Supporting staff with cloud-based asset tracking

It’s a daily struggle for staff: wandering hospital floors, trying to locate missing equipment when they need it most. Nurses hide equipment in storage closets, just so they won’t have to track it down later. Other items are simply lost or stolen. Whatever the cause, time spent searching is time taken away from patients and caregiving, which drives down patient and staff satisfaction. But it’s not just nurses. Biomedical teams also search for misplaced assets, which wastes their time and productivity, too.  

This struggle leads to frustration and dips in patient satisfaction scores. For hospitals and health systems, these issues repeat in a costly cycle of over-purchasing. To combat this constant need for missing equipment, facilities simply buy more of everything. It adds up: non-value-added time and over-purchasing can combine to a staggering $7M per year for the average 300-bed hospital.¹

Since this issue affects healthcare facilities of all sizes, Midmark has launched its next-generation real-time locating system (RTLS). Simple to deploy and easy to operate, the RTLS features cloud-based software and plug-in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) sensors, paired with BLE tags affixed to mobile equipment. Staff can view where assets are in real-time, quickly and easily locating them, which creates more time for value-added caregiving and equipment maintenance.

A nurse typically spends 208 hours each year² looking for hidden, missing or lost assets. The same number is typical for biomedical professionals. Asset tracking is a simple way to help staff locate items and get back to work. In addition to productivity, helping nurses get back to the bedside is a best practice for improving patient satisfaction scores. Nurses also benefit, as their frustration and dissatisfaction are reduced by locating what they need, when they need it, with a simple-to-use tracking solution. 

Cloud-based asset tracking shows equipment locations in real-time on a web-based application that is user-friendly. BLE technology is accurate to near room-level precision, and numerous items can be seen as a list or from a bird’s eye view at floor-level. By tracking in real time, nurses and biomedical teams can prevent assets from leaving the facility or quickly grab an item needed in an emergency. When seconds count, the platform’s intuitive user interface helps staff locate at a glance. 

From small telemetry packs to larger equipment like IV pumps, tagged assets are constantly visible and easily found. The cloud-based software receives automatic updates, so facilities are always on the newest version. Asset tracking helps health systems cut wasteful spending, support staff and raise patient satisfaction scores.

For health systems and hospitals, Cloud-Based RTLS provides a cost-effective, fast-to-deploy solution. A key aspect for health system management is the low investment cost for installing a cloud-based platform. Because the Plug-In BLE Sensors only need a wall outlet to operate, there is no need for design or construction projects. Facilities avoid noisy disruptions, and installation is as quick as plugging in sensors and activating with a smart phone. Full deployment is complete in a matter of days.

This simplified set up is not a burden on IT departments, since the cloud-based platform does not require dedicated servers or the footprint to house them. Further, cloud-based tracking is easily scalable, as it can be used across facilities and throughout multiple buildings. Regulatory compliance controls and encryption help ensure data confidentiality.

From the interviews we conduct with health system and hospital personnel, we understand the frustration they go through. We heard their stories of unsustainable waste. In one year, one hospital lost $5 million in IV pumps and telemetry packs alone.³ We also heard their concerns about how this waste and over-buying impacts their operations and budgets. This can include over-purchasing assets, repeat purchasing, labor costs to maintain extra equipment, and extra costs for software agreements, consumables, installations and user training. 
    
This waste is a constant issue that burdens day-to-day operations. Midmark RTLS works to support hospitals and health systems because budgets should be reserved for increasing the quality of care. Not repeat-buying items that were already in the building. Better care starts when all staff are well equipped, prepared and focusing on the patient—not searching for lost, missing or stolen medical devices and equipment. 

For more information, contact Midmark to see other ways that cloud-based asset tracking supports clinical staff and biomedical teams.