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Wilford Hall Medical Center Successfully Installs RFID System From Mobile Aspects to Support Cardiology Services

Posted on: Friday, 14 July 2006, 09:00 CDT

Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC) of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, successfully installed a computerized inventory system to support cardiology services provided by the United States Air Force's 759th Surgical Operations Squadron. The system is deployed in the cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories of the hospital. Developed by Mobile Aspects, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pa., the system, called iRISupply(TM), uses a radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking architecture to automatically track medical devices and supplies.

The system provides automated storage, tracking, and inventory management capabilities to support the operational processes of the clinical setting. Installed on May 15, products being stored and tracked within the system include stents, balloons, and implantable devices such as pacemakers that are used for interventional cardiology procedures. WHMC joins a growing list of hospitals that are leveraging RFID technology to achieve positive financial outcomes and better patient care.

"Through the RFID technology, we seek continued improvement in the medical device and supply management processes of our cardiology services," said Colonel Marc Sager, 59th Medical Wing administrator. "In line with our vision as an organization, we strive to put our patient's needs first while focusing on optimizing the resources used to provide that care."

Common benefits to medical device and supply management realized with utilization of the system include more accurate charge capture, improved security and retrieval of stored items, and enhanced management of product expiration and recall for time-sensitive products such as drug-eluting stents. As its common for implants, stents, and other devices to occupy 40% of supply budgets for a typical hospital, finding opportunities to optimize resource utilization can yield significant improvements to a care provider's bottom line.

The IRISupply system is part of the Mobile Aspects One System of CARE(TM) solution, which uses identification and information technologies to automate processes for clinical resource management by healthcare providers. By automating the storage, tracking, utilization, and billing of clinical resources through RFID, healthcare providers realize enhanced care quality, increased productivity, accurate billing, and significant inventory cost savings.

About Wilford Hall Medical Center

Wilford Hall Medical Center, the Air Force's largest medical facility, is a national resource, providing complete medical care to military healthcare beneficiaries in the south central United States as well as specialized care to patients referred from all over the world. Wilford Hall's patient care mission includes more than 16,000 inpatient admissions per year, and more than 700,000 clinic visits. The medical center provides the entire range of care from sick call to surgery, and serves as the national center of excellence for a number of programs.

Military readiness is Wilford Hall's prime mission. From the time of the organization's founding in 1942, the medical center has put the defense of the nation first.

Wilford Hall Medical Center can be found on the web at www.whmc.af.mil.

About Mobile Aspects

Mobile Aspects, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa., is a healthcare technology supplier focused on providing an integrated suite of clinical resource management solutions to automate the management of supply, asset, drug and patient tracking through the One System of CARE solution. The cornerstone of these technological capabilities is Intelligent Radio Frequency Inventory System (iRIS(TM)), the industry's leading patent-protected tracking architecture that leverages radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Through this innovative technology, clinicians and other care providers experience a hands free approach to managing the resources used in the patient care process.

Mobile Aspects can be found on the web at www.mobileaspects.com.

Source: Business Wire

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