We know how important it is to a healthcare facility's long-range planning to be able to anticipate, well in advance, any changes to the status of older automated dispensing equipment. That's why Omnicell has established a policy of giving sufficient notice of any such change.

End of Life (EOL) is a decision that is made because as equipment ages and technology advances, outside suppliers cease to produce many of the parts and components contained in older systems. A common example of this is the PC market, where computers only five years old are prohibitively expensive to upgrade or support. As software operating systems become obsolete, the new operating systems often will not work on older hardware. In addition, manufacturers of various PC components, such as Ethernet boards, no longer provide drivers for the older operating systems. As a result, the determination is made that certain products have reached their end of life.

In addition, as the number of the systems in operation declines, our service engineers have increasingly less experience in repairing and maintaining them. That hinders our ability to provide the kind of efficient, effective service our customers expect from Omnicell.

Omnicell will provide customers with a migration path to new and improved offerings when EOL products are announced. As a policy, for products for which we are uncertain about repair parts availability, Omnicell does not write service contracts past the EOL effective date. However, any current contract commitments that go past the EOL effective date are and will continue to be honored.

The Color Touch system offers many patient safety and technological advantages over previous systems, including a Microsoft Windows operating system, Web browsing capabilities, integrated drug information access, reference guides, access to a global patient list for medication dispensing, synchronized restock for inventory management and enhanced security measures to meet new and higher patient safety standards.

As you look to replace your equipment, Omnicell will work with you to assess your options and define a solution to best balance your clinical and budgetary needs. To contact your Omnicell sales representative to learn more about some very attractive replacement/upgrade programs, call 800-850-6664 or send an e-mail message to info@omnicell.com.