Awarepoint helps Toledo Medical Center achieve high visibility of assets
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The University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC) now uses an active RFID system to send signals through the ZigBee wireless mesh network to track more than 1,000 assets between several buildings in the hospital. According to the hospital, the equipment greatly improves the visibility of assets and leased equipment, thereby saving costs.
“Our equipment is often missing, and we need to stop this from happening,” said Steven Hanenkrath, UTMC’s technical support manager. Hospitals do not want to install new equipment (such as RFID readers) or expand existing wireless Wi-Fi networks (add access points where Wi-Fi RFID tags cannot be read).
Therefore, RTLS provider Awarepoint proposed another solution: use tag readers-namely sensors in hospitals, and plug them directly into a 120 volt power outlet. Awarepoint sensors and battery-powered tags use the IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) communication protocol to send their unique ID codes, making them function like receivers. The devices communicate with each other using the mesh network protocol until an Awarepoint bridge receives their data, and the bridge uses a cable Ethernet connection to transfer the data to the Awarepoint software running on the hospital server. The software then locates the position of each label through triangulation and signal strength.
In 2008, Awarepoint first installed sensors and a bridge in a conference room to demonstrate this technology. After that, UTMC began to install the system in the equipment storage or use areas of the 6-story hospital building and two other buildings. The installation of Awarepoint’s Real-Time Awareness Solution covers 700,000-800,000 square feet. According to Hanenkrath, Awarepoint software can locate tags within 1-3 meters.
In the spring of 2008, the hospital began labeling 1,000 assets, including IV pumps, postoperative analgesia pumps, telemetry transmitters, and continuous positive pressure ventilation equipment. Last month, Awarepoint ordered another 1,500 asset tags and 50 temperature monitoring tags to expand the application to include more assets, and refrigerated or freezer boxes. In addition, the hospital has installed a total of 676 sensors, each with a reading distance of 750-1,000 square feet, and 40 bridges.
Awarepoint software allows hospitals to obtain data in several ways. Any hospital employee can log in to the software, search for specific items, or view the plane surface (marking the location of each asset). Users can enter their own location, such as the fourth floor, and the system will locate specific items requested by the user, such as IV pumps, and display their location on the user’s floor. Authorized users can log in to Infopoint (another Awarepoint software) with a password to obtain other information, such as the number of search assets and the number of mobile assets. Infopoint can also set up alarms to notify employees of important events, such as a tagged asset leaving the building or the expiration of a leased asset.
UTMC affixes Awarepoint tags to each major asset. The tags send signals at a preset rate, and the item description corresponds to the unique ID code of the tag. The hospital also locates rental equipment. When the lease is delivered to the hospital, the staff will label the equipment and enter the relevant data, such as the expiration date, into the system. When the leased item is returned to the provider, the UTMC employee removes the tag from the item and its “returned” status is entered into the system so that the tag can be reused on another piece of equipment.
In 2010, the hospital plans to install 50 Awarepoint tags with temperature sensors in refrigerators and freezers, so that the company can store and track temperature data. By setting the Awarepoint software, if the temperature exceeds the threshold, the system can send an alert via email or mobile phone.
According to Hanenkrath, currently hospitals use this system to conduct approximately 50 searches every month-as employees become familiar with the system, this number will continue to increase. “We have room for growth,” he said, referring to hospitals that will use this system more often in the future for other purposes. “We have spent a long time designing the system, and the current feedback from employees is very positive,” he said.
The hospital itself does not own this system. On the contrary, it pays a certain amount to Awarepoint every month. Hanenkrath stated that he does not have hard indicators to quantify the benefits of the system, but this system ensures the timely return of leased equipment, reducing the need for equipment rental and the time to search for equipment.
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