Hospitals Extend RFID and RTLS to New Applications

As service organizations driven by process efficiency and patient safety, hospitals have been an "early adopter" of RTLS and RFID asset tracking.   Early applications included monitoring the location of medical equipment in patient rooms, as well as monitoring patients and medical staff. 

Now primary care providers are deploying RFID asset tracking in more diversified settings and applications, from inventory management of consumables and supplies to process compliance in central sterile and in-house testing labs. 

Common RFID-enabled processes in Hospitals include:

• Specimen Tracking
• Managing Medication Across Multiple Supply Locations
• Surgical Instrument Processing

Surgical instrument processing is well suited to RFID automation, which enables error proofing the intake, inspection, sterilization and kitting of surgical instruments and scopes, as illustrated below:

Automating a Medical Scope Tracking Process with RFID

RFID in O&G - Multiple Use Cases for Multi-Faceted Operations

When asked by an Oil and Gas firm "Why Should We Use RFID?" our conversation ultimately leads to process challenges within the business.  Oil and Gas firms are complex entities, that may span operations as diverse as Exploration and Production to Petroleum Refining to Retail.   

So sometimes an Oil and Gas firm can be like a Chemical company, a Consumer Goods Manufacturer, a Retailer, a Mining company.  

We summarized some of the facets of an O&G firm (and some of the most common use cases specific to RFID) in the table below.

We'll keep refining (no pun intended) the list of use cases as we go along.

RFID's Role in Healthcare Process Automation

RTLS and RFID have played an important role in improving Healthcare process efficiency, tracking medical equipment, staff and patients in busy hospital facilities.

RFID is now being used as an automation tool, much as it has been in industrial manufacturing, to monitor and manage critical process flows in hospitals and laboratories.  Central sterile and laboratory processes require the same checks and balances as complex assembly processes, after all.  Building a surgical kit, and managing the disinfection cycle of surgical instruments is not much different than kitting shipments in a manufacturing facility or managing materials in a clean room environment.

At the HIMSS show this month, we demonstrated a surgical instrument tracking application with RFID using a Motorola handheld reader and ruggedized tags from Xerafy.  It resulted in many interesting discussions on how process automation may be one of the hidden benefits of an Intelligent Hospital.

RFID and RTLS in Healthcare and Life Sciences [Infographic]

It's a common misconception that there's only one use case for RTLS and RFID in Healthcare: tracking hospital equipment across patient rooms.   We're seeing primary care providers, testing labs and pharmaceutical manufacturers implementing the technology for dozens of other use cases, within core operations and across the value chain.  The infographic below illustrates some of these applications.

Harsh Reality for RFID & RTLS -- It's About the ROI

Just presented at RFID Journal's RFID in Harsh Environments event on the evolving business case and ROI metrics for RFID.   The definition of "Harsh Environments" is quite broad, but it generally applies to extreme temperatures/operating conditions, remote worksites and hazardous or highly-regulated materials.   Harsh Environments span multiple industries including Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Aerospace & Defense, Healthcare and Industrial Equipment -- as shown below:

RFID Application Areas in Harsh Environments

Once we get past the definition of a harsh environment, it's important to look at the value drivers for RFID and RTLS (we support all Auto-ID modalities, so we use the terms interchangeably).   The industries listed above, by nature, have complex asset management challenges that are well suited to RFID automation.   We see three primary drivers for RFID adoption in harsh environments:

1. Cost Pressure -- where 100s of millions of dollars/euros/pounds of capital equipment impacts working capital allocation -- a reduction in redundant equipment or write-off/repair of non-working assets can have an impact on operating profit.
2. New Programs -- with new exploration projects, aircraft programs, infrastructure projects comes revenue opportunity -- and customer scrutiny.  Customers are increasingly demanding transparency for programs in progress - not just at critical milestones.  RFID visibility can help provide this transparency, leading to stronger partnerships and minimizing the risk of contract breach.
3. Operational Risk -- the only way to address compliance, audit and safety issues is to build error proofing into the process automation. 

RFID & RTLS in Healthcare - Part 2 - What Assets to Track?

A common myth in healthcare is that RTLS and RFID are only used to track the location and movement of medical equipment.  

But that neglects the fact that healthcare and life science firms have infrastructure to maintain like every other business. Hospitals, pharmaceutical firms and research labs have capital equipment that needs to be tracked and traced; IT assets; consumables and supplies; tissue samples; tools; vehicles and transportation devices.

And location is not the only thing that needs to be tracked. Since consumables and tissue samples are perishable and specialized equipment needs to be regularly calibrated, maintained and/or sterilized, updating an asset's location along with its current status helps ensure patient safety. 

The following table lists examples of assets tracked with RFID in Healthcare:

More information:
RTLS & RFID use cases in Healthcare
White paper download "RFID and RTLS in Healthcare: Myths and Realities".

RFID & RTLS in Healthcare: Part 1 - Who Uses RFID in Healthcare?

A common myth is that large hospitals are the only adopters of RFID and RTLS technology in healthcare.  

The reality?  RFID Asset Tracking is being widely used in a number of different healthcare segments other than hospitals. 

These include medical labs, emergency medical services, doctor’s offices and clinics, and even manufacturers of healthcare products, supplies and medications. Even relatively small doctors’ practices are using asset tracking to track equipment for service and maintenance schedules, as well as keep track of incoming medication and consumables. And, hospitals are deploying asset tracking in highly diversified settings and applications, from inventory management of equipment and supplies to compliance and real-time asset location.  

The following table lists some of the most common business processes for RFID  and RTLS Asset Tracking:

Common RFID-RTLS ApplicaTIONS – HEALTHCARE

Our RFID & RTLS in Healthcare - Myths and Realities guide has more information. 

Introducing the Airbus A350 - First RFID-enabled Aircraft

The Airbus A350 made its formal debut at the Paris Air Show this week.
It is the first aircraft to be RFID-enabled from the ground up, with approximately 3000 RFID-tagged component parts on each A350.
The RFID tags are designed to remain with the parts throughout their entire lifecycle in order to digitally store the full maintenance history - improving process automation and traceability for suppliers, airlines and MRO providers.

RFID Journal details the part marking announcement here. OATSystems has worked closely with Airbus since 2008 -- first to RFID-enable the A380 supply chain and then to roll out part marking programs for the Airbus A350.
More info on the Airbus A350 Part Marking Program, and supplier packages here.

How to Track Tools with RFID

OAT Systems Engineer Kapil Asher demonstrates how to track hand tools, tooling, specialized equipment and conveyances with RFID technology

From bearing pullers to digital calipers to composite tooling, jigs, right-to-use tools and FOD prevention, a flexible RFID tracking system has it covered.

5 Myths About Asset Tracking in Healthcare

In any new application area, it’s easy to run into misconceptions or just flat-out errors about the applicability or challenges associated with a technology such as asset tracking. Asset tracking has a long, impressive track record in a wide variety of industries with similar supply chains and workflows as healthcare – such as industrial manufacturing and even retailing. Here are a few common myths and the real-worth truths about the utility of asset tracking in healthcare, from an article in Healthcare Technology Online:

Redefining Tool Tracking for Equipment and Indirect Materials

Tools = Tooling = Indirect Materials = Conveyances = Equipment

Every industry and every business function needs to track capital equipment, whether it's used for service, manufacturing or  distribution operations.

For service providers in Healthcare, Aviation, Utilities and Transportation, the cost of tracking equipment is not just related to the value of the asset, but how often it is needed. A missing wheelchair or infusion pump can compromise patient care. A missing towbar or test kit can result in flight delays. 
For manufacturers - particularly for those with complex processes , production equipment and tooling is highly-specialized, single-sourced and difficult to replace. Misplaced or out-of-spec equipment can derail a production schedule.
For logistics providers - conveyances and reusable transport items (RTIs) must be carefully managed - missing conveyances make for missed shipments.

On the OATSystems website we have separate sections for equipment tracking and tool tracking based on how indirect materials are defined in different industries.  

When building our "asset wall"  and asset tracking for RFID Journal Live this year, we used sample assets from healthcare, manufacturing, aviation and transportation.   In this case, we didn't need to define "tool tracking" in a thousand words - we had the pictures, (of surgical trays, medical supplies, infusion pumps, autoclaves, ventilators, conveyances, bearing pullers, digital calipers, roll cages, composite tooling...) instead.

Tips for RFID Tool Tracking Deployments

A few deployment tips we've learned from RFID Tool Tracking deployments:

Before you get started: 

1. Determine What Types of Tools Need to Be Tracked (hand tools, indirect materials, conveyances, right to use tooling)
2. Figure Out Exactly What You Need to Know About the Tool (beyond its location)
3. Know which Adjacent Processes are Impacted by Tool Tracking  (you may be able to gain additional efficiencies and/or secure additional budget for your project)
4. Understand Whether Tracking Data Needs to be Shared With Your Enterprise Systems (ERP, MRO, Program Mgt, MMS, etc).  You may be able to use some of your enterprise systems budget as part of your project.

More details, and a tool tracking planning guide

RFID in Manufacturing: New Trends, New Rules

This week, we participated in an RFID in Manufacturing Event with RFID Journal, to discuss 5 new trends driving the adoption of RFID in manufacturing operations:  

1. Multi-Facility Assembly
2. Design to Delivery
3. Product Innovation
4. Customer-facing Operations
5. Enterprise Asset Management

Manufacturing operations are getting more and more complex, and RFID is helping to automate critical processes -- so that manufacturers can continue to innovate, design and deliver.

The deployment guide accompanying the event outlines key process areas where RFID can make a difference in manufacturing efficiency, along with specific use cases, process flows and integration options. 

Defining Asset Tracking

There may be as many definitions for "RFID Asset Tracking" as there are RFID Asset Tracking deployments.  Assets vary by industry and business function and can range from medical devices in healthcare to composite materials in manufacturing, to transport vehicles in logistics to plant & equipment in industrial manufacturing.  Some of the most common examples are listed here:

Asset Tracking Examples by Industry and Function