Using RFID Technology in Healthcare

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is an ideal data capture and sharing system in healthcare settings. If you manage a hospital, clinic or nursing home, you are all too aware of the challenges of providing excellent care, while ensuring patient safety and being compliant with all the industry standards.

From admissions and administration, through points-of-care to managing equipment and supplies, an RFID solution provides an efficient, cost effective information system to support best practices in patient service. RMS Omega has more than 15 years of experience to help you develop a package of RFID software, tags, printers and readers that are the best for your operations.

Challenges for Healthcare Technology

You can probably identify the main challenges for your healthcare services as:

• Patient safety

• Efficient workflow

• Cost effective administration

The RMS Omega specialists can work with you to use RFID technology solutions to address all of these challenges.

Positive Patient Identification

Medical errors due to incorrect patient identification are probably your worst possible scenario. In order to eliminate such errors, you need a way for your staff to quickly and accurately verify they are working with the right patient. The solution begins at admission:

Patient Registration
Each patient receives an RFID wristband with all pertinent demographic info plus medical history. This data is scanned into an electronic patient file and is accessible by all your authorized healthcare professionals.

Point-of-Care
Most patients are monitored, tested and treated at various places within the healthcare facility from their bedside to physio units and imaging rooms. At each point of care, the staff administering the test or treatment can scan the patient’s RFID wristband and verify it with the info on the order to make sure the right person is receiving the care and that specimens are labeled correctly. The accuracy of this technology virtually eliminates the chance of error.

Patient Tracking
Another safety feature is that the RFID wristbands allow you to track patients which might be important in some situations such as:

• Dementia patients wandering into dangerous areas or off the premises

• Locating patients who are not in their rooms when the doctors are making their rounds or it is time for a test or treatment

• Abduction of infants from the facility

Learn more about RMS Omega’s Patient & Infant RFID Solution – RestEasy RFID.

Inventory Management

Your healthcare service needs a bewildering array of both fixed assets and consumable inventory to provide effective care:

Equipment
You equipment might range from wheelchairs and cleaning machines to crash carts and multimillion dollar imaging machines. Some of this equipment is life saving and must be available immediately. Other pieces of equipment are easy to misplace or have stolen which is costly and inconvenient. Then, there are computers, thermometers, specimen vials, blood pressure cuffs and IV stands that are part of the everyday routine.

Supplies
There is a similar range of consumables from bandages, bloodbags, and medications to linens, disposable syringes and office supplies. Some are needed for direct patient care and others for administrative support. It is essential that both equipment and supplies are available when and where they are needed. You need a way to track each and every piece of equipment used in your operations so there is not time wasted searching. An RFID tag affixed to each piece of equipment and package of supplies tells you how much you have of each item, the details of it, where it is in real time, maintenance schedule and can even send alerts when it is time to reorder.

Benefits of RFID Technology in Healthcare

You will immediately notice the benefits of implementing RFID technology in healthcare. As a healthcare administrator, you will find your primary challenges are all addressed:

• Enhanced patient safety with RFID wristbands both for Positive Patient Identification at every point-of-care and for tracking

• Increased efficiency when healthcare staff do not have to search for patients, other staff or equipment or improvise because there is a shortage of supplies; they can provide direct patient care instead

• Increased cost effectiveness when there is no costly overstocking of consumables, assets can be serviced when scheduled and real time tracking is a great loss/theft prevention feature

Contact our team when you are ready to discuss implementing RFID technology in your healthcare facility.

The RMS Omega Solution

Our total solutions are comprised of hardware, printers, media, software and services. Deciding which of the components works best for your operation and environment may require the assistance of our Solutions Consultants. Learn more about RFID technology.