Bridgeport, W.Va.- Seven WVU Medicine hospitals recently hosted Magnolia Medical, the manufacturer of the blood culture collection device, Steripath, for a product review and design feedback session. The event was held at United Hospital Center (UHC), where representatives from Barnesville Hospital, Berkeley Medical Center, Harrison Community Hospital, Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Uniontown Hospital, UHC, and Wheeling Hospital met with Seattle-based developers.
The meeting provided developers with valuable clinical insights and feedback from hospital staff on the challenges of collecting blood cultures. Attendees were then given a new generation of the device to demo and provide design feedback.
WVU Medicine’s use of Steripath technology has led to a reduction in blood culture contamination across its system. This has resulted in a $3.5 million annual cost avoidance and has supported the system’s efforts in antimicrobial stewardship and lowering the cost of care.
Dr. Mark Povroznik, Vice President of Quality and Safety at UHC, highlighted the value of this collaboration. “With each generation of technological advancement, the products are making the difficult process of collecting blood cultures without contamination simpler,” he said. “WVU Medicine has become a leader in this space to showcase that higher performance standards are achievable with standardized processes and a commitment to achieving them”.
The partnership demonstrates the impact that effective collaborations can have on product development and showcases WVU Medicine’s sustained success in lowering blood culture contamination rates.
For more information contact: Matt Chisler Director of Public Relations at United Hospital Center, 681.342.1611
About WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
United Hospital Center (UHC) is the result of a merger between St. Mary’s and Union Protestant hospitals in 1970. This bold move provides North Central West Virginia with a regional community hospital that offers a vast array of services. The new UHC opened in 2010 and is located along I-79 in Bridgeport. The 736,403 square foot structure rises eight stories. It is designed around the environment with patients, family, employees, and community in mind, which includes enhanced patient privacy, a high level of technological integration, and improved access to care. The acute care facility has 292 private inpatient rooms and a medical staff that consists of more than 366 physicians, advanced practice providers, and allied health professionals. UHC has more than 2,613 employees and is a member of WVU Medicine (West Virginia United Health System). For more information about UHC, please visit uhcwv.org.
