Jerry Fahrni

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  • Cool Technology for Pharmacy – LXE Bluetooth Ring Scanner

    A recent conversation with Carla Corkern, CEO of Talyst, resulted in this week’s Cool Technology for Pharmacy.

    The LXE 8650 Bluetooth Ring Scanner is a pretty neat, albeit homely, piece of hardware. The device is designed with wearability in mind to provide the end-user with hands-free operation.

    The LXE 8650 consists of a ring scanner and a Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth module is attached to the wrist via a velcro strap and the ring scanner fits on the finger and is operated by a thumb trigger. The system is lightweight coming in at only 4.8 ounces (136 grams), and that includes the ring scanner, Bluetooth module, battery and wrist strap. The scanner is designed with a magnesium alloy housing so it can take a beating, something that is a necessity in the pharmacy. In addition to the magnesium housing the system is sealed to IP54 standards1 and can withstand multiple drops from up to 4 feet to concrete. Battery life appears to be pretty good and can deliver up to 17,000 scans on a single charge. I don’t know about your pharmacy, but that equates to more than 24 hours of continuous use before a charge is necessary.
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  • Microsoft: the good and the bad

    Microsoft has been in the news quite a bit lately, some of it good and some of it bad. The software giant has done everything from creating an incredible computing environment to building one of the most successful online gaming environments in history. And like most mega-companies they’ve collected their fair share of lovers and haters. With that said, it’s beginning to look like the haters are starting to out number the lovers.
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  • CPOE – Giving it some thought

    Computerized Provider – or Physician if you like – Order Entry (CPOE) is an older technology that has been in the spotlight for the better part of the past year thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and key components of meaningful use. Because of the “stimulus” offered by ARRA many hospitals across the United States will be gearing up to implement CPOE, ready or not. Currently less than 20% of the hospitals in the United States are using CPOE, and only a small fraction of those are using it for all orders throughout their facility (AJHP. 2008; 65:2244-64).
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  • Combination RFID – Bar code reader from Motorola

    Looks like Motorola is upping the ante a bit in the portable scanner game. They recently introduced a combination bar code scanner and RFID reader for use at the point of care. It’s not pretty, and the name could use a little marketing help, but it offers some interesting functionality. A combination scanning devices like this could be just what the healthcare industry needs as we continue to move forward with BPOC / BCMA and start investigating the expanded role of RFID tags in patient safety.
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  • “What’d I miss?” – Week of May 17, 2010

    As usual there were a lot of things that happened during the week, and not all of it was pharmacy or technology related. Here’s a quick look at some of the stuff I found interesting.
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  • Cool Technology for Pharmacy – QR Codes

    Last night I was reading through some tweets and ran across this one from @ahier. Of course this led me to the referenced article on Microsoft Tags. It was a very interesting article, but for reasons I can’t explain I started thinking about a conversation I had with some people at the unSUMMIT regarding the use of QR Codes. And like all people with a short attention span I fired up Google and started searching for information on QR Codes. Fascinating stuff.
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  • What’s the value of a healthcare conference?

    First things first, a little back ground is in order. Most people probably don’t realize that hospital pharmacists aren’t allowed out much. This is especially true when it comes to sending pharmacists to conferences. It’s expensive and often creates a hole in the work schedule. In my experience the general rule of thumb is that hospitals will pay for a pharmacist to attend one out of state conference every other year. The nearly universal exception has been when a pharmacist is presenting a poster or giving a formal presentation, and then most facilities are willing to spring for the pharmacist to attend.
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  • Motion Computing updates their tablet PC lineup

    I received an email from Motion Computing today informing me that the company has updated their C5 and F5 line of tablet PCs; now know as the Motion C5v MCA and F5v Mobile Field Tool.

    Upgrades include availability of the Intel Core i7 or Core i5 vPro Processors along with new levels of power and security. The big ticket items that caught my attention were the reported 50% performance improvement, hot-swappable batteries with 30% longer life, availability of a solid-state hard drive and the use of Gorilla glass as the standard display. C’mon, anything with “Gorilla” attached to it has to be cool.
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  • Hey, anyone seen a unit-dose around here?

    When you ask a pharmacist what a unit-dose is you may get a funny look. Actually, you will get a funny look. I know because I asked one of the pharmacists I work with that very question today and she gave me a look that could only be described as a cross between concern and pity. She thought the answer to my question was obvious and who could blame her.
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  • Tougher mobile technology – laptops and tablet PCs

    I’m a relatively inexperienced traveler. I’ve only flown approximately tens times in my entire life, and most of those have been in the past 18 months. It’s been great, however I always find it difficult to decide what mobile devices to carry with me. I always carry my DROID and iPhone, but can never seem to pick between laptop, tablet PC or both. Yes I’ve thought about the iPad, but I really need a physical keyboard and more robust applications for what I do. My needs may change in the future, but for now that’s my take on the issue.
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