HOSPIRA IMPLEMENTS RSS BARCODING ON INJECTABLES AND IV SOLUTION PRODUCTS
Some Baxa barcode scanners may experience read errors with new technology
A barcode technology known as Reduced-Space Symbology (RSS) recently was adopted by Hospira on some of their IV solution containers. Previously, Hospira used standard UCC.EAN-128 linear bar codes. However, these are too large to fit on some injectables and intravenous solution products. Using RSS technology, all the necessary information now fits in an area as small as a pen cap.

Not every barcode scanner supports RSS symbology. Customers who own Baxa automated compounders may notice a change in scan gun readings due to this new barcode initiative. If you own scanner model 420(8)i (characterized by its gray color), you should not experience RSS read errors; however, below are several solutions to improve RSS readability if you are operating with an older scan gun.

• Model 400(8)i (also gray) reads RSS barcodes if you utilize proper scanning techniques. Baxa Technical Support can provide an instructional video to customers who wish to optimize their scanner readability.

• Model P300FZY (yellow). This model is unable to read RSS barcoding. If you are experiencing this issue and your facility is under current contract, please contact Baxa Technical Support and we will replace it for you!

• RSS barcodes cannot be read if you are running Windows 98 versions. We recommend that customers upgrade their operating systems to intercept RSS read errors.

For more information on Baxa scanners and the Hospira codes, please email techsupport@baxa.com or call 800-678-2292 to speak with a Technical Support Representative.