From Health Data Management
Nov 02, 2004

Hospital Realizes Benefits, ROI with Automated Patient Tracking

By Joseph Goedert, News Editor

(November 2004) Last May, Hannibal (Mo.) Regional Hospital implemented radio frequency identification technology to track patients throughout its ambulatory care unit. The unit-which includes a surgical suite-offers such services as injections, blood transfusions and radiology.

The idea was to better understand the flow of patients through the treatment process to achieve consistent quality, better scheduling and improved inventory control. "You cannot manage what you cannot measure," states Judy Patterson, director of perioperative services at the 91-bed facility.

Using patient and staff badges with embedded RFID chips that communicate with tracking software via antennas throughout the unit, hospital officials soon learned that 20% of outpatient treatment was being handled after hours.

"Now we can offer physicians block-scheduling - giving them the times they want - and track their utilization of those block times," Patterson says. "Some physicians were not using 50% of their time." If a physician complains that patients are late in arriving at treatment rooms, hospital managers can pull up data on the times patients entered the room; if a problem exists, they can analyze work processes to determine why.

Hannibal Regional is using badges with RFID chip technology and antennas from Lawrence, Mass.-based Radianse Inc., integrated with the PathFinder tracking software of Pittsburgh-based PeriOptimum.

The vendors are strategic partners. The hospital is implementing PeriOptimum's perioperative information system in three phases, starting with the tracking module. The hospital expects to go live with the vendor's scheduling software by year's end and patient charting in 2005.

Once the entire information system is implemented, Hannibal Regional plans to start tracking such equipment as cameras, portable X-ray machines, scopes, lights and surgical tools. It already is using the RFID technology to track epidural pumps in the birthing unit to solve a recurring problem. "We often had trouble finding them late at night," Patterson says.

More benefits

Hannibal Regional's RFID badges include three programmable buttons to time-stamp specific events during a procedure. A nurse, for instance, can press one button to mark the time a patient is ready for anesthesia; the anesthesiologist then presses a second button upon arrival in the room, and a third button when ready to administer anesthesia.

Such time-stamping further enables hospital officials to analyze workflow patterns and make changes, if necessary, Patterson explains. "We're finding ways of utilizing our time better."

RFID technology is a good way to help hospitals improve efficiency and productivity, especially in potentially high-profit areas of the facility, says David Patterson, president of The Patterson Group, a Chicago-based information technology consulting firm. "Surgery and a couple other departments are where profit margins are greatest," he notes. "Knowing where resources are and how they are being utilized is one of the foundations of managing costs."

Improved infection control is another benefit of the RFID technology, says perioperative services director Judy Patterson (no relation to David). For instance, the infection control nurse can monitor the times an incision is made in a surgical patient and the incision is closed. Knowing those times enables the nurse to determine if a schedule delay or other reason kept a patient exposed to infection longer than the actual surgical procedure.

"Research shows infections can be linked back to the length of a surgical procedure," says consultant David Patterson. "Infection can be a significant cost issue if hospitals do not manage it well."

In general, the cost of RFID technology for this kind of application in a 200-bed hospital runs from $200,000 to $300,000, depending on the volume of assets tracked and the precision of the tracking, says John Pantano, vice president of marketing at Radianse. The vendor has eight installations of its technology in health care.

Radianse's RFID-enabled badges also support dual use of infrared technology. While radio frequency devices typically transmit data via antennas in the ceiling, the vendor uses wall-mounted receivers that act as an antenna and an infrared reader. Combining the technologies enables more focused pinpointing of small devices or equipment within a room, Pantano says.

Hannibal Regional, however, is not using the product's infrared feature because it is content with its RFID capabilities, says Phyllis Paris, director of information systems.

High cost?

Use of RFID, though, can be a significant cost for a small hospital, Judy Patterson says. However, Hannibal Regional expects a return on investment within 12 months through reduced overtime costs, increased efficiencies from block scheduling and better inventory control.

A payback within 12 to 18 months using RFID technology to track assets is common, contends consultant David Patterson.

Entering data into the tracking software before going live was the largest challenge Hannibal Regional Hospital faced, a task that took about a month to complete, Judy Patterson says.

Training staff and selling the system to physicians and anesthesiologists was a manageable challenge. However, keeping track of patient badges was a problem early on. The hospital had to remind staff members not to throw the badges away or let patients leave the hospital with them.

The hospital also had to dedicate a couple of computer monitors - soon to be three more - just to display ambulatory care center maps on which movements are tracked. "We thought we could use the maps from our desktops," Judy Patterson says, "but we have to keep the screen up at all times."

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