RTLS: The Horizon Real-Time Location System From McKesson Optimizes Asset Utilization, Saves Hundreds Of Thousands In Unneeded Costs
McKesson, the world's largest healthcare services, automation and information technology company, recently announced the general availability of the Horizon Real-Time Location System. The system uses a hospital's existing 802.11 Wi-Fi network, active RFID (radio frequency identification) technology, and software to instantly track the location and movements of critical assets and hospital personnel. The Horizon Real-Time Location system delivers a rapid and strong return on investment by reducing the cost of "lost" equipment and needless re-ordering, while increasing patient safety and throughput by locating critical equipment for caregivers.
The small, active RFID tags are affixed to critical assets or to key individuals. The tags send signals over the wireless network to a location engine that uses software to map and report tag locations on a geospatial view of the hospital. Software alert functionality sends automated text or emergency pages when equipment leaves authorized areas of the hospital.
Rapidly locating critical equipment such as IV pumps, defibrillators, crash carts and wheelchairs can make the difference in safe patient outcomes, while also improving asset utilization. Additionally, program administrators quickly can find and direct critical hospital staff to reduce clinical workflow bottlenecks and thereby increase patient throughput.
The Horizon Real-Time Location System and the enterprise patient care visibility technology from the recently acquired Awarix, Inc. enable McKesson to offer hospitals unequaled views into the status of patients, caregivers and essential equipment for better management of capacity and patient throughput.
"McKesson's RFID solutions are a smart use of dollars because they are designed to leverage our customers' existing healthcare IT applications and infrastructure assets," said David Souerwine, president of McKesson's automation unit. "This approach enables us to rapidly develop and bring to market RFID-enabled solutions, and it enables our customers to more quickly benefit from the advantages of RFID technology."
Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, S.C. a 588-bed research and teaching hospital, has used the Horizon Real-Time Location System for the past nine months to wirelessly track and electronically record the location history of 550 IV pumps. "This system started paying for itself the day that it was installed," said Ray Shingler, senior vice president and chief information officer. "In fact, we cancelled our planned order of 50 new IV pumps at $10,000 each because we located 25 of them in stand-by storage. Now, we know with assurance where all of our IV pumps are at any time. That has saved a tremendous amount of time for our nursing and IT staffs, and contributes to patient safety."
At 100-bed WellStar Douglas Hospital, Douglasville, Ga., the Horizon Real-Time Location System has been tracking computers on wheels for the past several months. Whenever a tagged unit leaves an approved nursing zone, alerts are sent to the assigned facility IT administrators. Said Leigh Cox, chief information officer, "The main benefits we expect to gain from this system are improved compliance with HIPAA (Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), Joint Commission, and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations, and an increased ability to prevent theft."
The Horizon Real-Time Location System uses small, battery-powered RFID tags affixed to the high-value assets to transmit location data. The system condenses this data into meaningful text and graphical images. Caregivers, bio-medical staff, and administrative personnel use a Web browser to view an electronic map of the facility to instantly pinpoint and track identified assets. The tracked objects can be grouped hierarchically into logical groups—for instance, type, purpose or location—to increase asset management efficiency. Powerful alert functionality sends automated text, sound or e-mail alerts when critical equipment has entered preset off-limits areas, such as a stairwell or a building exterior.
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 18th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson is the longest-operating company in healthcare today, and will mark 175 years of continuous operations in 2008. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients.
For more information, visit www.mckesson.com
SOURCE: McKesson