XECAN and Trimble RFID Healthcare Solution for Patients Deployed in Two Oncology Clinics
Two of the top oncology clinics in Massachusetts, Lahey Clinic and Jordan Hospital, have recently deployed the new healthcare solution that combines the Astra Ultra High-Frequency (UHF) reader created by Trimble’s ThingMagic Division with XECAN’s radio-frequency identification (RFID) oncology technology. This RFID system was designed to improve the patient experience and minimize clerical errors in healthcare.
This innovative oncology RFID solution is a vast improvement over the old method of bar code scanning, which is a manual process that can be prone to errors, especially when the badges get worn or smudged. The new RFID healthcare system can recognize oncology patients that come within 15 feet, and fuses seamlessly with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software. Their oncology chart is automatically opened, reducing errors associated with data entry on the wrong patient’s records, which can lead to incorrect treatment. The records are also encrypted and can only be viewed by authorized medical personnel.
Jordan Hospital, a private non-profit hospital, used to have to ask oncology patients to provide their information 3 different times, just to be able to sync their charts to their treatment plan. This caused delays when signing in, creating long patient queues during registration. Now, the new RFID healthcare system allows them to verify the identity of the oncology patient in just one step, enabling the medical staff to have more time to focus on the quality of care and interaction with the patients, rather than on manual clerical tasks. Natalie Campbell, the Department Manager at the hospital, said, “This gives us more time to talk to patients about things going on in their lives, helping them feel more at ease. We're so pleased with the progress that we're already thinking about expanding the RFID system to other parts of the hospital to potentially include staff and radiology accessories.”
Lahey Clinic, the teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine, is adopting the RFID technology in three stages. The first is in Burlington, Massachusetts for RFID patient tracking in 2 LINAC rooms, SIM rooms and exam rooms. The second stage is in the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Peabody, Massachusetts. The third stage is adding more tracking locations for RFID to improve the flow of operations.
Tom Grant, the General Manager of ThingMagic, said, "Healthcare organizations have recognized how Passive UHF RFID can help streamline business operations, as well as the positive impact RFID-enabled solutions can have on patients. By simplifying the way organizations can develop, integrate, and deploy RFID-enabled solutions, we help healthcare companies like XECAN focus more on the patient and less on the RFID technology."
Bin Yang, Ph.D., XECAN’s CEO, explained, "By embedding our agent software directly onto the Astra reader, we've made our RFID Oncology Solution truly plug-and-play. The design and functionality of Astra lets us offer integration-ready RFID solutions for major EMR systems on the market, so customers don't have to modify their existing EMR software. This breakthrough advantage sets us apart while enabling us to provide an affordable, yet highly reliable RFID system."
The RFID oncology solution is especially designed for enterprise healthcare environments and is easy to install, user-friendly and unobtrusive. The automation of oncology patient queuing, patient charts and treatment plans streamline operations and significantly reduce medical errors.
XECAN is one of the top providers of RFID healthcare solutions. Their major contributions to the healthcare industry include breakthrough plug-and-play identification and wedge integration technology as well as secure enterprise-quality software infrastructure that serves as a base for RFID products. Their main goal is to increase patient safety and improve efficiency through technology for the healthcare industry. They were founded in 2007 and are located in Boston, Massachusetts. www.xecan.com
ThingMagic is a division of Trimble that creates UHF RFID reader engines and development platforms for the world’s leading manufacturers, retailers, healthcare and automotive companies. They also offer consulting and design services. They were formed in 2000 and are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. www.thingmagic.com
Trimble is best known for their global positioning system (GPS) technology and other similar advanced positioning solutions such as optical, inertial and laser that maximize productivity and increase profitability. They combine these technologies with wireless communication and application software to provide integrated frameworks that allow clients to process information faster and easier. They are located in Sunnyvale, California and have been in business for over 30 years. www.trimble.com
Related articles:
RFID Tracking for High Value Medical Inventory
Industrial Strength Bar Code Labels for Laboratories
Best Practices for Bar Code Wristband Formatting
YouTube Video's that illustrate how to make labels and bar codes:
Create a QR Code for business cards
QR Code for Signs and Flyers
Create a UPC Bar code
Make sheets of bar code labels
{jcomments on}