Certification for Health Care IT Should Include RFID

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is increasingly being used to automate the transfer of PHI within and between EHRs, EMRs, HIEs, etc. It has been proven to reduce errors and create more efficient processes, as well as improve productivity. This results in Improved Patient Care, Reduced Costs and Minimized Risks.

With the move toward standardizing and certifying electronic health information products and HIEs, it is important to include solutions that facilitate this exchange of information in the certification process. RFID solutions are located together with the security protocols, document routing infrastructure and sending systems used to share electronic health information.

RFID automates the identification of people, objects and events that can be integrated with hospitals’ existing systems, including EHRs, HIEs, security, patient flow systems, bed occupancy, asset utilization and so forth.

By certifying RFID solutions, health organizations can make better decisions about which solutions have met the criteria and received the stamp of approval from certifying authorities for electronic PHI exchanges. This will facilitate better interoperability and accelerate standardization across the industry as RFID solutions providers strive to meet the same standards as the systems with which they must communicate.

It is critical that this happens sooner rather than later, especially in light of the climbing number of adverse medical events and progressively more limited funding across the board.

[A note of clarification: It is the RFID solution's application software, which interacts with the hospital's electronic record systems, that I am suggesting should be eligible for certification. Another level of standardization and perhaps future certification needs to occur at the RFID middleware and edgeware level.]


For more information on RFID in health care, please contact Ralph Wagner, RFID Solutions Manager, at 248-473-2200 or rwagner@dcc-online.com.

Dynamic Computer Corporation has been providing IT solutions for health care entities and other enterprise level companies since 1979.

This comment was submitted for consideration to the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT).