Cost structure for hospital tracking systems must be 'no-brainer'
Hospitals implementing radio frequency identification tracking technology must keep a tactical return on investment up front, according to Awarepoint CEO Jason Howe.
At a panel discussion later this month at the RFID in Health Care Conference in Las Vegas, Howe will provide hospitals with the criteria they need for choosing a system.
In the 2006 HIMSS Leadership Survey, 28.9 percent of healthcare executives indicated implementing RFID technology for patient/asset tracking is among their top five priorities. By 2007, the percentage increased to 41.6 percent.
The inaugural conference, produced by RFID Journal, will kick off at the Westin Cesuarina Las Vegas Hotel on Jan 23.
Awarepoint, headquartered in San Diego, provides hospitals with active real-time location systems that map resources, monitor activity and measure performance in the healthcare setting.
Howe stresses that hospitals need an RFID system that provides "room-level accuracy." In other words, the location of assets within hospital rooms needs to be accurate in order for the system to become beneficial.
After establishing room-level accuracy, Howe says, the next criterion is choosing a system that is minimally invasive.
In other words, he says, "No dust, not something that is going to take months and not something that is disruptive to hospital workflow."
This means literally - and it also means that it shouldn't interfere with any other wireless networks within the hospital. Implementation should be hospital-wide, he adds.
Next, the tactical return on investment should be upfront. "It should present a cost structure that makes it a 'no-brainer,'" says Howe.
Using it should be a "no brainer" as well. Howe says hospitals need to consider how ongoing maintenance will be handled.
"Hospitals are one of the most dynamic environments. So, the system has to be adaptable by the minute."
Howe says that at this point hospitals are past the "early adopter stage" of RFID use. In fact, he said, by 2010 most hospitals will be doing something toward RFID implementation, and by 2012 those that have not will feel the impact of not doing so.
