Johnson & Johnson, together with ODIN and WaveMark, uses RFID tags to track medical stents and manage equipment inventory
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Health care giant Johnson & Johnson has been using RFID tag technology for inventory management of surgical implant equipment. The company also uses this technology to track medical stents. Based on an RFID pilot with a retailer, Johnson & Johnson found that 79% of promotional products were placed on the shelf prematurely. The company also found that those merchants who followed its promotional plan increased sales. In addition, some product suppliers have obtained a lot of benefits from the application of RFID tags to track promotional items.
As the company’s first deputy general manager Mike Ross said, Johnson & Johnson is “a microcosm of the healthcare industry.” Recently, Ross participated in an RFID application project promoted by DePuy (RFID radio frequency bulletin: Johnson & Johnson branch-production of orthopedic implants and equipment). This project aims to find a way to make the supply chain more efficient, in particular to find an inventory process called Express Care first aid kits. The relief package contains up to 25 orthopedic knee or hip replacement components.
Rose said, “In the operating room, unless the operation is performed, the surgeon won’t know what size implant he needs.” However, Express Care first aid kits provide doctors with multiple options. After the surgeon selects the appropriate implant, the first aid kit will be returned to DePuy. DePuy will receive more than 600 sets every day, and then send the same number of complete first aid kits.
In addition, DePuy and RFID system integrator ODIN have developed a better inventory process. ODIN has tested many UHF EPC Gen 2 passive RFID tags and found that the DogBone tag of Ofen Raflatac is the best in terms of reading performance. Each graft is placed in a sterile vacuum-sealed plastic bag, which is then placed in a larger package and labeled. Generally speaking, the mixing of titanium and cobalt chromium may cause radio frequency signal interference, making it impossible to read passive RFID tags. However, DogBone tags are normally read when there is metal.
By using UPM Raflatac’s RFID tags, DePuy reduced the time required for the first aid kit inventory process from the original 10-30 minutes to less than one minute. During the inventory process, employees place packages on a conveyor belt and make them read through RFID readers. After that, the software will show what components are missing in the first aid kit. Similarly, the complete first aid kit will also be read by the reader before sending it.
Ross also introduced how Johnson & Johnson’s division of coronary stents and similar medical equipment—Cordis—developed an RFID stent tracking system with RFID supplier WaveMark. In the system application, participating hospitals will store the brackets in special boxes and install RFID reader antennas on the shelves. Each package of the holder is affixed with an RFID tag, and the box body will regularly count all the tagged holders.
In this way, the hospital and Cordis can monitor the inventory, which not only ensures that the hospital has the appropriate type and quantity of stents on hand, but also can promptly clear the stents in the inventory when the validity period expires. WaveMark uses HF 13.56MHz RFID tags that comply with the ISO 15693 standard. But Ross said that Cordis intends to ask WaveMark to switch to the EPCglobal standard.
This application system developed by Cordis and WaveMark has improved the usability and inventory management level of the stent, and can help Cordis manage the stent consignment payment. Ross said the company will consider expanding the system to hospitals in Europe and Asia in the future.
Not long ago, the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, has deployed an RFID system provided by WaveMark for tracking stents.
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