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HEALTHCARE INNOVATION
WITH
RFID TECHNOLOGY
Forward written by GS1
Excellis Proprietary and Confidential 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION: ................................................................................................................................................ 4
THE KEY ISSUES FACING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS: ............................................................................................. 5
INTRODUCTION TO RFID .................................................................................................................................... 8
RFID SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE: .........................................................................................................................................
8
SUPPLY CHAIN STANDARDS IN HEALTHCARE ..................................................................................................... 0
1
ROLE OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN STANDARDS .................................................................................................................... 0
1
ADOPTION OF SUPPLY CHAIN STANDARDS IN HEALTHCARE: WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? ................................................... 0 1
RFID ENABLED SOLUTIONS IN HEALTHCARE ....................................................................................................... 3
1
ASSET TRACKING ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1
INVENTORY TRACKING .................................................................................................................................................. 4
1
PATIENT CARE ENABLEMENT WITH RFID .......................................................................................................................... 7 1
LABS AND SPECIMEN TRACKING ...................................................................................................................................... 9 1
EMERGENCY RESPONDER SERVICE ................................................................................................................................... 0 2
SMART ROOMS ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
2
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: ...................................................................................................................................... 2
2
JOHN‐PIERRE KAMEL .................................................................................................................................................... 2
2
MICHAEL LIANG........................................................................................................................................................... 2
2
ABOUT EXCELLIS CONSULTING CORPORATION .................................................................................................. 3
2
EXCELLIS RFID HEALTHCARE QUICK START PROGRAM ........................................................................................ 3
2
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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FOREWORD
The quest to establish global healthcare supply chain efficiency and ensure patient safety has
now become a worldwide objective, with several countries working together and taking a
leadership position. As a neutral standards organization, GS1 (www.gs1ca.org) is supporting the
advancement of this mission by engaging the healthcare community to drive standardization,
automation and efficiency.
As ever‐increasing pressures place a greater strain on international healthcare systems and
their limited resources, it’s critical to find innovative, technology‐based solutions to create
efficient processes. The adoption of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology achieves
this aim while assuring greater patient safety.
Global e‐supply chain standards shared across the healthcare industry are key to identifying,
authenticating and moving products, as well as modernizing back office and patient care
functions. Coupling RFID technology with the global identification standard, Electronic Product
Code™ (EPC), will enable critical mass adoption and open the doors to the multiple benefits
that RFID technology has to offer.
The Healthcare Innovation with RFID Technology report provides a comprehensive review of
the current challenges facing the global healthcare system, and provides expert advice on the
key role that RFID technology can play in supporting future improvements. Healthcare trading
partners are eager to work together to advance technologies such as RFID, and gaining access
to credible advice and direction is critical. This report is a key tool to help healthcare
stakeholders identify where opportunities exist and providing technology resources to support
them.
Alicia Duval
Senior Vice President, Healthcare
GS1 Canada
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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INTRODUCTION:
RFID enabled applications including asset management, inventory management, vehicle
tracking, security, and work in process (WIP) tracking have been widely used in the
manufacturing, consumer, and logistics sectors, however, their applications in the healthcare
space are only beginning to be explored.
Forward looking Healthcare organizations have started investigating and some have
successfully implemented RFID enabled solutions to optimize their operations, significantly
reduce costs, prevent costly legal liabilities, and dramatically improve patient care.
Over the past three years Excellis has worked with many healthcare organizations and providers
to build comprehensive e‐Healthcare strategies and have designed, developed, and deployed
solutions to enable those strategies. The purpose of this document is to outline the benefits
that RFID enabled solutions have brought to our Healthcare provider customers and to provide
your organization a baseline for evaluating the use of these solutions within your day‐to‐day
operations.
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THE KEY ISSUES FACING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS:
While the main goal of all healthcare organizations is to provide excellent patient care, they are
under constant pressure to contain costs, do more with less, all while decreasing wait times and
maximizing revenues.
The key issues facing many healthcare institutions today include:
Limited visibility into the status of specimens, and controlled substances
Concerns over having the right supply in inventory in the right quantities
Limited visibility into mobile assets, resulting in inefficiencies and additional costs
High number of errors that lead to injuries and fatalities
Although these problems seem disparate, the common thread of enabling visibility into the
process can address each of these issues. Hospitals are looking to advances in technologies
that can increase the visibility across all segments of the hospital, including:
Mobile Assets: Charts, defibrillators, infusion pumps, mobile carts charts, beds, etc
Inventory: Pharmaceuticals, supplies for specialized procedures, high valued Inventory
& consignment inventory
Specimens & Controlled Substances: Blood, urine, biological samples, morphine.
People: Patients, Contractors, Medical Knowledge Workers (nurses and doctors)
Real time visibility can enable “smart environments” thus creating the potential for “Smart
Hospitals” where the location of needed items and personnel are immediately known and the
status of facilities, assets and patients are integrated, real‐time, into the workflow, thereby
enabling intelligent decisions to be made on demand. The Smart Hospital concept extends
itself to all aspects of the hospital, including smart surgery theatres and patient rooms where
the room availability can initiate a step in an automated process to “prep” the next patient to
minimize downtime between surgeries.
The effective tracking and automation of the “moving segments of a hospital” can result in
greatly improved the patients' care, a significant reduction in the hospital’s operating costs, the
avoidance of severe medical mistakes (such as patients' mis‐identication), improved asset and
inventory visibility, reduced insurance liability, increased asset management capabilities, and a
reduction costly thefts. All of this is possible through the implementation of RFID enabled
solutions throughout the hospital.
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Theft of equipment and supplies cost hospitals $1 Million
in medical equipment per year and represent $3.9 Billion
annually for the US Healthcare system.
Asset Visibility:
Current state of Limited Asset Visibility is leading to increased operational inefficiencies, Costs,
Insurance Liabilities, and Shrinkage.
In an effort to offer better patient care in an environment of limited resources, hospitals are
constantly struggling to do more with less. Operational inefficiencies in the way hospitals
maintain, use, and search for their assets not only have an impact on operational performance,
but on the standard and speed of patient care that a hospital can offer.
Recent studies have found that a lack of asset visibility has led to the following issues in many
of today’s leading hospitals:
Hospitals over‐procure 20‐30% of their mobile assets, including expensive Infusion
Pumps, Defibrillators, Beds, and much more1;
Nursing staff spends 10‐30% of their time searching for equipment2;
Regular Servicing of an item can take up to 8 hours because 75% of the maintenance
time is spent searching for the correct piece of equipment3;
Due to the inability to easily local assets, many are not serviced when required, leading
to potentials for equipment failures in emergency situations, increased insurance
liabilities, and shortages of working equipment4;and
Preventable medication errors cost the economy approximately US$2 billion each year
in the US and Canada.
Theft of equipment and supplies cost hospitals $1M in medical equipment per year and
represent 3.9B annually for the US Healthcare system5.
1
Jerry Zeidenberg, Canadian Healthcare Technology, September 2006, “New RFID technology offers clinical and
administrative benefits”
2
IBID
3
EPG Global Healthcare Study 2007
4
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3777
5
FDA report – Medical Device Marking with RFID 1999
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These statistics indicate there are multiple hours of lost time each day searching for critical
equipment within the hospital – time and resources that could be spent on actual patient care
activities The net result of these inefficiencies is an increase patient care times, reduced patient
throughput, and overall increased equipment and maintenance costs.
Patient Care: Medical Errors as a Result of Misidentification & Misinformation.
Patient safety is one of the most publicized and critical issues facing the healthcare sector
today. In a recent study by the Food and Drug Administration it was reported that medication
errors injure 1.3 million people annually. In another study, the United States Institute of
Medicine found that more than 195,000 deaths occur annually in the United States as a result
of in‐hospital medication errors6.
In a recent report at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that transfusion of blood to the
wrong patient ("mis‐transfusion") is the most serious and common transfusion hazard, posing a
risk to transfusion recipients more than 100 times greater than that of HIV or HCV transmission
by blood7.
In order to reduce these errors, hospitals are searching for ways to increase visibility into
patient care to ensure you have the right care giver, at the right time, giving the proper
treatment to the proper patient. Verification at the “point of care” enables hospitals to greatly
reduce medical errors that lead to deaths and injuries. RFID enabled solutions offer one
remedy to this problem.
Inventory Visibility:
Patient care is a time sensitive process – it requires the right diagnosis so that the right
treatment can be administered as quickly as possible. Each year thousands of hours are spent
running inventory cycles in hospitals to verify that medical supplies are stocked, medication is
not expired and all inventory is accounted for. RFID is a key technology that can provide the
visibility needed to effectively manage inventory and thereby providing the ability to effectively
run your business processes.
Many healthcare institutions and suppliers are examining RFID technology to gain visibility into
these critical business areas:
Pharmaceutical visibility and delivery management;
Inventory tracking and management of high valued and consigned assets;
Laboratory management and validation of specimens, samples ; and
Management of controlled substances.
6
Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals study, 2004
7
Dr Sunny Dzik, Co-Director, Blood Transfusion Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, United States, 2006
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INTRODUCTION TO RFID
The term RFID, or Radio Frequency IDentificaiton, is often used in several different industries
today. Originally designed to transmit Identity information over radio waves, RFID has grown to
encompass a wider range of applications including asset tracking, work process validation, and
secure access control. These applications have grown RFID systems to not only transmit
identify based information, but incorporate additional sensors and processing to allow for a
wide array of complementary data such as location, temperature, and proximity information to
be conveyed.
RFID System Architecture:
RFID systems share in a common architecture that comprises of three major components: tags,
readers / access points, and servers. Although components and functionality may differ
between systems, the generic architecture provides a framework for additional features and
functionality to be expanded upon. Readers and access points are the linkages to query the
data and tie the information into the data network. Backend servers utilize the information to
apply business logic to the data, such as signal an alarm, display the location on a map, or mark
this asset as being removed.
RFID Tags is a key component within any RFID solution, and a great deal of consideration should
be involved with choosing the proper RFID tag. Generally, RFID tags are affixed to mobile
assets, resources, or individuals and can account for the largest quantity of devices within your
RFID system. With the wide range of RFID tags available today as they can vary significantly in
form factor, functionality, and cost.
The majority of RFID tags can be classified into two major categories: Active and Passive. Active
tags contain a battery within the unit to provide power for the tag, and additional sensors or
computing components that may be required. With the incorporation of batteries within a
unit, there are unique drawbacks and benefits of this type of solution. Batteries add an
additional complexity to the design of the unit, leading not only a limited lifetime of the device
for when the battery expires, but also a physical weight and size limitation. Active tags
generally are significantly larger than passive tags, and may pose a greater challenge if a smaller
form factor is required.
While the drawbacks of the Active tag may seem significant, there are also substantial benefits.
With the capability of being battery powered, Active tags have the capability of boosting their
overall range, and communicating over large distances (in some cases >200 m). Also, the
incorporate of a battery allows of these devices to have increased intelligence, and sensor
integration capability. These units, often seen as Wi‐fi, or Cellular tags, can have built in GPS or
location sensors, environmental sensors, and panic alert buttons. The use of Active tags is
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ideally suited for applications such as Real‐time asset and resource systems, personnel safety,
and remote dispatch / deployment.
Passive tags, on the other hand, do not contain a battery of any type, and work by converting
any Radio signals sent to it to power the tag. These tags only awaken when an external device
(RFID reader or interrogator) queries the device, and cannot gather additional sensor
information until that time. For that particular reason, Passive RFID tags rarely have any type of
integrated sensors or computing capabilities and have a more limited range (<100ft). These
tags will transmit the identity information when requested, and then return to a dormant state.
Since a battery is not included within the tag, the tags form factors can be packaged into a
significantly smaller unit, and can theoretically run for an infinite time. In addition to this, the
simplistic design provides a lower cost tag, in some cases as low as 5 cents, that can assist in
tracking unique items. Passive tags are ideally suited for applications such as inventory
management, drug security and distribution, secure access, and patient / resource correlation.
A study in 2004 by HealthGrades found that more than
195,000 deaths occur annually in the United States as a result
of in‐hospital medication errors and accounted for an extra $6
billion in healthcare costs annually.
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SUPPLY CHAIN STANDARDS IN HEALTHCARE
Role of Global Supply Chain Standards
Due to the global nature of the healthcare industry today, as well as the worldwide threats of
medical errors, counterfeiting and product diversion, country‐by‐country work in supply chain
standardization is neither sufficient nor effective. Global standards shared across the
healthcare industry are key to identifying, authenticating and moving products. This process
affects every facet of healthcare facility management from patient safety, to employee
productivity, to asset and inventory management, to finance reconciliation.
Trading partners in the healthcare supply chain need to share many complex pieces of data in
order to transact business information and enable patient safety best practices. For example,
manufacturers and distributors need to communicate product information and company
location, and hospitals receive this data to integrate within their administrative systems and
automatic healthcare processes.
In response, momentum has been building in the healthcare supply chain to adopt and
implement data standards to support patient safety and improve supply chain management. A
growing number of companies, hospitals and healthcare organizations have chosen the GS1
System of global standards to help them improve collaboration with their supply chain
partners. For over 35 years, the GS1 System has provided globally accepted identifiers and a
common language for the communication of supply chain information about products, services
and locations. It is the most widely implemented supply chain standards system in the world.
The Electronic Product Code™ (EPC) is the globally‐recognized GS1 numbering system standard
that enables Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to uniquely identify individual
objects as they move through the healthcare supply chain.
Adoption of Supply Chain Standards in Healthcare: What Does Success Look
Like?
No product or packaging size will be confused with another.
Product Identification Standards (e.g. bar codes or RFID tags) ‐ All products entering the
healthcare supply chain come packaged with a common global product identification standard
(Global Trade Item Number, or GTIN), eliminating the need for relabeling or cross‐referencing in
databases. The GTIN is assigned by the manufacturer to identify product from the point of
manufacturing, through procurement and inventory management, right through to bedside
scanning and reimbursement processes. Each product can be recognized uniquely by trading
partners anywhere in the world and no product will be confused with another.
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Products will be delivered to the right location.
Location Identification Standards and Registry ‐ All healthcare trading partners integrate a
common global location identification standard (Global Location Number, or GLN) to ensure
healthcare organizations and their respective trading partners are using consistent codes and
systems to identify the same legal entity, trading partner or location.
Access to clean, standardized information prevents errors and administrative waste.
Product Registry and Data Synchronization – All healthcare trading partners have access to a
centralized repository of accurate, standardized and consistent product information, resulting
in unprecedented operational efficiencies and cost savings. Data synchronization is the process
of connecting trading partners through a single source of timely, accurate business information.
The Global Data Synchronization Network™ (GDSN) is the standard to facilitate the local and
global exchange and integration of data within individual organizations and across the
healthcare sector. ECCnet Registry.
Eliminate manual processes associated with product ordering and management.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ‐ All healthcare trading partners adopt a common standard of
electronic data communication that is secure and fully integrated throughout their
organization. In so doing, 100% of all transactions, such as purchase orders and invoices, are
captured in a paperless environment.
Healthcare trading partners drive adoption and play by the same supply chain rules.
Standards Development and Implementation Guidelines – Critical mass adoption and
integration of a standards‐based supply chain is achieved through industry input and
compliance with implementation guidelines and allocation rules for supply chain standards. The
development of global supply chain standards brings together all components of the trading
partner relationship (hospitals, group purchasing organizations (GPOs), suppliers, distributors,
solution providers, government and stakeholder associations) to allow for a collaborative
approach and methodology for global standards management.
Nursing staff can immediately locate supplies and assets, freeing up more time for patient
care.
Automatic replenishment – Healthcare institutions maximize the time nurses can dedicate to
patient care by fully integrating global supply chain standards and best practice procedures,
which eliminate the need for nurses to manually order product or search for inventory.
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Replace paper “chain‐of‐custody” processes with secure, electronic ordering, receiving and
returns processing.
Hospitals replace paper‐based controlled substance ordering with digital certificate signatures
facilitated by the GS1 Certificate of Authority Service. The digital signatures are integrated with
solution provider order‐to‐cash solutions deployed using GS1 standards for product identity,
location validation and secure interoperability.
Other GS1 standards include:
GRAI – Global Returnable Asset Identifier
SSCC – Serial Shipping Container Code
GSRN – Global Service Relation Number
GDTI – Global Document Type Identifier
For more information on GS1 Canada, visit www.gs1ca.org or for more information on GS1’s
Healthcare standards, visit http://www.gs1.org/sectors/healthcare/
Global standards shared across the healthcare industry are
key to identifying, authenticating and moving products and
assets. This process affects every facet of healthcare facility
management from patient safety, to employee productivity,
to asset and inventory management, to finance reconciliation.
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RFID ENABLED SOLUTIONS IN HEALTHCARE
Asset Tracking
Many healthcare institutions spend countless hours finding the right equipment at the right
time. High use commodities such as defibrillators, portable x‐rays,
ultrasound units, medical IV pumps, wheel chairs, hospital beds
and other items are highly sought after by emergency personnel,
training staff and are even sometimes subject to theft. In
response to these threats many have chosen to hide valuable
assets resulting in the need to overstock and over ordered. Many
healthcare institutions have begun implementing asset tracking
technologies to provide visibility into the whereabouts of the
asset. There are two types of asset tracking solutions:
Chokepoints Solutions – provide asset visibility at key
locations through enabled sensors and readers placed at
strategic locations.
Location Based Solutions – provide asset visibility within a
specific area or geography and are enabled typically with active RFID tags that provide
location based information through the use of positioning technologies. Location based
systems are typically preferred by healthcare institutions for assets that are not
confined to one area (i.e. a defibrillator travelling from department to department)
While many people believe that asset tracking solutions are expensive, what they do not realize
is that many hospitals have already deployed the technology framework to allow them to
address this issue in a cost effective manner. Many Hospitals today have already deployed
Wireless LANs but many have not taken the next step to leverage this investment to address
their need for increased asset visibility and control. Any mobile asset within the hospital
(human asset or physical asset) has the capability to be tagged and tracked by utilizing active
RFID technology. Some active tags solutions can leverage an existing Wi‐Fi network to provide
real‐time location positioning services and specialized communications functions such as nurse
call, security alert, temperature monitoring or emergency notification. Advancements have
been made to further integrate asset location information with workflow. A recent case study
utilizing real‐time location based information on IV pumps yielded8:
A reduction on IV pump over ordering by 16%
Inventory cycle hours reduced from months to minutes
Assurance that the right pump is assigned to the right patient
8
EPC Global Case Study 2007
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Enhanced notification on patient follow‐ups to practitioners
Inventory Tracking
A key challenge that faces many heath care providers is the accurate tracking of lab work,
specimens, drug distribution and controlled substances. A mislabeling of lab work, a misplaced
specimen or uninformed removal of narcotics can lead
to costly hours spent searching or reconciling inventory
and potentially result in providing incorrect care to a
patient. RFID technology has shed new light on
solutions targeted towards inventory control and
tracking within the health care arena. There are
solutions that provide specific readers, labels and
equipment designed for tracking inventory from the
discrete level of one item all the way through to the
package level.
RFID has provided solutions that benefit several areas
of a health care institution, including:
Inventory Management – Having the ability to effectively track high valued inventory,
including surgical equipment, instruments and expensive consumable items can have a
significant impact on a hospitals efficiency and quality of care. An RFID enabled
inventory tracking solution for high valued items allows Hospitals to address three key
issues associated with an current open‐shelf system:
o Managing access to the items and prohibiting inappropriate utilization and
removal: Without controlled access to the items or real‐time visibility into
inventory “presence”, there is an inability to accurately track and manage
utilization patterns and inventory levels, as well as an increased exposure for
loss, damage, and theft.
o Ensuring Product Availability: Given the critical importance these devices and
implants played in their surgical procedures, it was important that the
organization pursue an effort to avoid any incidents where needed items were
unavailable during the time of procedures due to 'stock out' occurrences.
o Moving towards a perpetual model of inventory procurement and
replenishment: As the increasing volumes of device and implant utilization were
combined with the high costs of acquisition, it was important for an organization
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to streamline their procurement processes and optimize their inventory levels to
avoid tying up organizational capital on inventory items.
Pharmacy Management – Pharmaceutical suppliers as well as hospitals are RFID
enabling containers of pharmaceuticals with RFID shelves and placing RFID tags on vials,
bottles and blister packs. This technology is targeted at providing benefits to the health
care provider and the supplier for the following benefits:
o Drug Delivery Validation – Many institutions have processes which require manual
record keeping of drug delivery for patient care. RFID can automate this process by
providing validation between the patent and the required treatments. There are
RFID enabled pharmacy management solutions that utilize cabinets enabled with
RFID, temperature sensors and door sensors. As the pharmacist fulfils an order, they
would have an entry of the treatment on the drug delivery system that would cross
check with against the dispensing process. With the use of RFID enabled medication
tracking, specific drugs can be tracked as they are dispensed to validate proper
treatment.
o Expiration / Spoilage ‐ Medication that is typically less frequently used or those
which have specialized handling instructions are often subject to the risk of spoilage
if they are left on the shelf for too long or if they are exposed to an unfavorable
temperature for long periods of time. RFID enabled item level tracking solutions
coupled with sensor technology have been found to greatly increase levels of
visibility the medication on hand within a pharmacy and thereby dramatically
decrease the number of lost or spoiled drugs at a facility.
o Recall Management – Although this is less frequent of an event, the FDA or Heath
Canada may issue a drug recall advisory. With RFID technology and sensor
technology integrated, finding drugs can be a more effective and streamlined
process. A network of RFID enabled pharma storage locations can be easily polled to
acquire and identify if these locations have drugs which are on the recall list. The
granularity of this visibility can be extended to identify a specific lot of drugs from a
particular manufacture if needed.
o Control of Restricted Substances – Non‐prescribed drugs have become one of the
largest sources of illicit drug diversion9. Often manual pen and paper are used to
record the amount and use of these substances – this is always prone to errors and
difficult to audit. RFID based pharma enclosures in combination with sensor
solutions have the ability to detect differences in weight of the containers on a RFID
9
2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
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shelf – this provides very detailed views each individual substance is being utilized
and can provide details on the quality utilized.
Consignment Solutions –New business models are arising where the vendors / suppliers
have opportunities to provide additional value by enhancing visibility into out of stock /
low on stock scenarios. With this enhanced level of visibility, medical equipment
suppliers, pharmaceutical suppliers, and distributors have the ability to offer
consignment models and vendor managed inventory offerings to health care
institutions. This is advantageous to all of the parties involved because it:
Reduces out of stocks for critical high value or velocity stock
Provides the ability to enhance JIT (just in time) models for high cost
pharmaceuticals such that replenishment for slower moving inventory can be
automated
Inventory visibility is moved from the distribution center closer the point of
care to yield new cost models
Reduces the cost of conventional consignment solutions by reducing the
number of “trips” to the hospital to count inventory
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Patient Care Enablement with RFID
The focus of attention of any health care institution is always on the patient, however, with the
demands of so many patients on one institution it can be difficult ensure the highest level of
care for each patient. RFID technology enablement is helping to provide solutions that address
patient care validation, tracking and extending services to families. Some examples of RFID
applications surrounding patient care include:
Patient Tracking – There have been many articles and discussion in the media about
wandering and missing patients. Often the discussion
has been targeted at infant care units, the elderly,
and psychiatric and mentally challenged patients.
With progression of RFID in the past three years,
many RFID enabled solutions have been developed to
help track patents. Passive RFID tags have been
utilized to associates the patient number with a
health record system that provides details on
treatment and patient history. These solutions have
also been used to conduct patient inspection and counts, track and alert when
wandering patients are entering restricted areas, and increase operational efficiency by
tracking patients through the lifecycle of their stay. In recent years, tags have
progressed to provide more advance features such as tamper proof mechanisms that
will emit a signal if removed. Other tags can provide more advanced sensor information
that can record patent state such as temperature, pressure and patient posture.
Medical vendors are progressing with this technology to provide sensors with GPS and
medical monitors to validate the state of the patient even when they are at home.
Patient Validation – Although there are typically many validation points to ensure that
the patient receives the accurate treatment or care, patient misidentification and
improper medication issuance continue to kill and injure millions of people a year in the
US. Often this is because the validation processes may be removed from the point of
care. One of the ways to bridge this validation gap is to utilize RFID enabled patent tags
that can be a pointer to a plethora of medical information such as:
o Process Validation – Point of care validation often relies upon pen and paper or
the memory of the clinical staff when touch points are made with the patient.
The use of RFID technology provides hospitals with the ability to monitor and
validate that processes are performed and when they are performed to ensure
patient safety. Possible validation points include patient/treatment validation,
to ensure the correct patient is about to receive the proper treatment. This can
include patient/medication dispensing validation as well as treatment validation.
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Specialized Care Instructions – by utilizing a RFID reader with a mobile handheld
computer, clinical staff can implement special instructions or reminders to the
patient
o Medical history – By cross referencing the unique RFID information located on a
patient’s bracelet, a healthcare practitioner can have quick access to patient
information, including patient history, allergies, dietary constraints, special
conditions, etc.
Family Services – RFID technology can also be helpful to the families and other
associated non‐clinical caregivers of the patient. One example is the use of RFID
enabled family cards. The card contains a number which can be associated to the
patient care instructions. Kiosks in the hospital can used in conjunction with the
appropriate security (password, family name, other limited information) to provide the
following information:
o Current patient information
o Printouts for the care giver on instructions for care delivery
o Next visit appointments
These services are popular with patients who are either long term care or those which
have frequent visits to the hospital (i.e. dialysis, chemotherapy, etc).
It should be noted that patient privacy considerations are important components to
each of these solutions and as such, the incorporation of the proper systems and
processes are even more important when considering HIPPA and other security
constraints.
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Labs and Specimen Tracking
Laboratory work and specimen tracking is always a demanding health
care service which involves triaging of lab work, producing analysis
quickly and accurately and ensuring that all of the records are properly
processed. While barcode technology has been present in most
laboratories for specimen tracking, RFID technology is taking
laboratory work to the next level – this technology has help to
enhance and streamline the processes associated with processing
laboratory requisitions by reducing the number of mislabels and
automating manual touch points. The following are some of the
examples the RFID enabled laboratory applications:
RFID enabled Test Tubes ‐ RFID technology is contending with the 2D barcode labeled
test tube market. Although the technology is still relatively early to the medical market,
several of the medical test equipment manufacturers are broaching on this technology
to provide the ability to quickly locate test tubes, sample containers and other test
vessels in a storage area and to isolate down to a single test sample.
RFID enabled Slides – Another application that has started to enter the health care
market is the ability to RFID tag lab slides using HF RFID technology embedded within
each slide. Along with the slides specialized containers and readers are utilized to help
provide the following benefits:
o Time savings – many hours are spent by lab staff searching for a particular test
sample
o Verification – often slides are hand written causing labels to be subject to water
damage or smearing, by using RFID technology and lab software it is easy to
ensure that slide can be associated to the correct patient
RFID enabled Security: RFID enabled solutions are now being used to safeguard access
to dangerous and controlled testing agents, specimens, and diseases. RFID is being used
to control access to the rooms, determine when certain items were removed from
storage, by whom, and track their movements throughout that specimen’s lifecycle.
These solutions are being used to automate the safety, security, and auditing functions
around controlled substances and specimens.
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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Emergency Responder Service
Emergency medical response is a challenging
task of ensuring that emergency services can
reach the site of the emergency as quick as
possible and to provide the best possible form of
ambulatory care while on site and in transit.
Several key enablers have been examined in this
area to provide a solution with the following
benefits:
Optimizing EMS unit response to the site
an emergency through location based
services and intelligent dispatching
Deeper visibility between the EMS unit, dispatcher and the hospital through mobile and
wireless technologies
Early arrival diagnosis and communications with the emergency room staff
Automated stock replenishment and inventory tracking
Ambulances are being integrated with mobile computing technology, GPS tracking, RFID shelf
reading equipment and cellular networking to provide an on‐board connected environment
that can provide real‐time information to both dispatchers and emergency staff. Here is a view
of how the technology works together to enhance services surrounding emergency response
services:
An ambulance enabled with GPS tracking, mobile computing and cellular
communications – provides visibility to the dispatcher to locate the nearest emergency
responder to the scene of the emergency. Integrated with the dispatching system and
911 systems can assign ambulances to specific tasks based on their:
o Distance to the emergency
o Skill set of the staff and;
o Equipment capabilities on the ambulance
o Utilization of the staff and or ambulance
RFID enabled shelves – outfitting the ambulance with RFID enabled shelves, provides
visibility into the state of the supplies on the vehicle and when they are consumed. This
will allows emergency management services to proactively replenish supplies.
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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Smart Rooms
Many operating rooms are being enabled with barcodes
in an effort to enhance management of supplies, enhance
levels of patient safety and to enhance surgery workflow.
Many are leapfrogging barcodes and are going to RFID
enabled smart labels and RFID tags to create a “Smart
Surgery Room” that is able to keep track of patients and
inventory in a room to ensure all inventory (i.e. surgical
consumables and surgical equipment) can be
automatically verified and tracked before and after
surgery.
Smart Shelves provides accurate real‐time inventory ‐ The start of the process begins with the
understanding of the purpose of the operating room. Operating supplies for day surgeries
versus emergency surgeries have different requirements but both benefit from the additional
visibility that RFID enabled smart shelves can provide. As supplies are consumed during a
surgical procedure, the supplies management team and surgical management staff can
automate replenishment orders at defined thresholds. Additionally, if a rare procedure is
required inventory can be queried ahead of time to validate if the necessary supplies are
available.
Equipment accountability through RFID – Surgical procedures can be hectic even under the
most ideal conditions, as such mistakes can be made during the procedure. In a study within
the New England Journal of Medicine, common items such as surgical sponges, clamps and
retractors have been known to be more likely retained within a body cavity during emergency
surgery or unplanned procedures. Medical practitioners undergo a carful count of all medical
equipment and supplied before and after each surgery to ensure that no foreign objects are
retained; however the process is still prone to human error and potential false positives. RFID
enabled surgical equipment and supplies along with surgical inventory systems are paving the
way to an intelligent accounting system. A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the
tracking of surgical sponges and clamps in a measure to prevent surgical mishaps. Consumed
sponges are scanned before they surgery, as they are consumed and after they are removed to
ensure total accountability. Medical equipment such as clamps and scissors are being outfitted
with RFID tags for tracking purposes. Advancements in RFID production and encapsulation
have led to the reuse the tag even after the surgical equipment is gamma sterilized and washed
in high temperatures.
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
John-Pierre Kamel
Mr. Kamel has over 10 years of enterprise strategy and solutions experience, primarily focused
in RFID, wireless, and mobility solutions. Mr. Kamel has been involved in multiple mobile
enterprise engagements and strategy sessions with a wide range of clients, ranging from
consumer products to utilities & Telecommunication organizations. Additionally, Mr. Kamel has
spent the past six years working with healthcare providers, retailers, manufacturers,
Transportation companies and distributors, across North America, in the area of RFID strategy,
business case development, feasibility testing and solution roll‐out.
Mr. Kamel is a recognized leader and speaker in the area of RFID and Mobility Strategy and has
been involved in several of the world’s largest RFID deployments. In addition to his project
work, Mr. Kamel also sits on several standards bodies and industry forums on RFID, including
iNemi's RFID Working Group, ITAC's RFID Council, and EPCGlobal's Strategic Advisory Council.
Mr. Kamel is currently the co‐chair of EPCGlobal's Strategic Advisory Council, sits on GS1
Canada's Standards & Services Governance Board, and is the co‐chair of the GS1 EPCGlobal
Healthcare sub‐committee.
Prior to joining Excellis, Mr. Kamel was the RFID Strategy and Solutions Practice leader for both
VeriSign and Bell Canada, where he was responsible for all RFID sales, marketing, and delivery
activities. Prior to that, Mr. Kamel was whe Canadian Lead of the Mobility Solutions Practice
within Capgemini (formerly Cap Gemini Ernst and Young), where he led projects in mobile
strategy and business development for many of North America's largest organizations.
Michael Liang
Mr. Liang is a Senior Consulting Manager within Excelllis Consulting Group. He brings 9 years of
strategy consulting experiences surrounding enterprise mobile, wireless and RFID solutions.
Mr. Liang’s breadth of experience includes RFID Solution Architecture and deployments,
technology consulting, emerging business development, infrastructure consulting, project
management, engagement management and enterprise architecture for several large projects
within the energy, supply chain, health care, higher education, travel / transportation, banking,
enterprise office, retail and industrial sectors.
Throughout his career, Mr. Liang has provided customers with strategic insight and practical
approaches to effectively utilize the capabilities of emerging technologies to enhance the way
business is done. Having roots in the technology consulting and technology management, Mr.
Liang understands the technology, its effect on people and processes, and how it can benefit
not only the infrastructure, but the business as a whole.
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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ABOUT EXCELLIS CONSULTING CORPORATION
Excellis is a leading System integrator composed of an elite group of Business and IT associates,
who provide broad‐based ERP and Web technology and management consulting services. They
embody an integrated business suite of practices including: RFID, ERP, eServices, ePedigree,
Asset Tracking, Supply Chain Management Consulting and Business intelligence, designed to
provide an expansive set of services offerings aimed at the Healthcare, Pharmaceutical and
Manufacturing industries. Excellis is privately held with offices located in Philadelphia, PA (HQ),
Chicago, IL, Princeton, NJ and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
EXCELLIS RFID HEALTHCARE QUICK START PROGRAM
Excellis can help you evaluate the value of RFID within your environment; we have developed
several RFID Healthcare Quick start Programs. These solutions are designed to be trials that
can be designed, developed, and deployed within weeks and allow you to test the value and
effectiveness of these solutions within your environment. These offerings include:
Healthcare Innovation Workshops
Real‐Time Asset Tracking Solutions
Consignment Inventory Tracking Solutions
Pharmaceutical Drug Tracking Solutions
For more information, please contact RFID@excelliscorp.com
Healthcare Innovation Enablement with RFID
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