Nihon Kohden Awarded Innovative Technology Contract by Novation for Prefense™ Early Detection and Notification System™

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nihon Kohden America has been awarded an Innovative Technology contract from Novation for Prefense™ - Early Detection and Notification System. This three year contract is effect until September 2015. The contract provides a unique continuous vital signs monitoring solution to the members served by Novation, allowing them to improve healthcare quality and patient safety while reducing costs.

“In the past, monitoring patients’ vital signs continuously has been too expensive to implement in all areas of the hospital”

Prefense, used as part of a Defensive Monitoring strategy, yields an improvement in quality of care while protecting a hospital’s bottom line. The Prefense Early Detection & Notification System closes the gap between the time when the patient’s condition starts to deteriorate and a clinician is alerted -- enabling quicker interventions at the point of care.

“In the past, monitoring patients’ vital signs continuously has been too expensive to implement in all areas of the hospital,” said Mike Dashefsky, Vice President of Monitoring at Nihon Kohden America. “The cost effectiveness of Prefense allows monitoring to be performed anywhere in the hospital with better patient outcomes, improved economics and fewer unplanned ICU / telemetry transfers.”

“We are pleased to award Prefense’s Early Detection and Notification System through our innovative technology evaluation process,” says Debbie Archer, Director, Procurement and Innovative Technology, Novation. “Novation’s Innovative Technology Program allows us to work with member councils and task forces to identify and review new or innovative technology like this that provides an incremental clinical benefit over existing products.”

About Novation

Founded in 1998, Novation is the leading health care supply chain expertise and contracting company for the more than 65,000 members of VHA Inc. and UHC, two national health care alliances, Children’s Hospital Association, an alliance of the nation’s leading pediatric facilities, and Provista, LLC. Novation provides alliance members with sourcing services, as well as information and data services. Based in Irving, Texas, Novation develops and manages competitive contracts with more than 600 suppliers. VHA, UHC, and Provista members used Novation contracts to purchase more than $40 billion in 2011. Novation recently earned the coveted Ethics Inside® Certification from Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think tank dedicated to the research and promotion of best practices in corporate ethics and compliance.

Novation was also named on Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list, and is the only company in the health care industry to earn both distinctions. To learn more about Novation, please visit www.novationco.com and follow @NovationNews.

About Nihon Kohden America, Patient Monitoring Division

The monitoring division of Nihon Kohden America is empowering hospitals to radically improve their quality and economics of care. Its singular focus is on patient monitoring. Through collaboration with hospitals, Nihon Kohden America helps solve today’s healthcare challenges. This different mindset and business approach enables the company to deliver solutions that have an immediate clinical and financial impact. Find more information at www.nkusa.com/monitoring.