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October 23, 2004$1.2 million grant a shot in the arm to patient safety programByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Munson Healthcare received $1.2 million for a program to help ensure patient safety. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant will pay for a medication bar coding system at Munson Medical Center, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospital Cadillac and Mercy Hospital Grayling. "That's a huge step forward in patient safety," said Ed Ness, Munson Medical Center president. "This system will help reduce the risk of medication errors." When the project is complete, doctors and nurses who administer drugs will be able to scan bar codes on medications and patient wrist bands. A computer will alert them to any error, such as administering the wrong medication, a drug to a patient who has a known allergy, the wrong dose at the wrong time, or the wrong method of administration. "We want people to feel safe when they come into our environment," said Randi Oehlers, Munson information systems technology director. "It's one of our priorities." The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a total of $139 million in similar grants, which will be administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Munson Medical Center should be online by early 2006, officials said. Mercy Hospital Cadillac and Mercy Hospital Grayling should follow in 2007. Kalkaska Memorial Health Center and Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital are slated for completion in 2007. The grant will provide approximately $500,000 for each of the first two years and $150,000 for the third year, officials said.
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