Metro, a provider of storage and transport solutions for healthcare facilities, will launch its next generation of point-of-care (POC) computing products, including “technology to bring caregivers, terminology and information together at the patient bedside,” at the Healthcare Information Management System Society (HMMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition, February 20 - 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The company will display its Flo 1770 Mobile Workstation and what it calls “an advanced MetroMount Wall System” at the exhibit.

“We are extremely excited for our customers to experience our passion for improving patient care through innovative point-of-care solutions at this year’s HIMSS Conference,” said Rob Sobie, vice president of Healthcare Marketing at Metro, in a press release. “With our next generation Lithium-Nano power systems and secure medication management capabilities, our fully integrated workstations are engineered to deliver industry-leading uptime and reliability while improving caregiver efficiency. With over 25,000 workstations in facilities around the world, Metro is the company of choice for point-of-care computing.”

POC computing products are increasing in presence and value in healthcare institutions all over the world. At the Stanford University School of Medicine, interns are now being given POC ultrasounds to diagnose and confirm what they see in a physical exam, all at patients’ bedsides, and in the UK, the NHS is even offering POC units at some hospitals so patients can purchase entertainment or use the Internet while in bed.

BCC (News - Alert) Research announced in a new report this month that “the global market for point-of-care diagnostics, valued at $13.8 billion in 2011, is expected to increase to $16.5 billion in 2016,” Bernie Monegain reported.

At the HMMSS exhibition, Metro will show products designed for IT departments and facilities in a range of sizes, for industries from “mobile telehealth and automated medication dispensing solutions to clinical documentation and specialized procedure carts,” according to the press release.

Metro will also demonstrate MedDispense Automated Dispensing Systems’ new NurSync feature, which allows clinicians to select and remotely add to the system for processing patient medications from any authorized workstation.

One of the company’s products to be shown is Advanced Bedside Medication Management, works with the Metro Hybrid Medication Workstations and the SecureRx Med Module, “a mobile system set up to help hospital staff work more efficiently and safely with secure and accurate POC medication and improve patient care by combining access to real-time information with secure and accurate point-of-care medication delivery,” the press release reports.

Metro plans to display all its POC computing solutions to help “hospitals improve patient care by bringing accurate, reliable information to the point of care,” something, it notes in the press release, that is critical for meeting the meaningful use’ standard for federal financial incentives, according to the press release.

The company will also showcase its integrated telehealth solutions and talk about how it can integrate “computers, monitors, onboard power and industry-leading codecs and cameras on its workstations” to deliver telehealth solutions to patients in rural areas.

Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM (News - Alert) in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.