Press Release: The Health Technology Framework Agreement Speeds Up the Automation of Medical Services in Hospitals and Health Centres

Photo: Key Account Manager Lauri Rissanen of NewIcon Oy (left) and Development Manager Harri Kumpulainen of Istekki Oy state that the framework agreement will speed up the automation of pharmaceutical services in hospitals and health centres.

Istekki Oy and the health technology company NewIcon Oy have drawn up a framework agreement for six years concerning eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinets.

Within the scope of the agreement are Istekki’s customer-owners: seven hospital districts, four cities, eleven municipalities and one joint municipal authority. The framework agreement speeds up the automation of pharmaceutical services in hospitals and health centres. The first to act is the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, which is purchasing six smart medicine cabinets for Tampere University Hospital.

Istekki, which provides ICT services for its customer-owners, has carried out a tendering process on the procurement of smart medicine cabinets and provides the new technology as a service for a monthly fee. Thanks to Istekki’s service, the organisations do not need to invest in the equipment itself, which makes it easier to introduce health technology to hospitals and health centres.

“Our customer-owners save resources and at least six months of working time by letting us carry out the demanding tendering process for them. All of our owners had the opportunity to participate in the requirement specification,” says Harri Kumpulainen, Development Manager at Istekki Oy.

NewIcon Oy expects the framework agreement to bring in several millions of euros in orders. The framework agreement opens the doors to health centres, whereas until now NewIcon has only delivered smart medicine cabinets to hospitals. For example, Kuopio University Hospital has had 64 smart medicine cabinets since 2015.

“The agreement brings us closer to primary health care. With the agreement, Istekki’s customer-owner municipalities and joint municipal authorities, in addition to central and university hospitals, have the opportunity to acquire smart medicine cabinets. The smart medicine cabinets create clear savings in the different steps of the medical service process and improve patient safety,” says NewIcon Oy’s Key Account Manager Lauri Rissanen.

Medical services are automated to improve not only patient safety, but also the availability of medications. Another aim of automation is to find cost savings in medical services through reduced medicine waste.

“Our customer-owners can allocate the savings created to developing the different aspects of the operation,” Kumpulainen says and notes that it is great to be able to start developing Finnish medical services in cooperation with NewIcon.