Healthcare Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) News and Information

Real-Time Locating Systems In Healthcare, RTLS Tag, RTLS Device, and Radio Frequency Communication Resources

FEATURED ARTICLES: RTLS

AHA Health Forum Releases List Of Most Wired Hospitals
“Most Wired” hospitals are partnering with other providers to share health data, study found. By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Research Finds Effectiveness Of Radar And Bed Sensors To Help Keep Seniors Safe
Monitoring technology helps health providers detect problems early. By Christine Kern, contributing writer
SSM Health Becomes First To Adopt Surescripts National Record Locator Service
NRLS breaks down barriers to truly connected healthcare with information sharing in real-time. By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Medical Moneyball — What Healthcare Stands To Learn From The Oakland A’s
With all the talk of Big Data, there are still big questions as to how to most effectively leverage information and data to make a positive impact on healthcare delivery, cost, and outcomes. One health system leader thinks an approach developed by a Major League baseball team might be a game changer.

CASE STUDIES & WHITE PAPERS

Hospital CIOs: Address — Don’t Ignore — BYOD Pressures
When it comes to optimizing their facilities’ communications infrastructure, policies and management,
hospital CIOs are under enormous pressure to break out of some previously unassailable comfort
zones.
University Of Mississippi Medical Center Finds Quick RTLS ROI
This case study outlines the many values of RTLS (real-time location systems) and monitoring systems in healthcare, and how the University of Mississippi Medical Center realized a return on its investment in RTLS and temperature monitoring in less than two years.
10 Point Guide To Selecting The Right Mobile Computer Cart
The evaluation and selection process of mobile carts can be a daunting task for healthcare professionals. This 10 point checklist can be your guide to understanding the ins and outs of modern mobile computer cart technology, and how to determine which cart is right for your healthcare facility.
Patient Safety Applications Of Bar Code And RFID Technologies The recent focus on patient safety in U.S. hospitals has yielded a flood of new technologies and tools aimed specifically at improving the quality of patient care at the bedside. This has been accomplished by integrating the physical process of care delivery with medication information and software applications that provide clinical decision support, and quality and safety checks. By Zebra Technologies

More Case Studies & White Papers

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

The Problem With Consumerism In Healthcare
Many industry leaders championed a free market approach to healthcare during the 12^th Annual World Health Care Congress last week. Here are a few key reasons why I don’t think this model is “the fix” our industry so desperately needs.

ABOUT REAL-TIME LOCATING SYSTEMS

Real-time locating systems (RTLS) utilize activated tags attached to objects or worn by people to track locations and automatically identify the assets or people in real time. RTLS systems use fixed points of reference in order to triangulate the exact location of specific tags. In a medical environment, RTLS tags can be used to track medical equipment, mobile carts, computers, doctors, nurses, and patients.

RTLS systems normally use radio frequency (RF) communications, but some solutions leverage infrared or ultrasound technology. RTLS primarily provides local positioning and very rarely uses GPS or any other outside tracking technology.

RTLS tags are typically used in closed environments. The location tracking of assets is done through range estimation where RTLS systems measure accuracy for a given distance (e.g. 95% accurate to 5 meters).