May 18 2005
Hospital Corporation of America, the nation's largest hospital system, is testing new procedures to place bar-coded tags on babies' ankles to ensure they receive the proper medical care and ensure that the right baby goes home with the right family.
The system, which matches the right medications with the right baby, was recently tested at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City and will soon be available at 124 hospitals owned by HCA.
Putting barcodes on babies is a challenge because regular armbands are uncomfortable, difficult to scan and slip off babies' tiny arms and legs. The newly developed tags use soft foam bands that fit snugly, yet comfortably, around babies' ankles, and include a luggage tag-like barcode.
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