CenTrak's InTouchCare™ RTLS Solution Recognized As "Best Of Breed" In Journal Of Healthcare Information Management
CenTrak, a leading provider of Real-Time Locations Systems (RTLS) for tracking equipment and people indoors, has been recognized in the Journal of Healthcare Information Management (JHIM) for its "best of breed" InTouchCare™ tracking system. The article, entitled "The Optimal RTLS Solution for Hospitals," evaluated RTLS technologies in three key tracking technology criteria for hospitals: accuracy and precision; installation and scalability; and flexibility. In all three measures, InTouchCare best met hospitals' needs.
CenTrak's product is different than legacy solutions because its hybrid technology utilizes a new generation of Infrared (Gen2IR) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The InTouchCare room Monitor device emits an invisible infrared signal that is received by any InTouchCare Tag in rooms, hallways or even open bays. Tags can be placed on people, medical equipment, beds, or other assets. The Tags return the signal to indicate their location. The Room Monitors send the location data to the InTouchCare Location Server using a hospitals' existing Wi-Fi network or via Ethernet, where it can be accessed in real-time by hospital personnel. The Location Server can also be accessed by Asset Management, Work Flow, Bed Management, and many other applications in order to automate or offer additional functionality.
Since infrared light cannot penetrate walls like other RF Technologies, such as Ultra Wide Band (UWB) and ZigBee, InTouchCare can provide hospitals 100% room-level, and sub-room level accuracy thanks to CenTrak's "Virtual Wall" technology. This is a significant advantage over competing solutions that, according to the JHIM article, are accurate an estimated 70 percent of the time and therefore not a practical long-term option for hospitals. For hospitals, a 30 percent difference is significant, as knowing the accurate location of assets and people can result in measurable cost savings through increased productivity and decreased loss of medical equipment, among other things.
"This article reinforces for the market what our customers already know — 100 percent accuracy is possible and necessary for hospitals," said Ari Naim, Ph.D., president and CEO of CenTrak. "With our simple tool, any healthcare organization can track people and equipment in real-time. Substantial utilization of InTouchCare across an enterprise will result in increased efficiency and productivity."
Low total cost of ownership was also noted as an advantage of InTouchCare in the JHIM article. Because the Room Monitors are battery-powered with a five-year battery life, the technology can be quickly and simply set up in any location. Little maintenance is required, and Monitors can be easily added into new area for efficient scaling.
CenTrak's InTouchCare system is currently tracking people and items across millions of square feet in hospitals and other medical facilities nationwide.
About CenTrak
CenTrak is a leading provider of precise, adaptable, and cost-effective tracking solutions for healthcare, commercial, and industrial facilities. The company develops and markets Active-RFID network products used for tracking people and assets in real time, enabling greater workflow efficiency, asset utilization, and higher overall security. The patented InTouchCare™ Real Time Location System (RTLS) offers breakthrough performance and cost advantages that had been previously unattainable. It is the first predominantly battery-powered Active RFID network system in the world and it is currently operating in several world-class healthcare sites in the United States. For more information about CenTrak, please visit www.centrak.com.
SOURCE: CenTrak