First barcode medication safety technology built specifically for emergency care, bringing automated medication cross-checking to the ambulance and hospital resuscitation bay without requiring patient registration, barcode wristbands or traditional scanning infrastructure
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ScanSafe™, the first barcode medication safety technology designed to span both prehospital EMS and hospital emergency care, is now in use in ambulances and emergency departments nationwide.
Built directly into Handtevy Mobile, ScanSafe™ allows a paramedic, nurse, or physician to scan a medication using the same phone or tablet already running the app. With a single scan, ScanSafe™ automates the medication administration cross-check, confirming in seconds that the medication and concentration in the clinician's hand match the patient-specific medication and dosing information already provided by Handtevy Mobile. A process that has traditionally relied on a manual double-check is now automated at the point of care.
In the first three months of availability, clinicians have used ScanSafe™ to verify more than 10,000 medications. An EMS agency or hospital can adopt it independently, and when both use it, the same barcode safety workflow can extend from prehospital care into the emergency department. Handtevy is used by 3,000 EMS agencies nationwide and in more than 100 hospitals.
Closing a Critical Gap in Medication Safety
Barcode medication administration has improved medication safety inside hospitals for decades, but traditional systems were built around inpatient care. They depend on a registered patient with a barcode wristband, pharmacy-prepared medications, and fixed scanning infrastructure.
In an ambulance or hospital resuscitation bay, patient care cannot wait for those conditions. Treatment often begins before a patient is identified or registered, medications must be administered immediately, and multiple concentrations of the same drug may be within reach. Handtevy Mobile and ScanSafe™ are built for that environment, providing patient-specific medication and dosing information and completing the cross-check without requiring patient registration or a barcode wristband.
"I recently used Handtevy Mobile while treating a critically ill patient who was actively seizing," said Garret Shields, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department. "Everything was happening quickly, and our care was seamless. ScanSafe worked naturally within our workflow, giving me an additional medication safety check without adding extra steps or slowing us down."
ScanSafe™ reads the barcode already printed on the medication by the manufacturer, eliminating the need to print or apply a separate label. It identifies the medication and concentration using a database built from the FDA's National Drug Code (NDC) Directory and updated weekly.
ScanSafe™ also identifies when a medication requires dilution before administration. When a concentrated medication is intentionally selected for preparation, Handtevy Mobile confirms the appropriate source medication and alerts the clinician that dilution is required. For example, when preparing an epinephrine infusion, ScanSafe™ verifies the concentrated vial and prompts the clinician to dilute it before administration.
Because emergency care cannot depend on connectivity or the availability of hospital IT systems, Handtevy Mobile and ScanSafe™ work fully offline and do not rely on hospital IT infrastructure to function. Medication and dosing information, along with verification, remain available in an ambulance, inside a hospital, or during a hospital system outage or downtime.
One Scan, Two Directions
ScanSafe™ can reverse the workflow as well. When a clinician scans a medication first, Handtevy Mobile displays the protocols and treatment pathways that use that drug. The clinician selects the appropriate pathway and goes directly to the corresponding patient-specific medication and dosing information, eliminating the need to navigate through menus during a time-critical emergency.
"Barcode medication safety shouldn't disappear just because the patient is having an emergency," said Peter Antevy, MD, FAEMS, founder of Handtevy. "ScanSafe™ puts that safety check in the clinician's hand, whether the patient is being treated on the street or inside the emergency department."
Built on Published Evidence
Handtevy's medication dosing accuracy has been evaluated in actual patient care in multiple peer-reviewed studies, rather than only in simulation. Those studies reported correct dosing rates of 97% and 89.4%.
A 2026 study in Prehospital Emergency Care found that paramedics in Rochester, New York, achieved 97% correct pediatric medication dosing using Handtevy. A separate peer-reviewed study at Denver Health found that correct dosing rose to 89.4% after Handtevy implementation, compared with 51.1% before, across 483 medication administrations in 375 pediatric patients.
Both studies were initiated and conducted independently. Handtevy did not commission or fund either study.
Because ScanSafe™ uses the mobile devices clinicians already carry, it adds this layer of safety without the specialized scanners, workstations, and costly infrastructure required by traditional barcode medication systems.
The same emergency, the same safety check, wherever care begins.
ScanSafe™ has been named a finalist for the 2026 EMS World Innovation Awards, with winners announced in December. Handtevy will demonstrate the first-of-its-kind technology at booth #2410 during EMS World Expo, September 28 through October 2 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
ScanSafe™ is available to all Handtevy Mobile subscribers.
About Handtevy
Handtevy is an emergency care technology company founded by Peter Antevy, MD, FAEMS, providing clinicians with patient-specific medication dosing, clinical intelligence and medication safety technology for patients of all ages. Handtevy combines enterprise-scale technology with a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence demonstrating improved medication safety in real-world emergency care. Learn more here.
Media Contact
Keli Gordon, Handtevy, 1 954-944-1114 1022, [email protected], www.Handtevy.com
SOURCE Handtevy
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