By Michael Maurer

Hospitals globally are under pressure, facing factors such as reimbursement and cost containment, while serving an increasingly aging population suffering from chronic diseases. Costs are skyrocketing, in part, due to inefficient use and poor tracking of equipment, and poor understanding of patient flow and staff processes, preventing those processes from being improved.

For example, estimated hospital costs are up 90% per bed due to excessive hospital equipment purchased, but not used efficiently. To improve productivity and efficiency, many healthcare systems are trying to be “smart” by investing in digitizing infrastructure. Meanwhile, patients are become more demanding, seeking better and faster decision-making and care.



Some estimate that by 2020, the “smart” hospital will be a reality. The need for efficiency in hospital management is immense – technology is needed that will improve the patient experience and streamline hospital processes, including the use of resources.

So what is the solution?
Advanced Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) help hospitals with essential tracking of equipment, patients and staff. The system relies on a patented triangulation method that integrates radio frequency, diffused infrared and low-frequency radio signals to accurately track patients, staff and equipment in real time.

Used correctly, RTLS can provide a powerful tool for managers and care providers, and ultimately improve the experience of patients. There are a number of hurdles to overcome in order to realize these benefits:

1. The perception of RTLS application is generally limited. Many people think of RTLS as a technology for equipment tracking. By itself, this use case could provide ROI for the investment in RTLS through more efficient use of equipment and reduced loss, but asset tracking is really just the tip of the iceberg for even higher return applications of RTLS technology within the healthcare industry. Additional applications provide powerful tools to improve staff and patient safety, patient flow on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, and nearly unlimited capability to generate information to drive process improvement in both clinical and administrative operations.

2. Once the potential benefits of RTLS technology are fully understood, wherein the technology can solve problems in your organization, it is vital that you select a product that can meet the accuracy and reliability requirements of your use cases. There are many vendors who sell low-priced products that in the end may not meet your needs. For instance, Wi-Fi, BLE, and Passive systems tend to be less costly than triple technology RTLS systems, but they do not provide the real time accuracy and reliability needed for higher return uses such as life-safety, accurate equipment tracking, and patient workflow optimization. Additional uses on such systems require multiple technologies be pieced together, which increases cost over technologies specifically designed for real-time locating, not to mention the life cycle management/costs of multiple infrastructures.

3. Collect input from all departments to define specific use cases for your organization and identify RTLS technologies that can meet your collective requirements with the flexibility to solve additional problems. Bottom line: If a lesser degree of real-time accuracy works for your purposes, then a lower-cost option may suit your needs. If a higher degree of accuracy and flexibility is needed, a triple technology approach is recommended that decreases risk by eliminating gaps in coverage indoors and outdoors while providing maximum flexibility for additional use cases as needed. An in-person evaluation of a live system is encouraged before making a final decision.

4. Recognize that RTLS is a tool that can be effectively used as part of a comprehensive management plan but will not improve processes in the absence of effective leadership and organizational focus. For example, a good RTLS system can provide invaluable information on patient flow and staff efficiency. This information needs to be paired with an active and effective process improvement system to drive meaningful change.

In summary, RTLS can serve as an extremely valuable component of any smart hospital if care is taken to select the correct product, and it is incorporated effectively into organizational management systems.

About the author: Michael Maurer is CEO and president of MGM Solutions, the developer of SecurTRAK, a leader in patented triangulation and intelligent boundary recognition software. He served 6 years in the U.S. Navy as a computer systems engineer, which included support for naval tactical data systems, crypto communications, gun and missile fire control systems, and related radar systems. His post naval positions include field engineer at Intergraph Corporation, VP information systems at Medarc, and IT director at Triad Technologies (Biotechnology Corp).