The value of properly monitoring temperature-sensitive drugs cannot be overstated. Temperature monitoring ensures that the conditions necessary to maintain the integrity of a drug are being perpetually enabled. Administering tainted or degraded medications to patients can introduce myriad adverse effects or simply deny the full intended benefit of the drug. In addition to patient safety concerns, the protection of your investment also must be considered, as the cost of certain medications, including vaccines and investigational drugs, can be significant. 

Automating temperature monitoring can significantly improve manual processes that are often mismanaged due to the substantial time and resource commitments necessary to complete what is essentially a menial task. In addition, robust and product-specific storage units that are automatically monitored can help ensure compliance with strict regulatory specifications for temperature maintenance. With this in mind, it is more important than ever to equip your facility with the most up-to-date and appropriate temperature monitoring system (wired or wireless) and medical-grade refrigeration. To this end, Pharmacy Purchasing & Products brings you the following resource guide to provide easy access to the companies providing the necessary systems and services for all your medication temperature monitoring needs. 

TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEMS

Aegis Scientific
PO Box 16378
Philadelphia, PA 19114
800-796-2344
www.aegisfridge.com

AeroScout, Inc
1300 Island Dr, Suite 202
Redwood City, CA 94065
650-596-2994
www.aeroscout.com

CAS Dataloggers 
12628 Chillicothe Rd, Unit J
Chesterland, Ohio 44026
800-956-4437
www.dataloggerinc.com

CenTrak Inc
5 Caufield Pl, Suite 102
Newtown, PA 18940
215-860-2928
www.centrak.com

CIMTechniques, Inc
1215 Prince St
Beaufort, SC 29902
843-521-9897
www.cimtechniques.com

Coldchain Technology Services
20475 Highway 46 W, Suite 180/PMB 147
Spring Branch, TX 78070
888-687-2553
www.coldchain-tech.com

Comark Instruments
PO Box 500
Bldg 50-209
Beaverton, OR 97077
800-555-6658
www.comarkusa.com

Compliance Control, Inc
1595 Cabin Branch Dr
Landover, MD 20785
800-810-4000
www.tempgenius.com

CompX Security Products
715 Center St
Grayslake, IL 60030
847-752-2500
www.compxelock.com

Cooper-Atkins Corporation
33 Reeds Gap Rd
Middlefield, CT 06455
860-347-2256
www.cooper-atkins.com

DeltaTRAK
PO Box 398
Pleasanton, CA 95466
925-249-2250
www.deltatrak.com

Dickson
930 S Westwood Ave
Addison, IL 60101
800-323-2448
www.dicksondata.com

DocuTemp, Inc
19 Crosby Dr, Suite 30
Bedford, MA 01730
781-276-9000
www.docutemp.com

E-Control Systems, Inc
5170 Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 240
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-885-5228
www.econtrolsystems.com

Elpro Services, Inc
PO Box 450
210 Millcreek Rd
Marietta, OH 45750
740-568-9900
www.elpro.us

Eoscene 
565 Andover Park W, Suite 110
Tukwila, WA 98188
800-541-0683
www.eoscene.com/assuretemp

FreshLoc Technologies, Inc
15443 Knoll Trl, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75248
972-759-0111
www.freshloc.com

Hampshire Controls Corporation
1 Grove St
PO Box 516
Dover, NH 03821
603-749-9424
U.S. Toll free: 866-496-9424
www.hampshirecontrols.com

Isensix
8555 Aero Dr, Suite 310
San Diego, CA 92123
866-634-2767
www.isensix.com

Marathon Products, Inc
627 McCormick St
San Leandro, CA 94577
510-562-6450
www.marathonproducts.com

Microtechnologies, Inc 
123 Whiting St, Suite 1A
Plainville, CT 06062
888-248-7103
www.temperatureguard.com

Mogul Wireless
PO Box 70300
Seattle, WA 98127
866-776-6485
www.mogulwireless.com

Next Control Systems - Tutela 
PO Box 47136
Tampa, FL 33646
941-408-7589
www.tutelamedical.us 

Tutela 
ISO9001:2008 accredited Next Control Systems supplies and installs Tutela Web-based monitoring and recording systems for medical, laboratory, pharmacy, and healthcare facilities. Cost of ownership is significantly less than conventional monitoring technologies. Tutela delivers fully compliant and validated monitoring solutions including temperature, humidity, and pressure eliminating obsolescence and on-going cost of software validations and upgrades. Tutela fully complies with FDA code 21CFR part 11. Paperless electronic records are stored for thirty years and are available online via PC, iPad, or cell phone. Sensors are fully NIST traceable. Tutela also provides a 24-7 remote alarm monitoring and human operator response bureau.

Primex Wireless 
965 Wells St
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
800-537-0464
www.primexwireless.com

Rees Scientific
1007 Whitehead Rd Ext
Trenton, NJ 08638
609-530-1055
www.reesscientific.com

Sensaphone 
901 Tryens Rd
Aston, PA 19014
877-373-2700
www.sensaphone.com

Sensatronics 
9020 N Capital of Texas Hwy
Building 1, Suite 155
Austin, TX 78759 
www.sensatronics.com

SensoScientific 
130 W Cochran St
Simi Valley, CA 93065
800-279-3101
www.sensotechnologies.com

TempSys, Inc
423 Tehama St, Suite C
San Francisco, CA 94103
510-526-7624
www.tempsys.net

TIP TEMPerature Products 
340 W Broad St 
Burlington, NJ 08016
800-847-8367
www.tiptemp.com

Veriteq, A Vaisala Company
13775 Commerce Pkwy, Suite 100
Richmond, British Columbia V6V 2V4
Canada
800-683-8374
www.veriteq.com

Veracity Group
PO Box 498242
Cincinnati, OH 45249888-369-3601
www.veracitygroupinc.com
VersaTrak: The Ultimate in Wireless Monitoring Technology for Healthcare
VersaTrak wireless systems lead the field in flexible, compatible, versatile, powerful technology for monitoring in healthcare facilities. Plus, NIST re-certification (patent pending) is built in requiring only a few mouse clicks: a major savings of time and dollars.

Click here to view a larger version of this Table

TEMPERATURE MONITORING FOR TRANSPORT 

Cold Chain Technologies 
29 Everett St
Hollistown, MA 01746
800-370-8566
www.coldchaintech.com

Coldchain Technology Services
20475 Highway 46 W, Suite 180/PMB 147
Spring Branch, TX 78070
888-687-2553
www.coldchain-tech.com

DeltaTRAK
PO Box 398
Pleasanton, CA 95466
925-249-2250
www.deltatrak.com

FreshLoc Technologies, Inc
15443 Knoll Trl, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75248
972-759-0111
www.freshloc.com

Marathon Products, Inc
627 McCormick St
San Leandro, CA 94577
510-562-6450
www.marathonproducts.com

Minnesota Thermal Science, LLC
3020 Niagara Ln
Plymouth, MN 55447
763-412-4800
www.credothermal.com

Sensitech
800 Cummings Ctr, Suite 258X
Beverly, MA 01915
978-927-7033
www.sensitech.com

Veriteq, A Vaisala Company
13775 Commerce Pkwy, Suite 100
Richmond, British Columbia V6V 2V4
Canada
800-683-8374
www.veriteq.com

TIP TEMPerature Products 
340 W Broad St 
Burlington, NJ 08016
800-847-8367
www.tiptemp.com

REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS 

Baker BioScience Solutions 
PO Drawer E
Sanford, ME 04073
877-350-6414
www.bakerbioscience.com

Continental Scientific
539 Dunksferry Rd
Bensalem, PA 19020
800-523-7138
www.continentalscientific.com

Follett Corporation
801 Church Ln
Easton, PA 18040
800-523-9361
www.follettice.com

FreshLoc Technologies, Inc
15443 Knoll Trl, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75248
972-759-0111
www.freshloc.com

Gem Scientific
7340 Milnor St
Philadelphia, PA 19136
877-436-7374
www.gemref.com

Health Care Logistics
PO Box 25
Circleville, OH 43113
800-848-1633
www.healthcarelogistics.com

Helmer, Inc
14395 Bergen Blvd
Nobleville, IN 46060
800-743-5637
www.helmerinc.com

Marvel Scientific
1260 E Van Deinse St 
Greenville, MI 48838
616-754-5601
www.marvelscientific.com

NorLake, Inc
727 Second St
Hudson, WI 54016
800-477-5253
www.norlakescientific.com

NuAire, Inc
2100 Fernbrook Ln N
Plymouth, MN 55447
800-328-3352
www.nuaire.com

Sanyo North America Corporation
1300 Michael Dr, Suite A
Wood Dale, IL 60191
800-858-8442
www.us.sanyo.com/biomedical

Swisslog
10825 East 47th Ave
Denver, CO 80239
800-525-1841
www.swisslog.com

Talyst 
11100 NE 8th St, Floor 6
Bellevue, WA 98006
425-289-5400
www.talyst.com

Terra Universal 
800 S Raymond Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831
714-578-6000
www.terrauniversal.com

Thermo Fisher Scientific
275 Aiken Rd
Asheville, NC 28804-8740
781-622-1000
www.thermo.com

Total Pharmacy Supply, Inc
3400 Ave E East
Arlington, TX 76011
800-878-2822
www.tps-online.com

Veracity Group
PO Box 498242
Cincinnati, OH 45249
888-369-3601
www.veracitygroupinc.com
VersaFridge: A Quantum-Leap Advance in Medical-Grade Refrigerators, Freezers 
A new, powerful slide-in-slide-out replaceable modular power pack renders fixed compressor units obsolete. VersaFridge consumes 25% of the energy used by competitive brands, features a 5-year warranty on the compressor module, lifetime on the cabinet, and offers 40% more interior space. Visit www.veracitygroupinc.com for brochures.

Challenges Raised by Non-Automated Systems

There are clear benefits to automated temperature monitoring—the ease of recording and documentation, access to records, and the ability to be alerted to out-of-range temperatures make these systems an ideal choice for regulatory compliance. Conversely, manual methods for documenting temperature monitoring and ensuring product protection make complying with regulations a challenge. Whether you are fully automated, are working to become so, or are just beginning the process of finding and implementing an automated system, the following are valuable points of consideration.

• Understand your current methodology and its drawbacks. Traditional temperature monitoring encompasses a number of methods including bare or alcohol-based thermometers used with paper logs (or electronic databases) and digital thermometers that store temperatures but do not transmit them in real time to a central monitoring system. Using paper logs is often the cheapest method, but it also introduces the most opportunities for error. These types of systems require frequent, manual monitoring to record and react to temperature aberrations, and a vigilant process must be in place to ensure action is taken.
• Certain products require specific and disparate monitoring conditions. While once-daily monitoring is sufficient for many medications, some products such as vaccines require twice daily monitoring, at minimum. This can be especially challenging if vaccines are kept in areas without 24/7 staffing, so lacking such pharmacy coverage should bolster your case for an automated system.
• Compliance requires consistent recording of temperatures and taking proper actions in the event of temperature breach. As such, it is important to clearly define the person(s) expected to perform these actions. Responding to alerts in a non-automated setting can be confusing, as a system to properly transmit responsibility for—and documentation of—corrective action is not automated, and therefore requires someone to track this. Maintaining consistent and accurate temperature logs is the foundation for compliance, but clear, codified documentation of out-of-range scenarios needs to be included with a description of actions taken. 
• Properly storing records and ease of retrieval. Temperature monitoring records must be readily retrievable, so if a paper system is used, consider scanning the logs and storing them electronically according to set parameters so they can be easily accessed. 

Jeff Little, PharmD, MPH
Pharmacy Operations Manager
Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics