Mediware Information Systems
Mediware is a specialist provider of information systems focused on complex areas of healthcare. Through our more than 25 years of experience, our focus has evolved from departmental systems residing in pharmacies and blood banks – to broader healthcare solutions that encapsulate clinical workflows, delivering a complete, start-to-finish ClosedLoop™ environment for information and process support.
Mediware was founded in 1970, and in 1980, the founding organization was purchased and incorporated under the name Hemocare, Inc. It was then that the company began developing its specialized blood banking information system known as Hemocare. Ultimately, that system was one of the first of its kind to achieve FDA 510(k) clearance as a medical device for use in securing the safety of the nation’s blood supply.
In July 1996, the company acquired the LifeLine product from Western Star, which, at the time, resulted in the combination of the two most dominant systems in the blood banking space. Through this combination, a new advanced blood management system known as Hemocare LifeLine (HCLL) was born. That system, now known as HCLL™ Transfusion, grew to become the industry’s leading blood management system and remains the market leader today.
When the company acquired pharmacy software supplier Digimedics, Inc., in 1990, Mediware changed its name to Mediware Information Systems, Inc., reflecting the company’s newly broadened scope of services. Then, in 1996, Mediware acquired the Pharmakon division of Continental Healthcare Systems, including the JAC Pharmacy Stock Control System division, which is located in the United Kingdom. With these acquisitions, Mediware more than doubled its presence in the pharmacy information systems space and gained entry into the European market.
Following on the heels of that acquisition, Mediware introduced its WORx Drug Therapy Management System in January 1997. The WORx system was uniquely designed to provide seamless integration with other systems rather than rely on conventional data replication methods. Over time, the WORx® Suite expanded to include a complete closed-loop approach to medication management. It has become one of the dominant pharmacy systems on the market and is used by large acute-care hospitals and behavioral health systems. As a best-in-breed solution, the WORx Suite’s functionality and clinical features continue to far outpace other catalog offerings.
Between 1997 and 2007, Mediware developed and delivered a series of new products focused on improving surgical and operating room processes, perioperative charting, and donor management. Most notably, in November 1999, Mediware announced the purchase of the LifeTrak® blood donor software system developed by Carter BloodCare, Inc. Today, LifeTrak is FDA 510(k) cleared and provides a comprehensive platform for donor, lab, and distribution operations for some of the most recognizable blood centers and hospitals in the industry.
In 2007, Mediware reorganized and also acquired Integrated Marketing Services, a provider of web-based software products targeted at blood and plasma collection centers in North America and Europe. Now known as Mediware’s Blood Center Technologies, these productivity tools offer valuable solutions for donor recruiting, relationship management, and loyalty and retention.
In early 2008, Mediware introduced BiologiCare®, the first system of its kind to track and manage transplantable materials. Also in 2008, Mediware announced the acquisition of Hann’s on Software and the Ascend™ pharmacy management software used in smaller hospitals and in specialty pharmacies. This acquisition, combined with a later acquisition of Healthcare Automation, Inc., led to the creation of Mediware’s Alternate Care Solutions product line. These products build and expand on Mediware’s rich heritage in medication management to serve the home infusion, specialty pharmacy and other alternate care markets.