Hospira's LifeCare PCA 7.0 Infusion System is the first patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion pump that integrates with the EMR — a feature that many consider a key component in quelling the amount of medication errors happening in hospitals.

"By being the first PCA pump to offer EMR integration, which allows the pump to be auto-programmed and the infusion data documentation process to be streamlined, safety and workflow efficiency are both improved," Julie Sawyer Montgomery, president, U.S. infusion systems, Hospira, told HCB News.

It's also the first and only PCA pump with integrated barcode identification of pre-filled and pharmacy-filled drug vials. That feature has the potential to significantly decrease drug concentration errors at the patients' bedside.
Medication errors affect 1.5 million patients and cost the industry $21 billion per year, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. But with EMR integration and the barcode technology, clinicians will be able to ensure that the correct drug is administered to patients at the right dose and in the precise concentration.

The LifeCare PCA 7.0 infusion pump is also equipped with a variety of cybersecurity features. Clinicians need to type in hospital-configured device passwords and the customer network security settings are better protected, in order to prevent unauthorized access.

The system automatically detects and closes unused network communication ports to limit remote access points to the device and network. It also features updated communications engine technology including removal of telnet service, which eliminates remote administrator or root access to the pump.

In August 2015, Hospira and an independent researcher confirmed that Hospira's Symbiq Infusion System could be accessed remotely through a hospital's network. That means that an unauthorized user could control the device and change the dosage, according to the FDA.

The company announced at that time that this new version of its LifeCare Infusion System was submitted to the FDA approval. Homeland Security believed that it would "mitigate" flaws in the software that enabled hacking.

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