From the May 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

The committee should be led by your project’s executive sponsor who will be crucial in garnering support across the organization and communicating the “why” behind the project. Furthermore, a committee empowered by the hospital system’s executive sponsor will be able to make decisions and disseminate feedback from the hospital staff end users. Additionally, this Committee has the ability to respond quickly, make decisions and implement changes that will keep the momentum of the project moving forward.

Biomedical engineers are key members of any RTLS Steering Committee because they are the ones on the front lines needing to find the equipment. They will spearhead asset servicing for maintenance purposes and support the software adoption. Having them early on in the implementation planning process is essential.


Selecting equipment and key medical devices for tracking
Now that you have your RTLS steering committee organized and hospital executive leadership excited and helping motivate staff, it’s time to pinpoint the exact medical devices and assets in need of tracking for maximum success. This is a pivotal moment in the life cycle of an RTLS system because it sets up downstream for the standards and protocols, the workflow process ownership, and the KPIs to benchmark and track. We recommend conducting thorough analysis with your RTLS steering committee and inviting other key hospital stakeholders to help determine the right assets to track.

Typically, hospitals will track equipment that aligns their KPIs to those assets that overarch the three impact areas all key stakeholders focus on: improving patient care (nurse time savings for increased time with a patient), decreasing operational costs (rental/purchasing), and increasing patient satisfaction (care quality; hygiene standards).

Measuring success with key performance indicators
What does success look like for your hospital system? It’s a simple, but powerful question that must be brought up early on with your hospital executive champion and your RTLS Steering Committee. Because no two hospital systems are alike in their needs, the assets they need to track, and, thus, the KPIs they will measure. However, a common situation is that you will get a number of KPIs based on those assets that cover the three core areas all key stakeholders care about: patient care, time, and cost savings.

Utilizing RTLS to optimize asset management of a healthcare facility’s moveable medical equipment, can help hospitals to reduce costs, streamline processes and improve patient care.

About the author: Dave Wiedman is chief commercial officer of Vizzia Technologies and a board director of the Georgia Biomedical Instrumentation Society (GBIS).

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