SUNY Upstate Medical University Deploys AeroScout Asset Tracking And Temperature Monitoring Solutions To Improve Operations
AeroScout, Inc., the leading provider of Unified Asset Visibility for the healthcare industry, and NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. (NEC), a leading enterprise communications integrator, recently announced that University Hospital, part of State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, has implemented AeroScout's Wi-Fi-based Asset Management and Temperature Monitoring solutions. University Hospital is using the solutions to increase equipment utilization, staff productivity and patient satisfaction. In addition, its O.R. throughput and on-time start rates have improved due to faster searches for and retrieval of critical medical equipment.
SUNY Upstate Medical University, located in Syracuse, New York, is an academic medical center consisting of four colleges. Its 1.3 million square-foot, 366-bed University Hospital is the only Level 1 trauma center serving the central New York region. SUNY Upstate is an innovative user of technology and recently installed a second-generation wireless network designed specifically to enable voice and location services. Working with NEC, its long-term communications integration partner, University Hospital completed the site survey and installation of the new Cisco Unified Wireless Network in late 2007. NEC also helped the hospital upgrade its core switching network with zero downtime.
The University Hospital management team recognized an opportunity to leverage its wireless network to better utilize its mobile medical equipment, including beds, wheelchairs, expensive rental equipment and approximately 600 IV pumps, all of which are constantly moving throughout the facility. According to Terry Wagner, University Hospital's CIO, improving asset management and equipment utilization is always a challenge for any healthcare provider, and the hospital wanted to use its existing wireless network to help drive operational efficiency.
University Hospital decided to implement AeroScout's Wi-Fi RFID Asset Management solution to leverage the hospital's Cisco Unified Wireless Network. The first phase of the deployment, consisting of AeroScout's MobileView software and Wi-Fi Tags, was completed in November 2008.
University Hospital is using the AeroScout solution in a variety of ways. In addition to tracking equipment such as hundreds of IV pumps throughout the facility, the solution is proving to be particularly valuable for the Perioperative Department. University Hospital has two surgery areas – 12 operating rooms on the fifth floor for adults, and four operating rooms on the third floor for children. The two areas share equipment, and some items must also be stored in other parts of the facility or even off site when not in use. This equipment includes specialized operating tables used for different types of surgeries, bladder scanners and diagnostic equipment. Prior to installing the AeroScout solution, Perioperative and Central Equipment Services staff would manually search for the necessary equipment – if items weren't easily found, delays could occur. Since the implementation, the staff is able to immediately locate the required equipment using MobileView's graphical user interface, and quickly retrieve it for use.
"Our O.R. equipment is constantly being moved, and we need to be able to find and deliver items quickly, especially in emergencies," said Roxanne Taylor, Deputy Director of Perioperative Services. "We can now instantly locate the items we need, such as a specific type of table we need for a surgery. It saves us a tremendous amount of time, letting us focus on the patient and the situation at hand. This is particularly important for our trauma cases where every second counts."
In addition, to comply with The Joint Commission requirements for monitoring the temperature of refrigerators used to store items such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines and bone and tissue samples, the hospital has also placed AeroScout Temperature Monitoring Tags in refrigerators in the pharmacy and on nursing units. Previously, the nursing and pharmacy staff had to manually track and record the temperature of the refrigerators multiple times a day – an inefficient and potentially error-prone process. By using the Temperature Monitoring solution, University Hospital accurately and automatically tracks and records temperatures, and the appropriate personnel are alerted if readings deviate from the acceptable range. This has relieved the nursing staff from having to perform these duties manually, which means they're able to spend more time caring for patients.
"Our team is dedicated to finding ways to use technology to improve operations and, most importantly, to improve patient care," said Wagner. "Using Wi-Fi RFID has helped our organization increase staff productivity and equipment utilization, as well as enhance patient care by reducing the time it takes to find urgently needed medical equipment. This also increases patient satisfaction because it decreases the frequency of delays and allows more time for clinicians to spend with patients."
"SUNY Upstate is a forward-thinking and effective user of information technology," said Steffan Haithcox, Senior Director of Marketing. "They're using our Asset Management and Temperature Monitoring solutions to drive value in a variety of ways, such as improving equipment utilization and O.R. efficiency, and are a great example of how Wi-Fi can be leveraged for a broad set of visibility solutions throughout healthcare organizations."
AeroScout will be showcasing its healthcare solutions in booth #813 at the AAMI 2009 Conference & Expo, held in Baltimore, Maryland, June 6 - 8.
About AeroScout
AeroScout is the market leader in Unified Asset Visibility solutions. Customers improve operational efficiency using AeroScout products that leverage standard Wi-Fi networks to track and manage the location, condition and status of mobile assets and people. AeroScout's global customer base consists of leading hospital, manufacturing and logistics organizations, including many of the Fortune 500. The company invented the first Wi-Fi-based Active RFID tag, and today is widely recognized as leading the market in number of deployments and tags shipped. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, AeroScout has offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. For more information, visit www.aeroscout.com.
About NEC Unified Solutions
NEC Unified Solutions helps companies unify their business communications through innovative software, applications, development tools, and services. NEC offers a complete portfolio for unified communications, wireless, voice, data and managed services, as well as systems integration and application development. NEC Unified Solutions serves as the North American communications integration arm of global giant NEC Corporation for Fortune 1000, as well as small to mid-sized businesses in vertical markets such as hospitality, education, government, and healthcare. For more information, visit www.necunified.com.
SOURCE: AeroScout, Inc.