Microsoft's Senior Director of Worldwide Health touts the benefits of sensor-based health IT solutions.

Bill Crounse, MD Senior Director of Worldwide Health for Microsoft has posted a blog on the benefits of sensor-based locating technologies in health care. The blog post highlights Vision(TM) one of the solutions we offer by Versus Technology.

In his post, Crounse states that there is far more to be gained by looking beyond the EMR for innovative ways to use IT in the health care realm.

Here are a couple of excerpts from the posting, which can be accessed in its entirety here.

"To say that I was impressed by [Versus]'s work and growing body of customer evidence would be an understatement."

"If you are not planning for the use of this technology in your hospital or clinic, you are missing a huge opportunity to lower costs, increase revenues and deliver better, more satisfying care."

To learn more about VISion or for general information on sensor-based tracking solutions in healthcare for enterprise visibility, visit DynamicRFIDSolutions.com or Contact Us.

To read Dr. Crounse's entire post, visit his blog here.

Michigan redefining technology niche

Michigan is quickly positioning itself as the leader in health information technology -- just as its reputation is waning in the automotive sector. Health care organizations are setting up camp in record numbers, and investment capital is flowing in from the public and private sectors. This may be an opportunity for laid off workers to get creative and re-invent themselves as Michigan redefines its niche.

The auto industry in Detroit has historically been recognized as a world leader, but as recent events (and bail-outs) have demonstrated, the future for the Motor City will look very different.

Health care, sustainable energy and aerospace are a few of the industries that are expected to lead the region back to the top of the technology leadership totem. Health care is leading this trend partly due to the concentration of organizations in the region, and partly because of the massive influx of government funds for health care reform.

Training funds through the Economic Stimulus Act and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) are available to retrain unemployed workers in emerging industries like Health IT. The MEDC is partnering with businesses to grow their business, train and hire Michigan talent through grants, loans and training funds from Michigan Works programs.

"Many people don't know that Detroit is known internationally as a technology leader," said John Petty, retired General Dynamics engineer. "We have the single largest concentration of engineering talent anywhere."

Crain's Detroit Business reports that despite new medical schools and training programs for medical clinicians, the shortage is expected to continue while costs will continue to rise. The industry is looking to innovation for solutions. Southeast Michigan, and Detroit in particular, is responding to the call.

For more information on the growing health IT industry in Michigan, visit the Health Information Systems Society (HIMSS) of Michigan (www.mi-himss.org, or the Greater Detroit Area Health Council (www.gdahc.org). Ann Arbor-based MichBio (www.michbio.org) is another great resource for information on bio-science companies and jobs in the region.

Preventing HAIs with RFID

In response to H&HN’s online article Preventing Infections at the Hospital, in the October issue, I would like to discuss the critical role that health care IT, and Radio Frequency Identification in particular, can play in creating and maintaining a culture of safety.

Hand-washing campaigns in and of themselves have not been incredibly successful, as evidenced by the 50 percent compliance rate reported in Lee Ann Runy’s piece. With the help of RFID technologies, clinicians and patients can be required to wash their hands prior to treating a patient in a way that, among other things, a) encourages a culture of safety by requiring routine actions to take place in a certain order; and, b) provides a mechanism for timely reporting and accountability.

RFID has been described as an “Internet of Things,” to convey the concept of how it works. It is able to automatically identify, locate and provide very specific information about objects and people with the use of radio broadcasting technologies. Tags, which are affixed to or embedded in objects, emit a radio frequency which is picked up by strategically placed antennae/readers that transmit the information on the identity and location of the object to a database. In health care settings, it is being used to track a variety of things including inventory, assets, staff & patients, pharmaceuticals and lab specimens.

In the case of hand hygiene, Ms Runy made some very good points that I will briefly address:

1. The cost of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) soars into the BILLIONS of dollars annually.

2. Cultural barriers inhibit infection control, and lack of shared accountability impedes the adoption of a culture of safety.

3. Lack of credible and timely information continues to be a problem in addressing the issue.

4. Health care information technology has largely neglected the infection control arena.

5. Practitioners spend a great deal of time tracking and reporting metrics, rather than undertaking prevention measures.

RFID technologies can simultaneously address each of these points in a cost-effective, timely and accurate manner.

Imagine for a moment that clinicians were required wash their hands and apply hand sanitizer prior to coming into direct contact with patients to complete their purpose, whether it is medication dispensing or surgical procedures. If they did not wash their hands prior to approaching the patient’s bedside they would be warned. If they did not heed the warning their supervisor and/or quality control officer would immediately and automatically receive an email reporting the incident. This is possible now, and is just one simple example of an inexpensive application of RFID technology that could potentially save the industry billions of dollars. Let me explain how this would work.

Doctors’ badges would have an embedded tag or label affixed to them. Strategically located readers in bathrooms, at sinks, doorways and patient beds or patient wristbands would pick up the signal from the badge when within range. The range could be very close for the sinks, such that the clinician would have to actually touch the faucet in order for it to pick up the signal, while for the beds (or patient wristbands) a wider range could be set up, perhaps a 5 foot radius. A rule would be set in the system that would signal a notification of some type to be prompted if the reader near the bed/wristband picks up the signal without the ID badge first being sensed by the reader at the sink (or in the bathroom). The warning could be a flashing light, a message appearing on a monitor, or another action that is set by the system rules. A time rule could be set up to require that within one minute of the warning, the ID badge must be read by the sink reader, or an immediate report of the lapse in procedure would be sent to whomever, and would be entered into the incident reporting database, the patient’s EHR and/or any other health information system.

This is a simple example of how evidence-based, health care IT can be applied to:

1. Prevent many HAIs and the cost associated with them.

2. Foster and maintain a culture of safety with shared accountability.

3. Provide real-time, accurate information on compliance and violations.

4. Manage infection control through evidence-based practices supported by information technology.

5. Free infection control practitioners from manually tracking and reporting metrics, allowing them instead to focus on more ways to enhance safety measures.

This, again, is just one small application of RFID in health care that would yield vast results immediately upon installation. The ROI is rapidly realized through cost savings, risk reduction and improved patient care. And, once an RFID infrastructure is in place, it can be expanded to include various other areas where health care providers commonly experience “pains” that can be costly and inefficient.

Some of these pains include, medication errors, procedure errors, inefficiency of facility and equipment use, overstocking of medication and supplies, lack of visibility into patient flow processes, asset utilization and location, loss due to shrinkage, and the list goes on.

Perhaps those who make decisions about applications of IT in health care settings should reconsider the role IT can play in facilitating safe practices that result in improved patient care, reduced costs and minimized risks. All stakeholders benefit from a safer, more efficient and more economical health care system. Download PDF

For more information on Health Care RFID, contact Dynamic at www.dcc-online.com/rfid, or call toll free: 866-257-2111.


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.

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.