of service, and the promptness with which TSC responded to our needs in solving unconventional integration-related issues was excellent.” 

 

TSC’s partner is now in the process of replacing the old equipment in the central Moscow laboratory and will begin installing the new printers in NACCP’s regional laboratories this year.

 

Benefits: 

• High-speed printing 

• Easy calibration 

• Stable operation on Win 32, Win 64 and Linux platforms 

• Default EPL and ZPL emulation sensing 

• Five-inch media-roll capacity 

• Open-enclosure architecture with two walls of shock-resistant plastic 

• Reliable, ergonomic design 

 

TTP-225 Features: 

Ideal for most retail, medical and office applications, the ultra-compact TTP-225 is loaded with standard features and options not offered by other printers in its class, including a USB host option, a real-time clock (an expensive extra on other small-footprint units) and an adjustable sensor – an option on many other printers.The TTP-225 also is the industry’s first two-inch-wide thermal-transfer desktop printer to offer an optional LCD display. 

 

The printer is also equipped with two types of sensors by default: a gap transmissive sensor and a black mark reflective sensor, which moves across the full width of the print area. Users can choose from two models: a standard 203-dpi version featuring print speeds up to five inches per second and a higher resolution 300-dpi version that is ideal for producing two-dimensional barcodes, fine text and small-graphics labels. 

 

The TTP-225 supports, “right out of the box,” the most popular programming languages, including Eltron® and Zebra® languages. Other features include a label-present sensor, cutters, and an inexpensive internal Ethernet adapter for easy network integration. For easy loading, the TTP-225 employs a user-friendly double-clamshell design with a large five-inch OD center-biased media bay.

 

About NACPP: 

The National Agency for Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy (NACPP) was established in Moscow in 2007 by a community of leading Russian specialists working in the area of laboratory and clinical studies. 

 

NACPP’s primary focus in its early years was on clinical studies, including those involving the investigation of pharmacokinetic properties of pharmaceuticals and bioequivalence. More recently, the agency has spearheaded as many as 2,000 different laboratory investigations and now has an accredited testing laboratory in Moscow that is widely recognized for its work in advanced clinical diagnostics. 

 

http://www.nacpp.ru/en 

Health care 

 

APPLICATION: 

Labeling of medical products, patient documents and lab test results 

 

MODEL: 

TDP-247

 

UKC Maribor (University Medical Centre), a 1,266-bed hospital in Maribor, Slovenia, treats approximately 60,000 patients annually, performing health care services for residents in the wider region of Maribor, Pesnica, Ruše, Ormož, Lenart, Ptuj and Slovenska Bistrica. To improve its around-the-clock patient services and respond more quickly to emergencies, the hospital decided to search for a high-performance, compact barcode labeling system that would help it quickly and accurately track medical supplies, lab results, and patient documentation, while reducing clerical errors and protecting the security of sensitive health care data. 

 

Solution: 

After evaluating a variety of labeling solutions, UKC Maribor chose TSC’s compact and versatile TDP-247 series direct-thermal desktop printer, ordering an initial shipment of 20 units. The compact printers fit easily into cramped work spaces and ensure the precise marking of medical products, medications and patient specimens, improving tracking accuracy and reducing labeling errors. Patient information is now updated quickly and easily, expediting the daily work flow and improving staff productivity. 

 

Benefits: 

• Expedited marking and identification of medical products 

• Improved label readability and accuracy 

• Fast, integrated exchange of medical data 

• Affordable and professional print solution

 

TDP-247 Series Features: 

The TDP-247 series printers are compact, easy to operate and solidly constructed, making them ideal for use by hospitals, ambulances, blood banks, laboratories and medical aid organizations. They are ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, fitting easily into cramped work spaces that are often too small for larger printers. 

TDP-247 series comes in the two models, the TDP-247 and TDP-345, both offering best-in-class speed and high-resolution capabilities. The TDP-247 can print four-inch-wide 203 dpi labels at speeds up to 7 inches per second, and the TDP-345 offers high-resolution 300 dpi printing at speeds up to 5 inches per second. 

 

Both models are equipped with a powerful 200 MHz processor, 4 MB of Flash memory, 8 MB SDRAM and an SD memory-expansion reader. They come standard with USB, parallel and serial connections and include an optional internal Ethernet interface for easy network integration. Other options include a label cutter and a keyboard for printing labels in standalone mode or downtime situations. 

 

About UKC Maribor: 

Established in 1799, University Medical Center Maribor is a 1,266-bed facility that offers health care services to residents living in the wider region of Maribor, Pesnica, Ruše, Ormož, Lenart, Ptuj and Slovenska Bistrica. The hospital treats approximately 60,000 patients annually and more than 300,000 outpatients through its network of 270 outpatient clinics. The hospital employs approximately 2,800 staff members, including 450 physicians and 1,300 healthcare workers.