ScanSafe™: The First Barcode Medication Safety Technology Built for Emergency Care

Barcode medication verification has improved safety inside hospitals for decades, but it was built around inpatient care: a registered patient, a barcode wristband, pharmacy-prepared medications, and fixed scanning stations. None of that exists in an ambulance or a hospital resuscitation bay, where treatment often starts before a patient is identified, medications must go in immediately, and multiple concentrations of the same drug may be within reach at once.

ScanSafe™, built directly into Handtevy Mobile, closes that gap. It’s now in use in ambulances and emergency departments nationwide, and in its first three months of availability, clinicians used it to verify more than 10,000 medications.

How ScanSafe™ Works

A paramedic, nurse, or physician scans a medication using the same phone or tablet already running Handtevy Mobile. With a single scan, ScanSafe™ automates the medication cross-check, confirming in seconds that the medication and concentration in hand match the patient-specific dosing information the app has already calculated. A process that traditionally relied on a second provider’s manual double-check is now automated at the point of care.

ScanSafe™ reads the barcode already printed on the medication by the manufacturer, so there’s no 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, updated weekly.

An EMS agency or hospital can adopt ScanSafe™ independently. When both use it, the same barcode safety workflow extends from prehospital care into the emergency department, following the patient rather than stopping at the ambulance doors.

Built for the Realities of Emergency Care

It flags dilution requirements. When a concentrated medication is intentionally selected for preparation, ScanSafe™ verifies the correct source vial and alerts the clinician that dilution is required. For example, when preparing an epinephrine infusion, ScanSafe™ confirms the concentrated vial and prompts dilution before administration.

Scan first, find the protocol. A clinician can also scan a medication first, and Handtevy Mobile will display the protocols and treatment pathways that use that drug, then jump straight to the corresponding dosing information, no need to hunt through menus during a time-critical event.

It works fully offline. Emergency care can’t depend on connectivity or hospital IT infrastructure being available. ScanSafe™ and Handtevy Mobile function without either, so medication information and verification remain available in an ambulance, inside a hospital, or during a system outage.

Backed by Real-World Evidence, Not Just Simulation

Handtevy’s medication dosing accuracy has been evaluated in actual patient care across multiple independent, peer-reviewed studies:

• 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 correct dosing rose to 89.4% after Handtevy implementation, up from 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 one.

“I recently used Handtevy Mobile while treating a critically ill patient who was actively seizing,” said Garret Shields, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department. “ScanSafe™ worked naturally within our workflow, giving me an additional medication safety check without adding extra steps or slowing us down.”

“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.”

Where to See It

ScanSafe™ has been named a finalist for the 2026 EMS World Innovation Awards, with winners announced in December. Handtevy will demonstrate the technology at booth #2410 during EMS World Expo, September 28 through October 2 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

ScanSafe™ is available now to all Handtevy Mobile subscribers, at no additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does ScanSafe™ provide medication verification in emergency care?
ScanSafe™ brings barcode medication verification to emergency care by automatically cross checking the medication and concentration in the clinician’s hand against the patient specific medication and dosing information in Handtevy Mobile. It works in ambulances and hospital emergency settings without requiring patient registration, barcode wristbands, or traditional scanning infrastructure.

Why use ScanSafe™ ? ScanSafe™ gives you three meaningful improvements in the way medications are administered and documented:

1. Confident medication administration at the point of care. You know the drug and concentration in your hand match the protocol before you administer, with a clear on-screen confirmation. ScanSafe™ reads the National Drug Code directly from the barcode and matches it against the FDA’s official medication database, the same approach used by hospital pharmacy systems. The drug either matches or it doesn’t, with no interpretation needed.
2. Streamlined controlled substance documentation. Federal record keeping for narcotics happens inside the same workflow you’re already using. Waste, disposal, and witness fields are captured in Review & Submit after the call, replacing separate paper logs and second-app workflows with a single, consistent process.
3. Audit-ready records, on demand. Every scan and every controlled substance administration is recorded with a time stamp, a vial photo, and complete documentation. Your administrators can produce DEA-ready reports from the portal in seconds, turning compliance from a periodic scramble into a routine task.

Does ScanSafe™ require special scanning hardware?
No. ScanSafe™ uses your device’s built-in camera to scan medication barcodes. No additional scanners or hardware are needed.

Does ScanSafe™ work offline? Yes. ScanSafe™ and Handtevy Mobile function fully offline and don’t rely on hospital IT infrastructure, so verification stays available in an ambulance, in the ED, or during a system outage.

What is an electronic medication cross check?
An electronic medication cross check adds a digital safety check before medication administration. With ScanSafe™, clinicians scan the manufacturer’s medication barcode to confirm the medication and concentration match the patient specific dosing information provided by Handtevy Mobile.

Is ScanSafe™ available to all Handtevy Mobile users?
Yes. ScanSafe™ is included with every Handtevy Mobile subscription at no additional cost. Administrators can log in to the Handtevy Administrator Portal to configure ScanSafe™ and enable it for all users.

Before your providers go live, there are three things to set up:

1. Set your scan policies. Choose whether scanning is required, optional, or disabled by drug schedule. You can also customize the policy for individual medications.
2. Review your bypass reasons. Use the preconfigured options or customize them to fit your agency’s protocols.
3. Enable Narcotic Tracking. Add your Medical Director, customize your control number label, and review your manner of disposal options.

Can leadership monitor Scanning activity across the team?
Yes. ScanSafe™ includes a built-in dashboard, detailed analytics and reports, and a full scan log, giving medical leadership visibility into scanning performance agency-wide. Leaders can see adoption rates by provider, bypass rates and reasons, and every individual scan result, verified, mismatch, wrong drug, or not found, in real time as devices sync. That visibility makes it easy to spot patterns that call for coaching or additional training before they become a safety issue.