Where Did We Put That Wheelchair?

Although Dillehunt has not measured the financial return, he is confident the hospital will recoup the cost of the technology--primarily by maintaining more realistic inventories. "We know we have more IV pumps than we need," he says. "So we can start reducing the inventory. Before we put in this technology, we had pumps everywhere. Now it is much easier to find them."

The robotic-enabled RFID does have its limitations, however. "The Aethon Tug won't lend itself to real-time patient tracking," Dillehunt observes, referencing the handful of hospitals that have incorporated RFID-based patient tracking into the ED or birthing center. "But I am not convinced of the ROI on patient tracking, anyway."

-Gary Baldwin

'Brain' keeps supplies current

RFID can also help a hospital better manage a frequently used supply closet. At King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, RFID-equipped cabinets are used in the interventional cardiology and vascular suites to keep track of the supplies on hand. Since the system was installed almost two years ago, David Layne, director of finance for the 385-licensed-bed hospital's Heart and Vascular Center, says his office has seen a significant decrease in wasted supplies.

"I think we were losing between $250,000 and $300,000 a year in inventory," Layne says. "Now, we don't lose any more than $15,000 a year. We've really seen a measurable improvement."

At any given time, KDMC has more than $2.5 million worth of cardiology supplies on hand. The cabinet-based iRISupply, created by Pittsburgh-based Mobile Aspects, uses sensors located inside the cabinets to receive information from RFID tags placed on each piece of equipment. The tags store data about the item's manufacturer, its serial number and expiration date.

"As soon as it is in the cabinet, [the RFID system] knows it's there. It knows the manufacturer, expiration date and all the dirty details," Layne says.

To access the cabinets, employees scan their hospital ID badge and a sticker that identifies the patient for which the supplies are needed, says Teri Caproni, material management specialist at the Heart and Vascular Center. "We can tell anytime someone removes something from the cabinet, who took it out, and what patient it was used for," she says.

The tracking system came in handy recently when a defibrillator lead manufacturer issued a recall, Layne says. KDMC instantly identified which patients received the defibrillator lead and quickly informed patients about the recall.

Since the system was put in place, Caproni says she's noticed staff members are more aware of how many supplies they take from the cabinet and take responsibility for making sure that unused items are returned to the cabinet. "Before, everything was kept on an open shelf. It was difficult to keep track of items borrowed from other facilities," Caproni says. "This lets us track all stock items."

In November, KDMC started using its RFID system to automate the ordering of supplies. Twice each day, the "brain" provides a summary of the cabinet's usage and orders the needed supplies. This means the hospital orders only the supplies that it needs and reduces the chance of an abundance of supplies causing some to become obsolete. Eventually, Caproni says, the equipment will be used to bill patients directly for procedures. Layne, who declined to share how much the system cost, says it may eventually expand to other parts of the hospital, but for right now, the hospital is focused on making the RFID system as productive as possible for the Heart and Vascular Center. The medical center has already seen the benefits of having the iRISupply on site, he says.

"It's expensive, but it pays for itself," he says.

-Maureen Larkin