Addressing Patient Flow Woes: Patient & Staff Tracking with RFID

Poor patient flow is a problem for hospitals, negatively affecting productivity to meet patient demand. Eighty-nine percent of hospital executives expressed this sentiment in a new survey. Healthcare IT is the solution according to most of the 200 health care executives surveyed. Here are a few more interesting facts from the study that were highlighted in a recent article from Healthcare IT News:

88% said IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY and EFFICIENCY are key to meeting patient demand
56% do not have a patient flow system
94% are implementing manual process to improve the problem
67% are planning to invest in health care IT for patient tracking
62% are considering bar coding solutions
29% are considering RFID, while 73% are considering various technologies including (non-specific) patient tracking software, 38%, inpatient scheduling modules, 34% and other technologies, 12%

The reasons they cite for poor patient flow include (67%) poor communication, (37%) ineffective scheduling of activities and resources, (36%) lack of beds, (34%) lack of staff to facilitate patient flow, and (32%) poor centralized knowledge about the location and status of patients.

This study confirms what most in the industry already knew from qualitative analysis and anecdotal observation.

It’s surprising that of the technologies being considered by these executives, only 29% are considering RFID technology specifically. RFID would seem to be a more popular preference given a number of factors, including:

It can incorporate and capitalize on the systems and infrastructure already in place
It’s scalable and flexible once the foundation is built
It can encompass barcoding processes and enhance barcoding where it is already in place
Offers automaticity and synchronicity unparalleled by other technologies
Increases staff productivity and efficiency by freeing them from many manual processes
ROI is compounded in a way that is not possible with the more narrowly focused technologies

With the issue of staff productivity and efficiency, it would seem counterproductive to implement manual processes to address the problem. Through RFID hospitals are able to better track patients and staff, and provide the transparent visibility throughout the patient flow process that is so desperately needed.

RFID effectively addresses ALL of the reasons listed above in reference to what causes poor patient flow.

POOR COMMUNICATION:
RFID enhances and automates communication throughout not only the hospital, but across the entire continuum of care.

INEFFECTIVE SCHEDULING OF ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
RFID provides real-time location information (RTL) of staff, patients, assets and inventory, and can be integrated with the scheduling software, email/paging system or other systems already in place.

LACK OF STAFF TO FACILITATE PATIENT FLOW
RFID frees up staff from the manual processes and allows them to be more productive and efficient in their primary roles.

POOR CENTRALIZED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE LOCATION AND STATUS OF PATIENTS
RFID provides RTL(S) of the location and status of patients, making the patients’ status continuously available to health care providers and family members.

Health care executives should more carefully examine the options on the table for patient tracking, and reconsider RFID for this and other health care tracking purposes, like asset tracking and maintenance, inventory management, medication tracking and lab and sample tracking. RFID is a solution that can simultaneously address all of these areas in a cost-effective and efficient way.

For more information on Health Care RFID, contact Dynamic at www.dcc-online.com/rfid, or call toll free: 866-257-2111. You can also download information in a one-page PDF.

DCC provides scalable RFID solutions that meet three key health care objectives: improving patient care, reducing costs and minimizing risks. Our solutions deliver rapid ROI on your nominal investment by integrating RFID technologies with your existing systems to automate operations and eliminate error.

DCC selects the best RFID hardware, software and tags in functionality and value, for the health care environment. With no vested interest in any particular technology or brand, you can rest assured that we have the right prescription to eliminate the "pains" in health care.