Real-time locating systems, or RTLS, were on full display at AAMI 2012 in Charlotte, N.C.

RTLS is used for asset management as well as workflow management, efficiency and infection control. By affixing tags to devices, or having employees wear badges embedded with the technology, facilities have the ability to find what -- or who -- they need immediately.

"It helps reduce costs because there's an accounting for what equipment is being used," said Joel Cook, health care solutions director for AeroScout, a provider of the technology. "Management can see how often a particular type of device is being used and then make an informed decision when there's a request for more of the devices by staff. One way to look at it is, if there are 12 infusion pumps and only six are being used, it'll be obvious that there's no need to order more."
Tony Natale, manager of strategic partnerships for Centrak, noted that an RTLS also helps curb the tendency for facility staff to squirrel away equipment so that they will never go without. "Hospitals are aware and used to this practice, so purchase orders often overshoot what the hospital realistically needs to account for the devices going into staff lockers, or being hidden in storerooms or just being misplaced," he said. "By using RTLS, if a device is needed and it's not where it's supposed to be, it can be found quickly, so it cuts down on the need to over-purchase."

Keeping tabs

RTLS also help with staffing and patient care. When staff wears badges which track their movement throughout the hospital, the information gathered can be analyzed to determine better ways to make their jobs more efficient, leading to happier employees and patients receiving better care. For example, if nurses regularly use a piece of equipment in one wing of the hospital, but it's stored in another wing, a hospital keeping track of the additional travel may find it worthwhile to provide a storage area closer to the area of use, saving time and energy for the employees.

By tracking employee movement, facilities can also better manage infection control. "We're able to track when employees wash their hands as well as which employees have been in contact with an infected patient," said Dick Tabbutt, executive chairman for Sonitor Technologies.

PM compliance tracking

Perhaps the tipping point for a hospital's adoption of RTLS will be delivered when all deliberations are finished regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' changes to preventative maintenance requirements, which were introduced late last year.

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