Falls Church, VA (PRWEB) June 21, 2006

Mitretek Healthcare, a division of Mitretek Systems, hosted a leadership forum in which participants called for standardization, coordination, and continued dialog about healthcare product recalls. The forum, held in Washington DC, provided an environment in which manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, and FDA representatives could identify problems in the recall process, and work toward finding constructive ways of overcoming them.

A key problem identified was the lack of standardization?in terminology, data presentation, and processes. Recall notification processes vary among manufacturers, and hospitals have different mechanisms through which they respond. “There is no standard address or delivery method by which recall notices are sent to hospitals,” said Cindy Kilgore, Assistant Vice President of Materials Management in the Virginia-based Inova Health System. These inconsistencies delay responses by healthcare providers and undermine patient safety.

Forum participants were unanimous in their support for improved coordination among stakeholders in the recall process. “We recommend that the industry work together to develop consistent notification and response processes,” said Kilgore.

Participants also highlighted a need to identify best practices. They suggested that stakeholder groups contribute ideas about what has worked for them in managing recall issues and suggested they incorporate those ideas into a repository of best practices. For example, Cardinal Health puts a hold on product shipments when a potential problem arises. “If we get a report about a possible problem,” noted Claude Grant, Senior VP for Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Cardinal Health, “we take the product out of the pipeline until the question is resolved, rather than continuing to ship.”

“Part of closing the loop means closing the knowledge gap,” said Lydia Thomas, President and CEO of Mitretek Systems. “We’ve made a good start today, but it will take the full suite of people to solve this.” Forum participants agreed that future interactive meetings focused on the recall process would be fruitful, and voiced their intent to follow up.

About Mitretek Systems :

Mitretek Systems is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), scientific research and engineering corporation that operates in the public interest. Our expertise in conjunction with our objectivity and independence allows us to effectively address challenges of national significance.

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