[LINK] Real-Time Location System (RTLS) technology

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

"The US Department of Veterans Affairs deploys millions of sensors to 
track, well, everything.  HP picked to put in the large tracking system"

By Patrick Thibodeau  (Computerworld US)  17th January, 2013
<http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/446847/va_deploys_millions_sensors_track
_well_everything/>


The US Department of Veterans Affairs has begun installing millions of 
sensors on just about anything that costs more than $50.

The technology will be used to track medical equipment, supplies, 
specimens and implants, and eventually medical personnel and patients.

Hewlett-Packard, said it had been awarded the $US543 million, five-year 
contract to begin deploying Real-Time Location System (RTLS) technology 
throughout VA facilities nationwide. 

RTLS is an umbrella term for a range of wireless and scanning 
technologies that include Wi-Fi-based location tracking, as well as RFID 
tags.

This system is intended to make the VA more efficient in how it uses 
supplies, manages its inventory and delivers services to patients. 

It will be able to send alerts if equipment is moved outside a designated 
area, or if a patient has moved into a restricted area, as well as 
monitor the temperatures of supplies.

The VA believes the impact of RTLS technology on patient care can 
be "significant," and that it will improve the quality of patient safety 
and care and reduce asset management costs.

With RTLS, the VA will also be able to help determine, for instance, 
whether equipment has been sterilized after use, or how long it has been 
waiting to be cleaned, according to one of the procurement documents.

Although the contract is big, Ray Bjorklund, vice president and chief 
knowledge officer at Deltek, a market research firm, said it's a small 
sum for the VA, which spends about $2 billion on IT contracting annually.

Debbie Elgot, the portfolio manager, RTLS Solutions in HP Enterprise 
Services, said the system, among other things, will enable faster 
locating of supplies. Some medical workers hoard supplies and stock more 
than they need because of fears they won't be able find a certain item 
when it's needed, she said.

Many suppliers are now shipping products with tags for use in RFID and Wi-
Fi systems, Elgot said.

The initial deployment will focus on supplies and equipment, but not 
people.

A big part of the contract will be discovering new ways to use the 
massive amount of data to improve workflow and operations, Elgot said.

--

Cheers,
Stephen