Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Las Vegas Hospital Implements RFID Tracking System

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

“We’re always seeking out new ways to allow our talented staff to focus on their job of providing outstanding care for our patients …”

As such, Exavera Technologies and Patient Care Technology Systems this week finished implementing an integrated RFID and Real-Time Location System (RTLS) at the Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital in Las Vegas. The system will help track clinical and non-clinical assets.

The 118-bed acute care facility is part of Fundamental LTC’s family of healthcare facility.



Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital Launches RFID-Based Asset Tracking Solution from Exavera and Patient Care Technology Systems Integrated Real-Time Location System Poised to Improve Workflow and Cut Costs at Las Vegas Healthcare Facility

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. & MISSION VIEJO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exavera Technologies Incorporated and Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS) today announced their successful implementation of an integrated Real-Time Location System (RTLS) at the Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harmon, a 118-bed sub-acute care facility, is part of the Fundamental LTC family of healthcare facilities. The hospital’s staff will use the browser-based solution to locate nearly 300 assets in both clinical and non-clinical areas throughout the entire hospital.

At the core of the solution is Exavera’s eShepherd™ Location Services solution, which includes RFID tags and readers as well as intelligent software to calculate the whereabouts of tagged items. PCTS’ Amelior Tracker™ software represents an intuitive end-user interface that allows hospital staff to locate a wide array of clinical and non-clinical assets, including pumps, wheelchairs, telemetry equipment and even maintenance tools from any computer on the hospital network. Amelior Tracker also offers the analytical tools to optimize asset usage and inventory.

“At Fundamental, we’re always seeking out new ways to allow our talented staff to focus on their job of providing outstanding care for our patients,” said Scott Hillegass, vice president at Fundamental Long Term Care. “With the deployment of the Exavera/PCTS solution, we will be minimizing the time our healthcare professionals spend searching for the tools of the trade, in turn maximizing their time as caregivers.”

“The deployment at Harmon is our most exciting to date, as our partnership with Patient Care Technology Systems takes the value of our solution to all new levels,” said Scott Zeller, vice president of corporate affairs at Exavera. “The insight we provide coupled with the analytical tools inherent in the Amelior suite translates to an optimized workflow model and significant cost savings for any hospital.”

From any nurse’s station throughout the hospital, staff members can search for a specific item or the nearest of a particular type of asset. The results are shown both as a text-based report sorted by location and as a “dot-on-a-map” visual representation. When clicking on a particular item, the asset record appears, including information such as manufacturer, serial number, and calibration or maintenance notes. In the second phase of the deployment, security alerts will be delivered to appropriate staff members when certain items are leaving the building. Furthermore, through the analysis of location history, asset utilization and inventory can be significantly improved.

“There is a great deal of excitement around here, as this system solves the universal problem in hospitals of finding a particular piece of equipment when you need it,” said Jan Vinson, clinical director at Harmon.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Exavera’s RFID infrastructure,” said Tony Marsico, CEO of PCTS. “The ease with which our solutions have integrated demonstrates their flexibility to support the diversity of workflow processes in healthcare environments.”

About Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital and Fundamental

Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital is a 118-bed sub-acute care facility. At Harmon Medical and Rehabilitation Hospital patients are cared for by a highly skilled professional staff, which includes Physicians, Registered Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists and Dietitians. Harmon is part of the Fundamental LTC family of healthcare facilities.

About Exavera Technologies

Exavera Technologies Incorporated combines RFID and WLAN technologies to build advanced networks that enable the identification, location and tracking of people and assets. Headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the company focuses on using the insight provided by their solution to automate processes and optimize workflow. For more information, visit www.exavera.com. [end] 

The Basque National Health System has launched a neonatal security system designed to monitor and protect new-born infants using RFID technology.

When a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital, she is provided a tag with a unique identification which can be read in all the maternity zones. When the baby is born, an RFID tag specially designed for the new born is fitted to its ankle. The device monitors the infant 24 hours a day, detecting unauthorized movements, registering entries and exits to and from and enabling immediate location information.

read more »

The John Radcliffe Hospital has implemented AeroScout’s Asset Tracking & Management and Temperature Monitoring solutions to track and manage critical equipment and monitor refrigeration units that contain vital, temperature sensitive items.

read more »

HID Global announced an expanded portfolio of RFID asset tracking solutions designed to meet the demands of industries including logistics, automation and manufacturing, medical and health care, returnable transport items and waste management.

read more »

Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a pair of encapsulated RFID mini-transponders designed for applications in animal tagging and asset tracking.

The 12mm TRPGR30TGC and TRPGP40TGC mini-transponders were developed to enable users a battery-free solution for embedding RFID tags into smaller objects across a broader range of applications. These transponders come ready-to-use and are 100 percent backwards compatible with all of TI’s RFID software and readers including power modules, control modules and micro readers.

read more »

HID Global unveiled the latest addition to its portfolio of RFID tags, with the announcement of the IronTag 176 ultra-high frequency (UHF) transponder.

This durable tag is suited for tracking a variety of metal parts and equipment. Originally designed for tracking aircraft parts during assembly and maintenance, the IronTag endures the harsh conditions of manufacturing and processing as well as vehicle and equipment operation.

read more »

Centros Especializados de San Vicente Fundacion, Columbia has chosen Orange Business Services to integrate and deliver RFID-based technology and communications services at its new branch launched in October.

read more »