Fresenius Kabi announced today that its portfolio of radio frequency tagged medications is now compatible with an AmerisourceBergen offering.

Lake Zurich, Illinois-based Fresenius Kabi’s growing +RFID portfolio now has compatibility with AmerisourceBergen’s medication tray solution for helping hospitals improve medication inventory visibility and tracking using advanced radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology.

According to a news release, Fresenius Kabi +RFID medications feature a RAIN RFID tag embedded in the label that contains relevant data hospitals rely on to immediately identify, locate and manage their inventory. Product information such as the NDC code, expiration date, lot number and serial number, is accessible from the tag, which can now be read by AmerisourceBergen’s medication tray.

“There is tremendous value in embracing technology advancements such as RFID in health care,” Fresenius Kabi USA President of Marketing Angie Lindsey said in the release. “RFID technology allows hospitals to better store and track medications, and that’s important for patient safety. Our portfolio of +RFID medicines leverages the power of data to also help reduce the risk of manual data entry errors. The compatibility between our medications and AmerisourceBergen’s medication tray solution is an important step in continuing to streamline the management of medication throughout the hospital.”

The AmerisourceBergen medication tray represents an automated solution for kit and tray inventory management to minimize complexity by tracking dispensed products, flagging expiration dates and locating products in the event of a recall. The company joins IntelliGuard and Healthcare Logistics as companies who have established compatibility with Fresenius Kabi +RFID products that utilize GS1’s Electronic Product Code Tag Data Standard.

“AmerisourceBergen commends Fresenius Kabi for supporting the RAIN RFID technology and sharing our vision to increase the utilization of RFID technology in the health care industry by removing barriers to adoption. That is why we designed our system to read any RAIN RFID tags, whether originating from AmerisourceBergen, a manufacturer or another solution provider,” AmerisourceBergen VP of Innovation Product Development Dustin Roller said. “The compatibility between our medication tray solution and Fresenius Kabi +RFID products demonstrates our shared commitment to this vision, which will allow health care providers to put their energy toward improving patient care.”