Omnicell is a provider of clinical infrastructure and work flow automation solutions headquartered in Palo Alto. Rosebud Solutions is a medical equipment and surgical tray information and systems company based in Ann Arbor.

The partnership combines the strengths of two companies dedicated to healthcare automation and information management, said Omnicell President and CEO Shelly Asher.

"We manufacture automated cabinets that store and manage inventories of medications and supplies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities," said Asher. "Rosebud complements our offerings by helping the same facilities manage equipment as well, expanding our solution."

Alicia Torres, the founder and CEO of Rosebud Solutions, said the Omnicell partnership gives Rosebud Solutions a broader marketing reach into the healthcare industry.

"Our systems provide healthcare facilities with the tools to manage their equipment more effectively by reducing their asset base and disposing of excess equipment," Torres said. "It is a logical fit with Omnicell's supply chain management systems and offers hospitals more convenience through one-stop shopping."

Rosebud Solutions' MEMS® equipment management system is installed in more than 67 hospitals, including some of the nation’s finest teaching institutions. The MEMS system organizes and simplifies the entire medical equipment process in hospitals.

MEMS helps hospitals improve asset utilization, reduce cost, simplify processes and improve patient care through better medical equipment information and management systems.

Torres said the company continues to be very active in new product development based principally on hospital user experiences and recommendations. In 2000, Rosebud Solutions developed an Intranet version of MEMS, which is particularly useful for large integrated delivery networks (IDNs) with multiple facilities and/or remote locations. The company also introduced a Biomedical Maintenance Module to record maintenance and repair costs, downtime and other relevant information, and a Total Equipment Life-cycle module, designed to help hospitals in their capital planning for all medical equipment.

Product development for 2001 includes Tray Master™ - a Surgical Tray and Instrument Tracking System, and Radio Frequency (RF) Palm Top Scanners. Tray Master™, to be released next month, will dramatically increase the speed and accuracy of the tray management process and will greatly improve information storage and accessibility.

The RF Palm Top scanners are an enhancement to the MEMS system, replacing LDTs (Laser Data Terminals), for capturing equipment issues, returns and floor check information. Lightweight and easy to use, the palm tops update MEMS instantaneously, facilitating real-time data collection.

"Most hospitals have at least twice the amount of equipment they use or need," said Torres. "With this alliance, we'll be able to combine the efficiencies of Omnicell’s automated supply and medication systems with our equipment management solution to bring the facility's costs and asset base more in line with actual needs."

Asher said Omnicell's sales force would immediately begin offering Rosebud products as part of the company’s complete clinical infrastructure and work flow automation solution for healthcare facilities. Omnicell automation systems are installed in more than 1,100 locations.