STRATEGIC SOURCING & LOGISITICS
ranges does tragically happen in the world of healthcare inventory management but can be prevented with the right technology safeguards in place.” Accurate data in real-time can be an important asset, Rosemurgy insists. “Often, hospital inventories are only as good as the last time somebody completed a physical assessment utilizing bar codes, logbooks or spreadsheets,” he noted. “Within hours they can be considered completely out-of- date. Barcode-based and other manual sys- tems require compliance by team members, and with todays staffing challenges, these tasks might not be able to be completed as regularly as needed. RFID is automated, requires no line of sight, and connects inventory data to the proper software plat- forms in real time as inventory and assets are transported or consumed within a facil- ity. The more real time data a provider has, the better decisions their team can make.” Still, bar coding and RFID are data cap- ture technologies that both have their place in healthcare and should not be considered mutually exclusive, Rosemurgy urges. “Bar-code technology is a solid performer in applications where item value is often lower, and accuracy of the items tracked doesn’t need to be 100%,” he said. “High- turn, med/surg products often utilize bar codes and workflows like patient charting and tracking applications are also common for barcode-based systems.”
As demand for automation increases
and the cost of RFID technology decreases, interest in and application of RFID likely will become more pervasive in health- care, Rosemurgy predicts. “While often part of a barcode-based tracking system, the lower-cost med/surg products could also be incorporated into an RFID two-bin Kanban system, where RFID tagged bins – not individual items – can create automated demand signals and save materials staff tremendous amounts of time not having to run from PAR location to PAR location checking bins. Similarly, we are seeing the emergence of RFID room-based systems in healthcare [that] focus on tracking a product as it moves throughout a healthcare facility, providing data as products make their way from storage all the way to usage.”
Functional span, history shape interest
In general, bar cod- ing is more widespread because it has become an established technology within the industry for decades, observes Scott Hondros, Vice President, Professional Services, Scott Hondros
CenTrak, but he sees RFID as more effec- tive for actively locating assets, patients, staff, and visitors. “Once the appropriate tag and infrastruc- ture are in place, RFID allows healthcare workers to efficiently share data, know real- time locations and conditions of equipment, and avoid human error from manual data entry or human intervention,” he noted. Bar coding can be more prevalent with
bulk consumable type items in high demand, such as with bandages and gauze, Hondros compares, but for medication, sur- gical instruments and very small items in a group, passive can be more efficient, accurate and effective. “Both active and passive RFID have the potential to read multiple assets simultaneously, whereas bar codes require line-of-sight and must be read one at a time. Additionally, mobile medical equipment (MME), such as wheel- chairs, stretchers, infusion pumps, etc., tend to come with a higher price point, so it’s often beneficial to invest in asset locating technology that can provide real-time loca- tions [via active RFID].”
Hondros further highlights RFID ben-
efits in terms of epanding scale for greater capabilities. “When partnered with a Real- Time Location System (RTLS), it enables healthcare organizations to analyze data to find opportunities for improvement, like shortening patient wait time, reducing bottlenecks, and increasing hand-hygiene compliance, as well as automating work- flows, like biomed reprocessing and nurse call response. RFID also allows healthcare facilities to keep patients and staff safe, with solutions like duress location detection tied to panic buttons and tags that help prevent infant abduction. Additionally, healthcare facilities can enhance their asset tracking solution to automate biomed workflows such as PAR-level management, preventa- tive maintenance management functions, and equipment distribution.
Hondros also emphasizes the crucial application of active RFID in dealing with ongoing staff shortages, workplace violence and supply chain challenges to deliver staff satisfaction and retention, peace of mind and availability to critical supply data.
Six degrees of evaluation James Moore, Vice President,
Electronic
Healthcare Systems, issued six questions healthcare organizations should ask themselves prior to reaching out to prospective bar-coding
1.Will tracking cover the supply chain end to end? Receiving through distribution to patient?
2.Will patient charges be captured and processed to the billing system?
3.Will compliance or the lack of com- pliance be an issue with organiza- tion’s personnel?
4.What information needs to be captured? 5.What information will need to be shared with other systems?
6.Is it practical to have part of the supply chain using bar coding while other parts are using RFID? ny automatic identification technology
is meant to reduce errors and increase effi- ciency by providing identification, location, and at times, health/status data, according to McLeod Williamson, Intelligent Edge RFID Solutions Specialist, Zebra Technologies. He cites a basic example of how bar codes add value with meds administration and how RFID amplifies capabilities. “With bar-coded patient wristbands and meds containers, fast and accurate scanning of these bar codes helps clinicians adhere to ‘The 5 Rights’ without slowing down care,” he said. “RFID extends this functionality with its capability of scanning multiple items at a time, [such as] taking inventory of a supply room where you have perhaps hundreds of items to be scanned.RFID can be utilized to accomplish this in seconds, whereas scanning each barcode individu- ally would take much longer and could be prone to user error.”
McLeod Williamson
Williamson recommends healthcare organizations to consider their own work- flows to understand where a lack of data impacts operations and patient care. “Bar codes should be considered table stakes and employed wherever accurate data entry is required,” he said. “From there, consider how inventory and durable assets move, are replenished/serviced, or are audited, and determine where a bar-code scan wouldn’t be feasible but the more automated, one-to-many scanning from RFID can provide visibility at critical points as these assets travel across the organization.” HPN
More Online:
Shopping, sourcing for bar coding, RFID tools and vendors? at
https://hpnonline.com/21276179
James Moore
and RFID vendors to determine the opti- mal choice for their facility.
20 September 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
Navigating overt, covert red flags in the search for bar coding, RFID technology at
https://hpnonline.com/21276180
The ABCs on NFC as alternative to bar coding, RFID at
https://hpnonline.com/21276181
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
