Press Releases
PinnacleHealth extends Radianse Reveal asset tracking to Community Hospital
Among the largest active-RFID deployments in healthcare, Pennsylvania system achieved ROI in months
September 23, 2008, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - The return on investment from real-time asset tracking came in just 12 months for PinnacleHealth’s flagship 546-bed Harrisburg Hospital. After two years of increasing reliance on a Radianse real-time location system (RTLS) to support better equipment utilization, the payback continues from reduced losses and increased staff productivity and satisfaction. This week, PinnacleHealth upgraded its existing Radianse location software and continues the expansion of Radianse Reveal asset tracking to Community Hospital.
“Covering both hospitals was always a part of our vision,” explained George Morley, director of biomedical engineering for PinnacleHealth. “But the case for expansion grew stronger as we realized fewer equipment losses and reduced search time at Harrisburg Hospital. Real-time location is so well-used that our return on investment came in about 12 months. People depend on it to find what they need when they need it, which keeps them focused on the high-value aspects of their jobs.”
The 148-bed Community Hospital serves Central Pennsylvania residents with emergency, radiology, orthopedic, laboratory and surgical services across its campus. When complete, the Radianse RTLS will let hospital staff across the PinnacleHealth system immediately locate as many as 10,000 devices – among the largest active-RFID deployments in healthcare. The Radianse system will also alert staff when equipment moves between the two sites.
Finding the ROI – real dollars and the value of time
With every new device tagged, and the expansion to Community, Morley has his eye on greater savings and satisfaction across PinnacleHealth. Just by increasing the availability of wheelchairs, Morley sees a chance to improve patient and staff satisfaction, discharge times and staff efficiency.
“The success at PinnacleHealth is largely based on its sophistication in understanding how to achieve the full potential of this technology,” said Manuel Lowenhaupt, MD, Radianse president and CEO. “They did their homework to understand known loss rates, capital budget impact, installation and maintenance requirements and costs, interference risks – and they went house wide at the larger of their facilities to track virtually any device requested by staff members. That is both responsible and responsive – a sure way to achieve a strong return on investment.”
Among the new features PinnacleHeath will take advantage of with the latest installation – using Radianse WiFi-enabled receivers. “The beauty of this is that we are able to use WiFi to transmit data and the Radianse location technology for accuracy and precision,” said Morley, noting that using a mix of wired and wireless Radianse receivers will reduce installation costs without increasing risk of interference.
Radianse uses patented algorithms, active-RFID and the 433MHz UHF band to calculate location. This band has been safely used for decades to monitor EKGs of ambulatory patients. PinnacleHealth also uses real-time patient tracking across perioperative services at Harrisburg Hospital, where the Radianse platform has contributed to increased efficiency, communication and staff and patient satisfaction.
About PinnacleHealth
PinnacleHealth is a charitable organization committed to improving the health and quality of life for the people of Central Pennsylvania. PinnacleHealth includes four campuses (Community, Harrisburg, Polyclinic and Cumberland), FamilyCare physician practices, home health and hospice services, FirstPlace urgent care center and an array of healthcare services.
About Radianse
Radianse provides intelligent solutions for healthcare by automatically collecting and processing real-time location data, movement history, associations and relationship information on high-value assets, including equipment, patients and staff. Our patented algorithms and advanced software applications help optimize business processes, enhance patient throughput, reduce costs and improve operational efficiency within healthcare. Radianse products have been installed in more than 75 hospitals.