The Virginia Mason Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington, opened a new clinic in the spring of 2009, which revolutionized the concept of traditional clinics and waiting rooms.
To make this process work, the clinic uses a set of RFID-IR systems provided by Versus Technology. The company's Enterprise VISion system allows clinic staff to track the location of patients and staff, said Tom Ott, Versus national sales manager, and sends alerts in real time so that employees can adapt their care plans to their specific needs.
After the front desk is registered, the staff assigns an examination room to each patient and sends them a card indicating the room number and the area where the clinic is located. There is a Versus battery-powered RF-IR hybrid tag on the card. Every three seconds, the tag sends both RF and infrared signals with the same unique ID code. RFID components use a proprietary air interface protocol to send 433 MHz RF signals, while infrared light sends an optical signal that is not noticeable to the naked eye.
The tag ID code and patient data are entered into the VISion software running on the back-end server. The employee then went into the software to track the individual's position in the clinic, said Shirl Diaz, Virginia Mason's managing director. The clinic installed a total of 158 Versus readers on the ceiling - 7 RFID and 146 infrared - including employee and patient areas.
Each employee is assigned an ID badge with a Versus battery-powered RF-IR hybrid tag. Badge (can not be on clothes) send ID code. When doctors, clinic assistants, or other employees go to work, the system understands their locations around the clock and stores these location information and times so that the medical center can locate workers in real time and store information about their activities.
Each examination room has two doors, which are accessed from separate aisles. The patient enters from one side of the door while the employee enters from the other side. In this way, patients and employees diverge in the aisles. When patients and doctors, or other caregivers, are in the same room, IR and RFID readers acquire signals for different tags and send their location information to the VISion software.
The IR function helps clinics locate the room where the label is located. The software can translate which doctors meet with whom, and how long they spent in the examination room to help the clinic analyze the time the doctor spent on the patient and which check Room is the most efficient.
The system is also used for real-time monitoring. For example, if a patient stays in the examination room for too long, the employee will receive an alert to visit the patient or contact the patient's assigned doctor. The hospital can also analyze its own procedures to understand why this patient is taking longer than other patients.
The system also improves the efficiency of the doctor's work. Doctors can better understand when the patient is ready and when he will have a few minutes free time to return mail or call.
To make this process work, the clinic uses a set of RFID-IR systems provided by Versus Technology. The company's Enterprise VISion system allows clinic staff to track the location of patients and staff, said Tom Ott, Versus national sales manager, and sends alerts in real time so that employees can adapt their care plans to their specific needs.
After the front desk is registered, the staff assigns an examination room to each patient and sends them a card indicating the room number and the area where the clinic is located. There is a Versus battery-powered RF-IR hybrid tag on the card. Every three seconds, the tag sends both RF and infrared signals with the same unique ID code. RFID components use a proprietary air interface protocol to send 433 MHz RF signals, while infrared light sends an optical signal that is not noticeable to the naked eye.
The tag ID code and patient data are entered into the VISion software running on the back-end server. The employee then went into the software to track the individual's position in the clinic, said Shirl Diaz, Virginia Mason's managing director. The clinic installed a total of 158 Versus readers on the ceiling - 7 RFID and 146 infrared - including employee and patient areas.
Each employee is assigned an ID badge with a Versus battery-powered RF-IR hybrid tag. Badge (can not be on clothes) send ID code. When doctors, clinic assistants, or other employees go to work, the system understands their locations around the clock and stores these location information and times so that the medical center can locate workers in real time and store information about their activities.
Each examination room has two doors, which are accessed from separate aisles. The patient enters from one side of the door while the employee enters from the other side. In this way, patients and employees diverge in the aisles. When patients and doctors, or other caregivers, are in the same room, IR and RFID readers acquire signals for different tags and send their location information to the VISion software.
The IR function helps clinics locate the room where the label is located. The software can translate which doctors meet with whom, and how long they spent in the examination room to help the clinic analyze the time the doctor spent on the patient and which check Room is the most efficient.
The system is also used for real-time monitoring. For example, if a patient stays in the examination room for too long, the employee will receive an alert to visit the patient or contact the patient's assigned doctor. The hospital can also analyze its own procedures to understand why this patient is taking longer than other patients.
The system also improves the efficiency of the doctor's work. Doctors can better understand when the patient is ready and when he will have a few minutes free time to return mail or call.