Rfid

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION: TRACKING MEDICAL DEVICES

December 4, 2008

Executive Summary

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is simply the transmission of a unique serial number, wirelessly, using radio waves. The two key parts to this system are the tag and the reader. Attaching the tag to a device allows the object to be physically tracked as it moves throughout a facility by existing computer networks within the facility.

As healthcare institutions are pressured to reduce costs, increase profit margins and improve patient safety while insurance reimbursements are reduced each year, there is an urgent need to effectively manage crucial medical devices and other assets. The inability to track and manage essential medical devices throughout a healthcare facility is time consuming, costly and, more importantly, a patient safety concern. How can you ensure that your staff can find the right device at the right time? The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of implementing RFID to track and manage patient care medical devices.

The research objectives of this project will be to determine: 1) can RFID accurately track medical equipment in and out of the central store room; 2) can RFID accurately track medical equipment moving throughout the facility; and 3) can RFID contain and/or reduce costs in labor and acquisition through managing utilization of assets. The tasks and data that will be used to test the research objectives will determine the feasibility of implementing RFID at your healthcare facility.

Problem Statement

Healthcare workers spend numerous hours searching for equipment while patients are waiting for the needed equipment for their care. In some cases, if equipment is not found in a timely manner, the perception is “we do not have sufficient supply and need to purchase additional devices”. The major research problem to be addressed is the inability to track and manage essential medical devices...