RFID Medicine Clinical Trial Passes Data through Phone

RFID enabled telemonitoring will support the clinical trial of Novartis drug in the treatment of leukemia. The drug monitoring process is called eMedonline. ...

... "Medication data read from a RFID smartlabel on the medication package is collected wirelessly by the phone in real time and helps verify that patients are taking the right drug at the right time while monitoring patient reported outcomes. Data from the phone is sent wirelessly to a secure server ... " ...

Via DOTmed: Telemonitoring

SenoRx RFID Medical Tag

SenoRx will use the Congress of The Radiological Society of North America to study the market for its new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for medical applications. ...

... "SenoRx will be conducting market research for its new RFID tag and accompanying handheld reader which the company believes may be the next generation lesion localization device. The company recently submitted a 510(k) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Because the RFID tag is completely contained inside the breast, SenoRx believes that the close schedule coordination which is currently required between the radiologist and the surgeon performing the two separate procedures is significantly reduced. " ...

Via CNN Money: SenoRx Market Research for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tag Device

RFID Garment Tags in Action

RFID Healthcare Installation in Israel

Wavetrend Technologies implements an active RFID project for the new Ashdod Medical Center in Israel, that creates the largest active RFID installation in the Middle East. ...

... "In the interest of achieving the best possible monitoring of equipment, personnel and high-risk patients, Ashdod Medical Center required full RFID coverage for all six operational floors of its facility. To meet this objective, Ardan will install a vast infrastructure of active RFID supplied by Wavetrend. Readers will be strategically positioned throughout the hospital, and an extensive array of tags designed to track multiple assets will be deployed. The real-time tracking capabilities that the system offers will allow the hospital to locate critical equipment and personnel in the event of an emergency, and also monitor the whereabouts of high-risk patients in real time so that medical staff can react to an alert immediately. " ...

Via Wavetrend: Largest Healthcare RFID Installation in Israel

Medical Center RFID Achieves Benefits and Expands Use

Carolinas Heart and Vascular Institute expands its use of RFID tracking throughout its medical system, as the RFID-enabled process has shown improvements in utilization and accuracy of critical high-value equipment, which translates into financial benefits. ...

... "The cabinet-based system was initially deployed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory suite to store, track, and manage the utilization of high cost items such as Drug-Eluting stents and PTCA balloon catheters. The organization has now expanded its use of the system by deploying twenty-six units to manage those items for additional cardiac catheterization laboratories while also managing pacemakers and ICDs for the electrophysiology laboratories. With these additional units, CHVI will complete a broader deployment of the technology to support efforts to increase charge capture accuracy, eliminate product expiration, and optimize on-hand inventory levels to support organizational improvement initiatives. " ...

Via Mobile Aspects: Carolinas Medical Center

RFID Human Implantation Has Healthcare Role For Glucose Monitoring

VeriChip and Digital Angel collaborate to introduce RFID implantation into the glucose monitoring process and will present together on December 4 and 5th in NYC. ...

... "they will host events for the medical and investment communities on December 4-5th in New York surrounding the development of an implantable bio-sensing RFID microchip to measure glucose levels in the human body. Checking blood glucose levels regularly is critical to properly managing diabetes. The conventional method - a finger prick - is invasive, painful and often inaccurate. The implantable bio-sensor chip would have a passive transponder, a sensor and integrated circuitry that could allow anyone implanted with the microchip to painlessly scan it to determine their blood glucose concentration. The RFID microchip would then quickly and accurately transmit the glucose data back to a wireless scanner that displays the glucose level. The RFID microchip would be powered by the scanner signal, avoiding the need for a battery in the microchip. " ...

Via Verichip: Implantable RFID Glucose-Sensing Microchip for Humans

RFID Medical Inventory Management System

DMC Harper University Hospital will implement Mobile Aspects' radio frequency identification, RFID-enabled, inventory management system to manage its utilization of high cost materials that support the delivery of cardiology services. DMC Harper University Hospital is part of the Detroit Medical Center. ...

... "Developed by Mobile Aspects, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pa., the system, called iRISupply, uses an RFID tracking architecture to automate charge capture, inventory management, device expiration management, and other key operational processes within the patient care setting. The organization will implement fourteen iRISupply cabinet units to manage the storage and utilization of implantable stent devices within their cardiac catheterization laboratory suites at the DMC Harper University Hospital location. In leveraging the RFID-enabled technology, the organization seeks to create a more efficient, automated process for managing these high-cost items and in turn, realize more streamlined and accurate processes in documenting device utilization for billing and inventory management. " ...

Via Mobile Aspects: DMC Harper University Hospital to install RFID technology

Implanted RFID Not Without Risks Per AMA

American Medical Association issues report on implantable RFID technology. ...

... "RFID technology has the potential to improve patient care as well as patient safety. However, the safety and efficacy of human-implantable RFID devices has yet to be established. Therefore, the medical community should support further investigations to obtain the data necessary to make informed medical decisions regarding the use of these devices. The medical community should also be sensitive to potential social consequences of RFID devices, such as non-medical applications in law enforcement. " ...

Via AMA: REPORT OF THE COUNCIL ON ETHICAL AND JUDICIAL AFFAIRS (Doc)

Medical RFID Detects Reflux in Esophagus

Research has shown new RFID device to identify simulated stomach acids and transmit results through human tissue. The RFID-enabled sensor detects stomach acid, gas and water. Testing will shift to animals before tests in humans. ...

... "The new system involves pinning a small, flexible RFID chip to the esophagus, where it remains until removed by a physician. The chip, about two square centimeters, or a little bigger than a dime, tests for electrical impulses that signal acidic or nonacidic liquids moving through the esophagus. It then transmits data to a wireless sensor worn around the neck. " ...

Via UT Southwestern Medical Center: Doctors, engineers develop new wireless system to detect esophageal reflux

Texas RFID Tracks Hospital High-Value Assets

The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano in Dallas-Fort Worth uses RFID technology to track high-value assets. The system is designed to be transparent and simple-to-use to drive adoption. ...

... "The system essentially automates the tracking and cataloging of almost all of the hospital's most expensive equipment. " ...

Via Dallas Morning News : Hospital RFID For Asset Management

CLIP RFID Connects Patients and Medical Assets Through Microsoft Biztalk RFID

Aventyn releases V1.2 of CLIP, its Clinical Information Processing Platform. CLIP integrates RFID capability to support hospitals and medical manufacturers to connect patients and medical assets. CLIP v1.2 integrates with Microsoft's BizTalk RFID technology. This creates a health information management solution that enables healthcare industry to link care provider business processes with events in the supply-chain. Aventyn participates in the Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Technology Adoption Program (TAP) to enable new RFID features in this release. ...

... "Enterprise Deployment of Connected Health Information: The availability of CLIP v1.2 provides clinicians and healthcare providers a flexible, yet affordable choice in the secure tracking of critical resources in a healthcare setting based on hospital, medical lab and supplier requirements. CLIP is available as a RFID-enabled hosted platform solution or as an installable packaged solution, seamlessly integrating into most existing IT environments with support for multiple users. A robust, ease-of-use interface offers installation, industry standard Gen2 RFID tag-reader configuration and deployment within hours. The modular CLIP architecture allows for true connected information processing for automated patient administration and medical asset tracking with built-in support for processing Gen2 RFID tagged health cards, patient wristbands and asset labels. " ...

Via Webitpr: CLIP V1.2 With Enhanced Integrated RFID Capability For Hospitals And Medical Suppliers

RFID Healthcare Sample-Management Authenticity

Iris International will use SkyeTek RFID solution to enable specimen management for healthcare samples. ...

... "Iris will integrate an M2 HF SkyeModule with ReaderWare Security into the iQ200 Urinalysis System that will read data on the RFID-tagged consumable reagent system. With the M2 incorporated, the iQ200 will now be able to check for reagent type, manufacturing date, and authenticity each time the reagent system is used for sample testing. Zebra's R110Xi-HF RFID printer, which also utilizes SkyeTek's M2 as its internal reader engine, will generate an encrypted, tag-specific digital fingerprint and encode it onto the reagent label as it is being printed. " ...

Via SkyeTek: Secure RFID Solution to Enhance Patient Safety

Robot RFID Asset Management for Hospitals

Aethon Inc makes availabile its mobile RFID-enabled solution that locates, delivers and recovers hospital assets. The solution performs automated transportation featuring an RFID-based asset tracking system and a robotic asset delivery and recovery system. The solution helps hospitals to improve efficiency and patient satisfaction, increase utilization of assets, and improve regulatory compliance. ...

... "HOMER's unique asset tracking capabilities are an outgrowth of technology made possible by TUG, the most successful automated courier system for the delivery and recovery of hospital goods and supplies. Leveraging the TUG platform, HOMER employs a single mobile antenna that eliminates the typical infrastructure hurdles of competitors’ systems. This translates into more efficient organization and location of pumps, wheelchairs, monitors, respirators, beds and virtually any other assets hospitals are interested in tracking. A cost-effective and comprehensive solution, HOMER can seamlessly merge with existing hospital systems and requires minimal installation. HOMER works with active RFID tags (unique identifiers). Because it can use any third-party tag, HOMER is tag independent. Furthermore, HOMER can be integrated into existing asset management software. Aethon provides installation, tag selection and setup, software integration, training and support. TUG is an autonomous mobile robot that requires no extra infrastructure investment, is simple to install and has many applications such as central supply, dietary, pharmacy, laboratory, medical records, nursing and linens. Currently, the TUG delivery and recovery system is being used in hospitals across 75 sites. Many hospitals have deployed multiple TUGs to save time and money, while increasing staff and patient satisfaction. " ...

Via Aethon: Aethon Redefines Hospital Asset Utilization ...

RFID-Enabled Mobile Clinical Assistant, MCA

Motion Computing introduces new C5 mobile clinical assistant (MCA) at UCSF Medical Center. The MCA is a new computing category that enables the healthcare processes of nurses, physicians and other clinicians with mobility. The Motion C5 integrates reliable, automated patient data management at the point of care. UCSF piloted the the mobile clinical assistant to assess clinician productivity improvements through enabling mobile point of care. Its analysis demonstrates a substantial improvement in nurse productivity, satisfaction and documentation accuracy. ...

... "This collaborative effort resulted in development of the Motion C5 - designed with and for clinicians - that is now being implemented in clinician usability studies worldwide. The C5 is the first highly sealed, fully disinfectable computer to integrate into one durable device the relevant technologies important to clinician workflow and productivity. The C5 combines multiple devices into one - including a built-in barcode and RFID reader for patient identification and supply, specimen and medication administration verification; a built-in camera; and a fingerprint reader to improve security and simplify clinician authentication. " ...

Via Motion Computing: Motion Launches Industry's First Mobile Clinical Assistant Designed Specifically for Clinicians ...

DOD RFID Final Rule Adopted

DOD adopts final RFID rule and will require the use of Gen-2 RFID tags. ...

... "DoD has adopted as final, with changes, an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to include additional commodities and locations that require package marking with passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The rule requires contractors to affix passive RFID tags at the case and palletized unit load levels when shipping packaged petroleum, lubricants, oils, preservatives, chemicals, additives, construction and barrier materials, and medical materials to specified DoD locations.

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (FEB 2007)

(a) Passive RFID tag means a tag that reflects energy from the reader / interrogator or that receives and temporarily stores a small amount of energy from the reader/interrogator signal in order to generate the tag response.
(1) Until February 28, 2007, the acceptable tags are --

(i) EPC Class 0 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 0 specification; and (ii) EPC Class 1 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 1 specification. This includes both the Generation 1 and Generation 2 Class 1 specifications.

(2) Beginning March 1, 2007, the only acceptable tags are EPC Class 1 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 specification. Class 0 and Class 1 Generation 1 tags will no longer be accepted after February 28, 2007. " ...

Via Federal Register: Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Radio Frequency Identification (DFARS Case 2006-D002)

Active RFID Partner Program

AeroScout creates a partner program to provide partners with the tools they need to meet growing customer demand for RFID solutions. ...

... "AeroScout works with over 150 value added resellers, systems integrators and software providers, such as Philips Medical Systems and NEC Unified Solutions, to provide solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and other industries worldwide. The AeroScout Partner Program provides them with a comprehensive set of tools, collateral and training, as well as an incentive program, in order to capitalize on the growing opportunity within the global Active RFID market. " ...

Via AeroScout: AeroScout Launches New Partner Program To Extend

Hospital RFID Realizes Patient Benefits

HP and Precision Dynamics implement patient management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in Taiwan at the Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH). The hospital CIO sees the hospital realizing benefits through a reduction in medical errors, from root causes such as manual processes, compliance to standard operating procedures, and visibility to real-time patient status and medical process exceptions. The system is architected with PDC's RFID wristbands and HP's mobile and fixed RFID infrastructure. Privacy is managed by storing confidential patient information on the RFID chip rather than printing the information on the wristband. ...

... "CGMH implemented the RFID system in its operating rooms to improve patient safety by verifying and positively identifying patients, gathering real-time data, reducing risk of wrong-site and/or wrong-patient surgery, and ensuring compliance with hospital patient safety procedures or standard operating procedures. Since the implementation, CGMH has achieved 100% accuracy in patient ID in the OR. The new RFID system automates many manual functions of the previous operating room processes. The system helps verify that the five rights of medication safety are met - right patient, medication, dose, time, and route - as well as right surgery and surgical site. Automating patient data verification processes has saved CGMH medical staff an average of 4.3 minutes per patient. Also, automated data collection has helped prevent common manual data entry mistakes, which if gone undetected could lead to medical errors." ...

Via HP: Precision Dynamics Corporation and HP Provide Chang Gung Memorial Hospital with RFID System for Patient Management

Healthcare RFID MayoClinic

3M and Mayo Clinic demonstrate pilot installation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system in Mayo Clinic's endoscopy surgical suites for management of the collection and tracking of patient tissue samples. 3M RFID system was configured to enable Mayo Clinic's business processes for specimen management. ...

... "Utilizing 3M Track and Trace Technology, this RFID system enhances Mayo Clinic's ability to manage specimen and tissue samples from the collection stage to the pathology laboratory. Collecting and analyzing patient tissue is a crucial medical procedure. Mayo Clinic continues to take a leadership role in health care's effort focused on patient safety and care. Multiple 3M technologies were brought forward during the five-month pilot project at Mayo Clinic. Results demonstrated quantifiable operational efficiencies in the specimen-management process, accurate communication of data, and verification of information. Expansion of the Track and Trace system within the endoscopy practice will take place in planned, controlled phases. 3M and Mayo Clinic expect this rollout to be completed in early 2007. " ...

Via 3M: Two Minnesota Institutions Advance RFID Technologies in Health Care

RFID Sensor Tag: Medical Product Logistics

DHL develops RFID sensor tag with IBM and partners in the pharmaceutical industry. The RFID sensor tag is used successfully in the overseas transport of diagnostic material and vaccines. ...

... "A special RFID sensor tag controls and documents the temperature of items throughout transport. The measuring data are available at every read point so that senders, recipients and inspectors alike can check the condition of the products at any time. After all, fluctuations in temperature outside of the recommended range can have a negative effect on the lifespan of medical products such as vaccines. The new sensor tag is a combination of temperature sensor and RFID radio chip. It permits continuous monitoring and recording of a pre-defined temperature range as well as read-out of the data at any time, without having to open the shipment. Thanks to the sensor's special design, it can be attached especially close to the product, not just on the inside of the packaging as before. In addition, the current lifespan of the product can be calculated and read out at any time. This was previously possible only at the end of a transport. " ...

Via DHL: DHL and partners develop RFID sensor solution for the pharmaceutical industry ...

RFID Improves Stroke Treatment: Access Health Records

National Stroke Association endorses implantable RFID microchips as a treatment to enable access to the critical health records of stroke victims. A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. National Stroke Association is the leading national non-profit organization devoting all of its efforts and resources to stroke. VeriMed Patient Identification System is used to rapidly and accurately identify people who arrive in an emergency room and are unable to communicate. This RFID identification system uses the first human-implantable passive microchip, the implantable VeriChip. ...

... "The National Stroke Association (NSA) has recognized that implantable RFID microchip technology offers the ability to improve stroke treatment by providing medical professionals with immediate access to vital health information of stroke-afflicted patients. An excerpt from the letter, signed by James Baranski, CEO of the National Stroke Association, states: Personal Health Records, including implantable RFID microchips such as VeriMed, could play a critical role in assisting medical professionals in delivering appropriate stroke treatment promptly, leading to better patient outcomes. The VeriMed Patient Identification System which consists of a handheld radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner, an implantable RFID microchip and a secure patient database, is being used to help rapidly identify and provide access to important health information on participating patients who arrive at an emergency department unconscious, delirious or unable to communicate. This implantable RFID system is the only system of its type cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in people. " ...

Via VeriChip: National Stroke Association Views Implantable RFID Microchip such as VeriMed as a Potential Life-Saving Medical Device ...

RFID Tag: Radiation Resistant

AdvantaPure introduces the GammaTag, an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag that is safely sterilizable by gamma radiation. ...

... "GammaTag provides reliable electronic identification and data storage of single-use/disposable components used in critical process industries, such as pharmaceutical, bioprocess/biomedical, food and beverage, and medical device. GammaTag easily attaches to components such as sample and production bags, tanks, filters, manifolds, tubing and hose, storage vessels, and to complete single-use systems. Several attachment methods - silicone tape, watchband style holders, pouches, and lamination - are available. GammaTag withstands gamma radiation up to 45 kGy (kilograys) and temperatures from -20°C (-4°F) to 85°C (185°F). GammaTag's read/write ability makes it unique, as data may be written directly on the tag, unlike read-only bar code labels or tags. In conjunction with a handheld tag reader and software (known as PET, Process Equipment Tracking), GammaTag allows access to the current status of process components on the spot - simply aim the reader towards the tag to recall information or to write new data to the tag. " ...

Via AdvantaPure: AdvantaPure Introduces the Only Read/Write RFID Tag That's Gamma-Radiation Resistant ...

Philips RFID: Healthcare Assets

Philips RFID technology is focused on the healthcare market combined with services. The first customer to deploy the Philips asset tracking solution is the University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson, Ariz. Philips installation at UMC is one of the healthcare industry's largest Wi-Fi-based asset tracking projects. This RFID implementation covers eight floors and a million square feet with 2,300 RFID-tagged assets in use throughout the hospital. The hospital workforce will use the Philips RFID solution to track and manage medical equipment, such as infusion pumps, beds, monitors, wheelchairs and other portable devices. ...

... "Helping hospitals to focus on the patient, Philips' asset tracking solution helps locate hospital assets through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The solution is designed to work within existing wireless infrastructure, allowing hospitals to leverage investments they have already made in wireless technology. Philips' asset tracking solution consists of a suite of services to maximize the solution's benefits, including wireless tags, a location engine and the MobileView user interface. Product tracking information is fed into the location engine and the asset's position can then be portrayed on a map, in a table, or in a report format for any networked hospital user. In addition to pinpointing lost equipment, the information gathered from the asset tracking solution can help improve asset utilization and work flow efficiencies.

The Philips asset tracking solution is designed around each hospital's specific use cases to help solve problems such as productivity, regulation requirements, utilization, theft, and loss. With an understanding of the unique requirements that the healthcare environment demands, Philips has an advanced solution that can enable hospitals to make facility-wide improvement. The Philips asset tracking solution utilizes technology that includes wireless tags, a location engine, and the MobileView user interface. The tags, which can be attached to most mobile assets, transmit to the hospital’s existing 802.11 infrastructure. This information is fed into the location engine and the asset's position can then be portrayed on a map, or in a table or report format for any networked hospital user. " ...

Via Philips: Philips Delivers New Radiology Products At 2006 RSNA That Present Clinicians with a Clear View of Patient Data and a Clear Path to Patient Care

Hospital RFID: High Value Asset Management ...

THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano will be dedicated solely to providing inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular care. The $100 million, 68-bed hospital is scheduled to open in January 2007 on the campus of Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano., Texas Hospital will automate the storage, tracking, utilization, and billing of clinical resources through RFID technology to realize benefits in enhanced care quality, increased productivity, accurate billing, and significant inventory cost savings. ...

... "To support the opening of the facility in January 2007, THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano will implement a radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled inventory management system to store, track, and manage the utilization of high cost cardiovascular devices and supplies. Developed by Mobile Aspects, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pa., the system, called iRISupply, uses a RFID tracking architecture to automate charge capture, inventory management, device expiration management, and other key operational processes within the patient care setting. THE HEART HOSPITAL will implement fourteen iRISupply cabinet units to manage items such as stents, catheters, and guide wires that are commonly used during cardiovascular procedures. In leveraging the RFID technology, the organization seeks to efficiently and accurately automate device and supply utilization processes without manual tracking approaches such as paper documentation, stickers, bar coding or button pushing. " ...

Via Mobile Aspects: THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano selects RFID system from Mobile Aspects ...

UWB RFID Hospital Tracking System ...

Parco Wireless plans next-generation of RFID ultra-wideband (UWB) tracking system targeted for healthcare environments. ...

... "Precis incorporates Time Domain Corporation's Pulson ultra-wideband technologies in its design. The new line will include a full suite of products that include assets tags, patient wristbands, personnel badges and two design type readers. According to company leadership, the new Precis tags and receivers will help dispel all misconceptions about the higher cost of implementing a UWB tracking system. While the cost of UWB tracking technologies were historically higher when compared to competing technologies such as Infrared (IR) or WiFi systems, many hospitals felt compelled to hold off on implementing a UWB active RFID tracking system despite the superior benefits UWB systems offered.

The locations of the tags are tracked by UWB readers installed at fixed locations within a medical facility providing the location of patients, caregivers, and equipment within accuracy of 1.5 feet. The tags use extremely low-power as evidenced by their average life of over four years using a single 3 volt battery. " ...

Via Parco Wireless: Parco Wireless Set to Release World Class Tracking System ...

RFID Security: NSF Funds Smart Tag Research ...

National Science Foundation, NSF, provides funding to increase the privacy and security of RFID smart tags, through better cryptographics.

... "Strengthened security for smart tags - the wireless devices that allow drivers to zip through automatic tollbooths or pass a security desk with the flash of a card - is the aim of a new initiative that has received $1.1 million from the National Science Foundation. Led by Kevin Fu of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the researchers are developing much-needed cryptographic protocols, hardware and applications for the increasingly common devices. Millions of consumers already use smart tags—wireless devices that use radio waves to identify and authenticate people and things - and they will become more numerous, says Fu.



Smart tags - which include Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags—are already used to track items from library books to merchandise to cattle. Increasingly, they are replacing the magnetic stripe cards used in security badges and mass transit cards, sometimes also serving as electronic cash. The tags will soon be incorporated into documents such as passports; their use is being explored for tracking medical records and prison inmates. But the tags, which also include contactless smart cards and low-resource sensors, are a technology that has crept in from the edge of the Internet and they present new challenges in terms of security and privacy issues, says Fu.

The unique environment presented by smart tags - they can operate without human intervention and without a physically connected power source - presents unique security concerns, says Fu. Smart tags automatically respond to the device that reads them, so human users don't have the traditional means of giving or denying consent to the reader. This infrastructure of untrusted readers and tags requires an approach that preserves privacy while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that the tags offer.

The new consortium, dubbed the RFID ConsortiUm for Security and Privacy (RFID-CUSP), takes these operating conditions into account and is designing new cryptographic definitions, algorithms and models that will lay the solid foundation on which secure applications can be built. As part of their project, the researchers are working with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The project will result in the first completely open, publicly available software for experimenting with RFID security and privacy. " ...

UMass Amherst: UMass Amherst-Led Research Will Protect Consumers by Ramping Up Security for Smart Tags

Kevin Fu: "Open cryptanalysis of existing RFID protocols will give assurance in the soundness of reliable RFID technology. At UMass, we are investigating how to build secure RFID-based systems. "

The Sensor Revolution: Industry & Commerce: "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stands among the fastest-proliferating sensor technologies. RFID systems combine electromagnetic sensing with radio communications. RFID tags and interrogators can be used to track inventory in a warehouse or collect tolls from moving cars. "

Understanding Contactless Smart Card Technologies and Some of the Leading Reader/Card Product Providers (PDF): "That transmission could then be replayed to a reader to gain access illicitly at some time in the future. In contrast, today’s secure contactless cards and readers (such as XceedID ISO-X and HID iCLASS) employ a myriad of cryptographic techniques. These techniques encrypt data in ways that render it useless to an illicit user. Thus, traditional proximity cards and readers provide inferior communication security when compared to secure contactless smart cards and readers. "

RFID Healthcare RTLS Solutions ...

SYMX and RF Code collaborate to deliver active RFID solutions for real-time location services in the healthcare industry. ...

... "RF Code, Inc., a leading provider of Real-Time Location and Sensor (RTLS) solutions, announced an agreement with SYMX Technologies Inc., a division of SYMX Corporation, a global provider of medical equipment services and products, to supply SYMX with health care RTLS solutions under a contract worth $30 million over the next three years. Under this exclusive agreement, SYMX will enable broader utilization of RF Code's complete health care solution platform. SYMX will integrate RF Code's RTLS capabilities into its SYMX Solutions offering, thus, giving hospitals the ability to quickly and accurately track the exact location and status of vital devices, ranging from infusion pumps to expensive implantable products. To accomplish this, SYMX will establish RF Code's active RFID technology as the platform into a broad range of medical and surgical equipment services. Through this approach, costly equipment and mission critical devices can be more effectively utilized and life-saving equipment can be found quickly. Health care professionals will have the management tools necessary to improve quality control and patient care while reducing costs by providing the systems needed to track and manage life-critical assets across the hospital. " ...

RFID Healthcare RTLS Solutions: Via RF Code: RF Code Inks $30 Million Deal with SYMX ...

RFID Medical Record Army System ...

3M will implement RFID-enabled medical record system for the US Army that support their operational efficiency objectives and increase the quality of services through reduced errors. ...

... "3M has been awarded a $3.76 million contract to develop and install a system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track medical files at the U.S. Army's massive Fort Hood Installation in Texas. The system is expected to make a positive impact on operational efficiencies in health care delivery, the troop deployment process and the management of medical data collection. The active medical records of more than 150,000 servicemen and women and their dependents are housed at five sites at Fort Hood, and as many as 70,000 files may be in use at the base's six clinics during the course of a month.



The RFID system is intended to substantially reduce errors and inefficiencies associated with manual tracking, retrieval, filing and file merging methods. The tracking of Army medical records through RFID technology is an innovation led by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), a unit of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). Fort Hood, situated about 60 miles north of Austin, the state capital, is the nation's largest active duty domestic military installation, occupying some 340 square miles. The Army becomes the third federal entity to employ RFID systems from 3M, following similar decisions recently by the Tax Division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Tax Court. Unlike the other applications, however, the system in development for the Army requires higher-performance capability and a greater degree of continuous and automatic tracking of the files. " ...

Via 3M: United States Army Awards Contract to 3M for Pilot RFID Program To Track and Manage Medical Records at Fort Hood ...

RFID Medical Device Management: Human Error Reduction ...

Wren Medical collaborates to deliver RFID-based management of medical devices. ...

... "Wren Medical and ETCOM have developed the best RFID solution for Wren Medical's applications, and is now employing the use of Active RFID technology to enhance its current software offering that guarantees accurate data collection and establishes a clearly defined process for cycling of a medical device - from location to utilization to biomedical service history. RFID technology has proven that by automating data collection the potential for human errors and inconsistencies is eliminated. Wren Medical has been providing unique software solutions to their customers for several years, and is currently managing tens of thousands of medical devices for health care providers all over North America. Their system offers a complete solution for asset management by addressing all of the following areas: location, utilization, preventative maintenance schedule, repair history, warranty information, depreciation, valuation, and more. " ...

RFID Medical Device Management: Human Error Reduction: Via Wren Medical: Wren Medical Systems, Inc. Initiates the Use of Active RFID with their State-of-the-Art Asset Management Network ...

RFID Chips Support Electronic Medical Records ...

VeriChip, Hackensack Medical Center, and Horizon BCBS NJ collaborate to enable an real-time on-demand electronic medical record through RFID technology, which will be accomplished through RFID implants in patients. ...

... "Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer, announced a two-year collaboration with Hackensack University Medical Center, its physicians, and the VeriChip Corporation (VeriChip) to implant FDA-approved microchips in chronically ill patients enabling emergency room physicians to access those patients' medical record electronically. The microchips provide immediate access to family contact information and information about the patients' medical histories that could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. Horizon BCBSNJ will make the new technology, developed by the VeriChip Corporation of Delray Beach, Florida, available to select members with chronic conditions. Those members who participate in the program will agree to have an implantable radio frequency identification device (RFID), the size of a grain of rice, placed under their skin. VeriChip calls the RFID a personal health record module. The information on the module will include medical information from Horizon BCBSNJ's claim records, such as lab test data and pharmacy prescription information. This module emits a 16-digit number that links the patient to their electronic medical record when a special hand-held scanner is waved over it. The pilot program will give Hackensack Medical Center physicians access to the member's electronic medical records and other vital information in the event the chronically ill member cannot respond during an emergency. The content of the electronic medical records will be approved by each member and include information about their condition, family contact information as well as lab test data and pharmacy information maintained by Horizon BCBSNJ. " ...

RFID Chips Support Electronic Medical Records: Via VeriChip: Horizon Blue Cross to Sponsor Two-Year Pilot With Hackensack to Implant Microchips in Chronically Ill Patients ...

RFID Technology: Surgical Equipment ...

ClearCount Medical Solutions is working on RFID tagged medical equipment to enable detection and elimination of surgical mistakes, from surgical equipment that is left in the body of the patient during surgery, or what they call - a retained surgical item. ...

... "In the latest technique, 10-cm-wide medical sponges were tagged with coin-sized radiofrequency identification tags, of the type increasingly used in security and goods tracking. " ...

RFID Technology: Surgical Equipment: Via Nature.com: Radio tags can expose surgical mistakes ...

Interesting info on retained surgical equipment ...

Chapter 22. The Retained Surgical Sponge: "Retained materials may cause an acute foreign body reaction with local or systemic signs that prompt investigation and reoperation. Alternatively, a fibrinous response may be elicited, and the retained instrument or sponge may become apparent some time after the original surgical procedure either serendipitously, or via fistulization into local structures. "

RFID 3Gen Reader Chipset ...

Anadigm introduces 3rd generation RFID reader chipset, that can be leveraged in high and ultra-high frequency applications and RFID tag types. ...

.... "Anadigm announced the immediate availability of RangeMaster5, the company's third-generation RFID reader 3.3 volt chip set solution that allows system vendors to design and maintain a single combination HF and UHF reader. The Rangemaster5-based system can be customized to read different radio frequency identification (RFID) tag types, with different modulation types and frequencies. RangeMaster5 also fully supports current HF standards as well as the newer standards under study by EPC (Electronic Product Code) Global, Inc. Like previous RangeMaster devices, RangeMaster5 will support UHF protocols- EPC Global Gen 1 and Gen 2 (class 0, 1, 2) as well as ISO18000-6 standards. RangeMaster5 is the third in a family of RFID reader solutions that Anadigm is developing for the rapidly expanding RFID markets. RFID technology is revolutionizing markets as diverse as retail sales - by managing inventory and electronic payments via mobile phones - to medical applications by ensuring that hospital patients receive the correct treatments and medications.

RangeMaster5 is a three-chip set comprised of two dynamically programmable analog signal processors (dpASP) in conjunction with an RFID State Machine. This enables system designers to develop universal RFID readers that can support both HF and UHF, changing between HF and UHF baseband frequencies dynamically, in a few microseconds. RangeMaster5 also features the ability to dynamically change between protocols and frequencies allowing for optimized RFID tag reading. By allowing standardization around a single printed circuit board to support multiple end products and markets, RangeMaster5 simplifies and improves product development. This next generation of RangeMaster not only reduces development time and ownership costs of fixed systems, but also enables portable designs by reducing supply voltage requirements and power consumption. " ...

RFID 3Gen Reader Chipset: Via Anadigm: Anadigm Reveals Third Generation Chipset for Combination HF and UHF RFID Readers ...

Hospital RFID Applications Discussed ...

MIT Forum will discuss RFID applications in the hospital. ...

... "RFID in the Hospital
Monday June 12, 2006
6:30 - 6:45 Networking & Light Snack
6:45 - 7:45 Panel Presentation
7:45 - 8:30 p.m. Q & A
Location:
Stata Center (Bldg. 32)
Room 124, 1st floor
32 Vassar Street
Cambridge, MA 02139 MAP

In addition to manufacturing and retail marketing, healthcare is considered the next home for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Although in its early stages, RFID technology has great potential in the hospitals to significantly reduce cost, improve patient safety and deliver medical services. Imagine the hospital of the future where unnecessary expenses will be cut and more patient lives will be saved. " ...

Via MIT EF: RFID SIG ...

RFID Technology Healthcare Purchasing Partnership ...

Healthcare purchasing organization partners with Zebra Tech for RFID technology needs. ...

... "According to The Institute of Medicine, medical errors cause up to 98,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. Bar coding applications have been shown to substantially reduce costly and dangerous medical errors, and the recent 17th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey found that medical error reduction and patient safety will remain top business objectives for hospital IT executives in 2006. Zebra's bar coded wristbands, unit-dose pharmacy labeling and employee badge solutions help enable patient safety improvements at the bedside and throughout the hospital with patient registration/identification, medication labeling, lab specimen collection, radiology film labeling and surgical instrument tracking applications. Bar coding and RFID are at the heart of many patient safety initiatives, says David Crist, vice president of sales at Zebra Technologies. Zebra is committed to working with Amerinet and its members to deliver these solutions in a way that minimizes medical errors and enhances safety. Zebra is a leading manufacturer of specialty thermal printing solutions including wireless, mobile and high-performance label and wristband printers designed to meet the needs of the healthcare market. Zebra also offers printing supplies, including highly durable, ready-to-print ZBand Direct wristbands, which were awarded the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Product Leadership of the Year Award in the field of medical informatics. Use of these wristbands ensures accurate patient identification and enables healthcare providers to meet patient safety and privacy standards, such as those set by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In addition, Zebra's newly introduced antimicrobial wristband coating further improves the safety and quality of care by reducing the spread of dangerous and costly hospital infections. " ...

RFID Technology Healthcare Purchasing Partnership: Via Zebra Technologies: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES AND AMERINET ANNOUNCE NEW TWO-YEAR AGREEMENT: Zebra to provide Amerinet members with its full line of bar code, card and RFID printers, supplies and services ...

RFID Smart Shelf Dispenser ..

TagSys develops new item-level RFID reader-based devices that target improvement of inventory management for the pharmaceutical, retail, library and industry laundry sectors through an RFID-enabled Smart Shelf and Smart Dispenser products. ...

... "The Smart Shelf simulates the 3D tunnel reader approach on a static standard shelf. The Shelf is designed to read any tag that is placed on the surface of the shelf. Previous designs of RFID shelves have required tags to be perpendicular to the antenna. The new Smart Shelf is designed to provide accurate readings regardless of the orientation of the tag. The Smart Shelf is highly sought after by libraries to help manage high volumes of books and other media, the pharmaceutical industry, where RFID tagged bottles can be tracked and monitored, high-end jewelry stores, and retail, where inventory of items like DVDs and CDs can be monitored to ensure availability during peak seasons of demand. The Smart Dispenser provides a volume based approach to reading the items in the dispenser. A typical dispenser could be a drawer or cabinet used to dispense items to authorized individuals. The items can be placed in any order or orientation in the dispenser. The new design reads the items in the dispenser when the drawer is opened and again when it is closed. The items that are removed are identified through the difference between reads. One user example of the Smart Dispenser is the management of hospital garments (scrubs) used by medical staff. To help hospitals manage hygiene and sterilization requirements, the Smart Dispenser can dispense the appropriate attire to the staff, (e.g. size, number of previous washes, etc.), and also monitor inventory and how that inventory is being managed. " ...

RFID Smart Shelf Dispenser: Via TAGSys: TAGSYS Develops Item-Level RFID Smart Shelf And Smart Dispenser For Pharma, Libraries And Retail ...

RFID Hospital: Blood Tracking ...

IBM collaborates with Japan hospital to track blood samples using RFID technology. ...

... "At the Kyoto Medical Center, under the new project, RFID tags were attached to dummy samples of plasma derivatives (about 50 units) and successfully traced. Using these RFID tags, information on the distribution and use history of the products - from the pharmaceutical manufacturer via the wholesalers to the medical institutions through to use - can be shared (federated), and the basis for a tracking mechanism can be established. In the future, multiple users, beyond the boundaries of individual industries, can make use of this kind of historical information to provide a system for enabling safe medical care. IBM Japan has built a distributed information system for seamless operation of RFID tags, while protecting a variety of highly classified medical information, such as personal information. Moreover, from the point of view of privacy, it has become possible to provide access control technology, which strictly limits access to the database and displays only the information necessary for the business at hand in systems used by multiple businesses or departments. " ...

RFID Hospital: Blood Tracking: Via IBM: Japan's first RFID tag drug-shipment-to-in-hospital medication traceability successfully demonstrated ...

RFID Hospital Improves Patient Safety ...

Upcoming IQPC conference focuses on the use of RFID technology in hospitals to increase patient safety. ...

... "Recognizing the need for hospitals and health centers to implement RFID and barcoding processes to achieve greater efficiency, track moveable medical assets (including patients), and enhance patient safety, Healthcare IQ, the healthcare division of the International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), announced it's 4th Annual RFID, Tracking and Barcoding for Hospitals, to take place March 20-23, 2006 at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, AZ. This conference will feature over 20 brand new case studies in two separate tracks: Innovative Solutions in Barcoding and Innovative Solutions in RFID. " ...

Via IQPC: Leading Hospitals and Health Centers Discuss Innovative Solutions Utilizing RFID and Barcoding to Reduce Medical Errors and Increase Patient Safety

Hospital RFID Asset Tracking ...

Infologix implements RFID asset tracking for hospitals ...

... "InfoLogix, a market leader in Healthcare Information Technology total solutions announces HealthTrax, their new solution for Real-Time Location Tracking and management of medical devices. HealthTrax was developed with InfoLogix partner AeroScout, the leader in the field of Wi-Fi based Active RFID solutions. The first demonstration of the integrated solution will be in San Diego at HIMSS 2006, the top Healthcare Informatics Conference for the year. Also at HIMSS, InfoLogix and AeroScout will discuss performance and ROI of HealthTrax for Asset Tracking and for Patient Location Tracking.

HealthTrax is a complete solution for tracking assets and people within hospitals, and includes both RFID asset tags and enterprise software that can be used with standard wireless networks. The HealthTrax RFID tag is 802.11 Wi-Fi-based and leverages the existing wireless infrastructure; hospitals will not need a separate or redundant wireless network for Asset Tracking. Once the tags are attached to desired items, hospital staff can quickly locate what they need and when they need it on an easy-to-use Web-based electronic floor plan. This tagged hospital equipment can also provide security benefits by triggering an alarm if hospital assets are taken from designated areas. " ...

Hospital RFID Asset Tracking: Via Infologix: InfoLogix Announces HealthTrax RFID Asset Tracking Software for Management of Hospital Mobile Assets in Real Time ...

Gen2 RFIDReader Chipset: RangeMaster2 ...

RangeMaster2 is Generation 2 RFID reader chipset ...

... "Anadigm announces immediate availability of RangeMaster2, the company's second generation RFID reader 3.3 volt chip set solution that allows system vendors to design and maintain a single universal reader that can be customized to read different radio frequency identification (RFID) tag types, with different modulation types and frequencies. RangeMaster family fully supports HF and UHF protocols- EPC Global Gen 1 and Gen 2 (class 0, 1, 2) and ISO18000-6 standards. RangeMaster2 is the second in a family of RFID reader solutions that Anadigm is developing for the rapidly expanding RFID markets. RFID technology is revolutionizing markets as diverse as retail sales - by managing inventory and electronic payments via mobile phones - to medical applications by ensuring that hospital patients receive the correct treatments and medications.

RangeMaster2 is a two-chip set comprised of a dynamically programmable analog signal processor (ASP) in conjunction with an RFID State Machine. This enables system designers to develop a universal RFID tag reader that can support multiple protocols and frequencies for Universal Fixed Readers, Portable/Handheld Readers, Combination Bar Code and RFID Reader/Scanners. By allowing standardization around a single printed circuit board to support multiple end products and markets, RangeMaster2 simplifies and improves product development. This next generation of RangeMaster not only reduces development time and ownership costs of fixed systems, but also enables portable designs by reducing supply voltage requirements and power consumption. " ...

Gen2 RFIDReader Chipset: RangeMaster2: Via Anadigm: Anadigm Introduces Second Generation Chipset for Universal HF and UHF RFID Reader Systems: RangeMaster2 - a Dynamically Programmable Analog Signal Processor Solution that Enables Fixed and Portable "Universal" RFID Reader Applications ...

RFID People Chipping ...

RFID chipping of people is not very far away. Consumer items, passports, drugs, and other objects will have RFID tags and could serve as a mechanism for tracking and tracing people. In the references below, there are many examples where people RFID chipping is beginning. Mark Long explores the benefits and privacy concerns of RFID technology as adoption increases to solve various problems in society. ...

... "Nevertheless, the chipping of Americans may not be as far away as some people think. For one thing, RFID tags are likely to play a pivotal role in securing the next generation of American identity documents, said Bob McCullough, an analyst at The Yankee Group. " ...

RFID People Chipping: Tracked by a Tiny Chip: The Promise and Peril of RFID - Via Tech Trends - NewsFactor Network

Additional resources on the chipping of people with RFID:

Feds approve human RFID implants | Via The Register: "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a gimmick from Florida-based Applied Digital Solutions to chip people with RFID implants - previously confined to tracking animals - thereby making it easy to access their medical records, even when they cannot, or would rather not, cooperate."

EPIC RFID Privacy Page: "In comments to the Article 29 Working Group, an association of leading European privacy officials, EPIC has recommended strong safeguards for RFIDs and techniques to track the use of digital works. EPIC's Comments on RFID (pdf) recommend a prohibition on chipping people and warn that unencrypted RFID passports pose significant security risks. "

Japan: Schoolkids to be tagged with RFID chips - Hardware - News - Via ZDNet Asia: "The rights and wrongs of RFID-chipping human beings have been debated since the tracking tags reached the technological mainstream. Now, school authorities in the Japanese city of Osaka have decided the benefits outweigh the disadvantages and will now be chipping children in one primary school. "

RFID Emergency Card: Enables Electronic Health Record ...

MedicAlert will show its RFID-enabled smart-card for enabling emergency medical care through the use of identification and electronic health records. ...

... "MedicAlert will be showcasing technology products - the MedicAlert® E-HealthKEY, the Health Enhancement System (HES), and the RFID Emergency Card in response to the federal government’s goal to give all Americans electronic medical records in the coming years. Within a few years, one-third of all Americans will be elderly – about 77 million people – the single biggest demographic group in the country. Globally, the U.S. will have the largest population of elderly people in the history of the world. " ...

RFID Emergency Card: Enables Electronic Health Record: Via MedicAlert: MedicAlert® to showcase technology at the White House Conference on Aging ...

MedicAlert® is committed to providing technology-based solutions and is an active member and a leader in developing interoperability standards with all the major Healthcare IT standards organizations. The MedicAlert® repository uses Web service interfaces to support standard Electronic Health Records (EHRs), including electronic drug prescriptions and for patient record interoperability. These activities will ensure the rapid development and deployment of standards to improve the quality of care, lower healthcare costs while increasing patient safety. MedicAlert® is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1956 with a mission to protect and save lives, is headquartered in the United States and has international affiliates in nine countries.

Additional resources on uses of RFID to support emergency health care or electronic health care identification:

Health Care CIO Runs Internal RFID Test - Computerworld: "Halamka said this month that when the chip is scanned by an RFID reader, an identifying number directs physicians to his medical records, which are stored electronically at CareGroup's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "

VeriChip launches secure database to consult health care data stored on implantable RFID chips: "VeriChip is a miniaturised, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) which can be used in a variety of security, emergency, and health care applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip is composed of FDA-accepted materials and contains a unique verification number which can seamlessly integrate to the GVS Registry."

RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world | WTN: "Radio frequency identification technology is often touted as a way to improve supply chain management. But in the health care world, the technology is bringing other, perhaps more important benefits: safety and security."

VeriChip RFID Medical Facility Adoption Grows ...

VeriChip continues to grow its RFID adoption in medical facilities. ...

... "VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital (NASDAQ: ADSX - News), a leading provider of identification and security technology, announced that 68 medical facilities, including 65 hospitals, have now agreed to implement the VeriMed System for Patient Identification. During the month of November, three additional hospitals agreed to adopt the System. Three additional healthcare organizations have recently agreed to adopt the System: one research center, one specialized care center, and one nursing home. " ...

VeriChip RFID Medical Facility Adoption Grows: Via VeriChip: VeriChip Corporation Expands Adoption of VeriMed System for Patient Identification: New Signings in November Increase Medical Facilities to 68 ...

VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and the only company to provide both implantable and wearable RFID identification and security solutions for people, their assets, and their environments. From the world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads the way in next-generation RFID technologies. Today, over 4,000 installations worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems.

RFID Technology Enables Hospital Efficiency and Effectiveness ...

RFID technology can enable efficiency in hospitals through asset management and increase effectiveness, such as patient safety, through real-time patient information access that lower patient errors. Marisa Torrieri's article explores hospital RFID scenarios. ...

RFID Technology Enables Hospital Efficiency and Effectiveness: Via SecureID News: FDA-approved RFID technology eases E.R. visits, reduces wrong-site surgery ...

... "But let's say she's tagged with RFID and the hospital's medical staff is equipped with a reader that can pick up her medical history in one wave. Her diabetes would be detected immediately, and she'd get the right treatment right away that would decrease her emergency room stay. That's just one scenario made possible by RFID. " ...

Healthcare RFID: Zebra ProductLine Agreement ...

Zebra inks product-line agreement to serve the healthcare supply chain with RFID printing and other identification technology. Zebra's partner, MedAssets, leverages technology into the healthcare supply chain through best-of-breed solutions. ...

Healthcare RFID: Zebra ProductLine Agreement: Via Zebra Technologies: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES AND MEDASSETS ANNOUNCE NEW 3-YEAR AGREEMENT: Zebra to provide MedAssets customers with full line of bar code, card and RFID printers, supplies and services ...

... "Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in delivering on-demand specialty printing solutions for business and process improvement, has signed a new three-year full product line agreement with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems, a leading healthcare group purchasing organization (GPO) and supply chain services company. The full line agreement makes Zebra’s bar code, card and RFID printers as well as its supplies and service agreements available to MedAssets' customers for a wide range of identification, tracking and access control applications. " ...

Zebra Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq: ZBRA) delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 100 countries around the world. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra-brand thermal bar code, “smart” label, receipt and card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs and better customer service. The company has sold more than four million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions and printing supplies.

MedAssets, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, improves healthcare providers’ margins and cash flow through revenue cycle and supply chain initiatives. As a strategic business partner, MedAssets can replace multiple vendors and decrease supply costs by 3% to 10% and increase net patient revenue by 1% to 3%. Proprietary information technology is used to work with and improve existing IT assets and work processes. MedAssets, through its revenue cycle subsidiary MedAssets Net Revenue Systems, provides best-of-breed revenue solutions, including strategic pricing, pre-bill charge capturing and ongoing chargemaster management tools, all of which have been peer reviewed by the Healthcare Financial Management Association. In addition, MedAssets offers the only technology enabled systems that manage claim denials and link supply cost data with charge data to ensure accurate charges and defendable markups for all patient identifiable supplies, including costly medical devices. MedAssets, through its supply chain subsidiary MedAssets Supply Chain Systems, operates the fastest growing group purchasing organization and supply chain services company in the U.S. and builds customized solutions encompassing procurement of common medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, physician preference supplies, food and nutrition items, and capital equipment.

RFID Chips: People Applications

Daren Fonda explores use of RFID chips in people applications, such as security, access control, and healthcare ...

RFID Chips: People Applications: Via TIME: Biochips for Everyone! ...

... "A radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder the size of a grain of rice, the VeriChip contains a 16-digit personal ID number that can be scanned like a bar code, providing health-care workers access to your medical records online. " ...

RFID Catheter Data Transfer ...

Catheter manufacturer integrates RFID chip technology into latest model to support data transfer ...

RFID Catheter Data Transfer: Via Volcano Corp: Volcano Corporation Announces FDA Clearance of the Revolution™ 45 MHz IVUS Imaging Catheter: Novel Design will Allow Use of Phased Array and Rotational Catheters on Same IVUS Console ...

... "The Revolution Catheter has a center operating frequency of 45 MHz, making it the highest frequency intravascular catheter approved for sale in the U.S. The Revolution is built on intellectual property and technology recently licensed and acquired from Philips NV of The Netherlands. Volcano expects this imaging technology will appeal to a number of physicians who have trained using high frequency rotating IVUS imaging catheters. The Revolution also incorporates enhanced polymer transitions for improved handling and trackability, RFID chip technology for catheter data transfer, and a reinforced telescoping region for more reliable performance and reduced peri-procedural catheter failure and breakage. " ...

Volcano Corp. is a privately held medical device company founded in 2001. With over 475 worldwide employees, Volcano is dedicated to providing technologies leading to optimal management of coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease. Volcano products include Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) systems and catheters, as well as physiology guide wires. With global distribution, Volcano is a leading provider of innovative therapy-enabling and therapy-guiding technologies to the interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular fields.

Cisco RFID: Healthcare Industry Asset Location ...

Cisco executives offer their RFID vision in the healthcare industry where business capabilities, such as RFID asset location, are increasingly critical to the operational excellence in hospitals ...

Cisco RFID: Healthcare Industry Asset Location: Via News @ Cisco: Information Technology Offers a Cure for the Global Healthcare Industry

... "Why is asset location so important in a clinical setting? Pierre-Paul Allard: With RFID-enabled Wi-Fi tags placed on hospital equipment, staff can instantly locate something as simple as a wheelchair or as important as an IV machine. The inability to find hospital equipment quickly has real impact on both patient care and cost efficiencies.
The average nurse spends 30% of their typical 12-hour shift just walking. Find equipment faster, and some of that time goes back to real patient care. Misplacing high-value equipment affects both the bottom line and top line of a hospital. High inventory levels certainly increase costs, but improved asset visibility can increase bed turns and therefore revenue. Asset location helps medical facilities in other ways, also - from improved equipment maintenance to audits or even implementing restricted access zones throughout a facility. " ...

RFID Verichip Hospital Growth Explodes ...

RFID Verichip Hospital Growth Explodes: Via VeriChip: VeriChip Corporation Adds 49 Additional Hospitals During Month of September That Have Agreed to Implement the VeriMed(TM) Patient Identification System; Total of 58 Hospitals Exceeds Company's Full-Year Guidance of 20 to 25 Hospitals ...

... "Overall, since the FDA clearance of VeriChip for medical applications, 58 hospitals have agreed to adopt the VeriMed System in their emergency departments. The Company had previously announced that it expected to have 20 to 25 hospitals agree to adopt the VeriMed System by the end of 2005. Most of the hospitals entering into agreements to implement VeriMed in September did so as a result of the Company's demonstration of the system at the American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) Scientific Assembly that took place September 26-29, 2005 in Washington, D.C. " ...

VeriChip: The First RFID Company for People: VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and the only company to provide both implantable and wearable RFID identification and security solutions for people, their assets, and their environments. From the world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads the way in next-generation RFID technologies. Today, over 4,000 installations worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems.

RFID Electronic Medication Administration: Error Reduction ...

RFID Electronic Medication Administration: Symbol Urges Congress to Support RFID and Electronic Medication Administration to Reduce Errors and Costs: Larry Blue to Testify Before Government Reform Committee on Healthcare and Information Technology ...

... "Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company™, announced today that Larry Blue, vice president and general manager of Symbol's RFID Tag Business Unit will testify before the Government Reform Committee regarding healthcare and information technology (IT). The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 29 at 10 a.m. Mr. Blue will provide thoughts on how mobile computers and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can help reduce medical errors and help combat counterfeit drugs. " ...

Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company™, is a recognized worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for the world's leading companies.

Healthcare RFID Hospital Installations ...

Healthcare RFID Hospital Installations: Via Radianse: New Radianse active-RFID installations at Yale-New Haven Hospital, PinnacleHealth Hospitals and St. Vincent's Hospital

... "Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, installed a Radianse IPS to improve equipment management and patient and staff flows across Perioperative Services and the Cardiac Thoracic Intensive Care unit. Close to a thousand pieces of medical equipment are covered by a Radianse IPS, so wherever equipment is located from central supply to the post anesthesia care unit it can be immediately found using a simple, web-based search. That same search function can be used to locate a number of managers who wear Radianse active-RFID location tags in the first phase of staff location. When patient location is deployed later this year, the hospital plans to use Radianse single-use active-RFID tags, a wristwatch-sized device designed to maximize comfort, safety and convenience across a patient's length of stay. " ...

Radianse, Inc., Lawrence, Mass., provides hospitals with wireless indoor positioning solutions (IPS) that accurately locate and associate medical equipment, patients and staff. University, regional and community hospitals alike use Radianse applications for asset tracking, patient and staff location and real-time alerts to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and safety and increase satisfaction and revenues. A Radianse IPS, which combines active-RFID tags with LAN-ready receivers and web-based location analysis software, installs simply, expands readily and delivers a return on investment in a matter of months. The Radianse Ready™ partner program provides equipment and clinical applications providers the ability to integrate identity and time-based location data.

HP RFID Healthcare IT Solutions ...

HP RFID Healthcare IT Solutions: Via Precision Dynamics Corporation: Precision Dynamics Corporation Forms Partnership with Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific to Deliver Healthcare RFID Wristband Solutions

... "Under the agreement and effective immediately, HP Asia Pacific is granted an exclusive license to offer PDC RFID Wristbands, including Smart Band, SuperBand, ScanBand, CompuBand, and Smart AgeBand, as part of its healthcare IT offering to hospitals in Asia Pacific. PDC will also provide sales and technical support. Designed for positive patient identification and the reduction of medical errors, the RFID system will be targeted for use in a variety of hospital applications, including OR patient ID and surgical site verification, patient registration, and medication administration. " ...

With nearly 50 years of experience, PDC is the global leader and pacesetter in the development of automatic identification wristband systems and quality healthcare products. The company introduced the first patient Bar Code ID Wristband System in 1984, the Smart Band® Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Wristband System in 2000, and the AgeBand™ Electronic Age/ID Verification System in 2004. PDC also provides premium healthcare products for labor & delivery, urology, and other applications. PDC is committed to 100% quality in service, design, and manufacturing. This is substantiated by their ISO-9001: 2000 and ISO-13485: 2003 certification at their main facility in San Fernando, CA.

WinRFID Network Edge System ...

WinRFID Network Edge System: Via RFID@WINMEC - RFID Research

... "WinRFID provides a seamless RFID system which can deliver intelligent information by filtering and aggregating data collected at the edge of an RFID network from a variety of transponders through diverse readers. WinRFID infrastructure technology is being tested for diverse set of applications including medical/healthcare, asset tracking, supply chain, retail, library/document tracking, security and e-pedigree. " ...

RFID Service Parts Management

RFID Service Parts Management: MCA Solutions and SeeControl Partner to Deliver World-Class Service Supply Chains: Alliance Links Strategy and Execution to Optimize Uptime and Reduce Costs ...

MCA and SeeControl collaborate to deliver RFID-enabled service parts management across the value chain ...

... "By combining MCA Solutions’ offering for optimizing service parts planning with SeeControl’s real-time visibility into field inventory levels, manufacturers can ensure that the right parts are in the right place at the right time to meet their customers’ needs, without incurring the risk of holding excess inventory, just in case. In addition, the combined solution can leverage emerging RFID technology to better control and plan service parts across the extended supply chain. " ...

SeeControl is the leading provider of B2B inventory visibility, control and asset management solutions. Global 3000 Automotive, Computer Systems, Industrial Automation, Medical Equipment, Semiconductor and Telecommunications leaders utilize SeeControl’s integrated solution to extend the enterprise to disparate business units, customer sites, and supply chain partners. With the world's first turnkey inventory tracking and management system, SeeControl clients enjoy differentiated cost structures and new revenue opportunities that put them ahead of the competition.

MCA Solutions, and its Service Planning and Optimization suite of solutions, helps companies in industries ranging from aerospace and defense and semiconductors to industrial and medical equipment, set new standards for asset utilization and customer support. SPO is a web-based suite of advanced inventory planning, forecasting and execution solutions that give companies the ability to manage and monitor inventory levels of mission-critical materials. It meets the demanding requirement of the service parts planning process, reduces operating costs and provides global, real-time visibility throughout the extended service supply chain. The first commercial software to optimize assets in a multi-echelon service supply chain network, it supports collaborative planning, forecasting and execution processes by linking with a company's enterprise and customer relationship management systems.

VeriMed RFID Hospital Infrastructure: Healthcare Adoption Grows ...

VeriMed RFID Hospital Infrastructure: Healthcare Adoption Grows: Via VeriChip: VeriChip Expands Hospital Infrastructure: Trinitas Hospital Adopts the VeriMed(TM) System ...

The VeriMed RFID instructure for hospitals continues to be adopted in the healthcare industry ...

... "VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital (NASDAQ: ADSX - News) announced that Trinitas Hospital, a leading healthcare facility based in Elizabeth, New Jersey has agreed to implement the VeriMed(TM) microchip system and will initiate a clinical evaluation program of the System in its two Emergency Departments for rapid patient identification purposes. Upon implementation, each facility will be able to scan patients to obtain their VeriChip ID Number and utilize the associated database information. Trinitas becomes the sixth hospital that has agreed to adopt the VeriMed System in their emergency department in the last five months and the third hospital in the State of New Jersey to employ the VeriMed System. " ...

Established in January, 2000, following the consolidation of St. Elizabeth Hospital and Elizabeth General Medical Center, Trinitas Hospital is a full-service healthcare facility serving those who live and work in Eastern and Central Union County. Operating on two major campuses, Trinitas Hospital has 531 beds, including a 120-bed long-term care center. Trinitas Hospital is proud to offer state-of-the-art medicine backed by compassion and competence.

VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and the only company to provide both implantable and wearable RFID identification and security solutions for people, their assets, and their environments. From the world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads the way in next-generation RFID technologies. Today, over 3,000 installations worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems.

Hospital RFID Inventory System ...

Hospital RFID Inventory System: King’s Daughters installs high-tech inventory system for Cardiac and Vascular Cath Labs: New system enables Heart and Vascular Center to track supplies and deliver a higher quality of patient care and safety ...

RFID inventory system, from Mobile Aspects, enables operational efficiency in hospital ...

... "King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC) of Ashland, Ky., recently installed a new computerized inventory control system in its cardiac catheterization laboratories. The system is an integrated suite of radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware and software applications that lets KDMC automatically track supplies, drugs, assets, and patients in real time for increased patient safety and enhanced operational efficiency. " ...

KDMC, a locally controlled, not-for-profit, 385-bed regional referral center, offers comprehensive cardiac, medical, surgical, pediatric, maternity, rehabilitative, psychiatric, cancer, neurological, occupational medicine, pain care, wound care and home care services. Established in 1899, KDMC currently ranks sixth in the state of Kentucky in terms of admissions, and, with approximately 3,000 team members, is the largest employer west of Charleston, W.Va., and east of Lexington Ky.

Mobile Aspects, the recipient of the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award within U.S. RFID Markets for Healthcare, provides innovative RFID solutions to enable hospitals to deliver a higher quality of care. The company’s One System of CARE™ is an integrated suite of RFID software and hardware solutions to track all supplies, drugs, assets, and patients in hospitals to make patient care safer and more efficient. The company’s RFID tracking solutions feature the iRIS™ inventory management system, the RFID-enabled Anesthesia Workstation and Drug Delivery Workstation, and the Patient and Asset tracking systems. These systems integrate seamlessly into existing hospital information management systems and eliminate all manual compliance steps while providing real-time data to clinicians. By integrating all patient and product information, the One System of CARE provides increased productivity, enhanced quality of care and safety for patients, and significant cost savings. From one web-based interface, providers can pull up information about all supplies, drugs, assets, and patients anywhere in the facility. Mobile Aspects’ One System of CARE is presently installed in several of the top 15 hospitals throughout North America.

Tag: RFID

RFID Healthcare Technology Agenda: Transformation

RFID Healthcare Technology Agenda: Transformation: Promoting Innovation and Competitiveness: President Bush's Technology Agenda

... "Transforming Health Care through Health Information Technology: President Bush believes that innovations in electronic medical records and the secure exchange of medical information will help transform health care in America - improving health care quality, reducing health care costs, preventing medical errors, improving administrative efficiencies, reducing paperwork, and increasing access to affordable health care. " ...

RFID Healthcare Information Technology Plan

RFID Healthcare Information Technology Plan: Improving Care and Saving Lives Through Health IT

President Bush has an agenda for driving information technology investment in healthcare, through technologies such as wireless, RFID, etc. ...

... "Updating America's Health Care System: Information technology is changing American industry. At the end of the 1990s, most American industries were spending approximately $8,000 per worker for IT, but the health care industry was investing only approximately $1,000 per worker. The United States has always been innovative with medical care, but continues to face major hurdles in our health information systems as we move into the 21st century. Despite spending over $1.6 trillion on health care as a Nation, there are still serious concerns about high costs, avoidable medical errors, administrative inefficiencies, and poor coordination - all of which are closely connected to the failure to incorporate health information technology into our health care system. " ...