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Awarepoint Announces Real-Time Asset Tracking Expansion at UCSD Medical Center

Posted on: Friday, 23 March 2007, 18:00 CDT

With a hospital-wide expansion, Awarepoint's Real-time Awareness SolutionSM gave the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center Thornton Hospital the tools needed to achieve its vision of real-time asset tracking and resource management.

Following on the heels of a successful initial deployment in the surgery department, UCSD Medical Center expanded its installation of the Awarepoint system to track more than 400 items throughout the hospital's 250,000 square feet. Due to the unique design of the system, the installation was minimally disruptive to patients and staff.

The system installation requires no cables or internet drops for its receivers, which collect information for hospital assets. The small receivers are simply plugged into an electrical socket in the wall and a self-healing wireless mesh network automatically forms. Awarepoint's Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are then attached to the assets and tracked through a simple web-based interface. This simple installation makes locating the tagged equipment easier than ever.

From any wired or wireless hospital computer, clinical and administrative staff are able to search for a piece of equipment that appears on a hospital-specific map. "Awarepoint is so effective and easy to use that it improves clinical workflow," said Tom Hamelin, Director of Perioperative Services at UCSD Medical Center. "The interface is so intuitive that the staff trained themselves."

For the BioMedical department, another benefit is the ability to locate equipment for preventative maintenance, which enhances safety for patients and staff. In addition, the Central Services department now has invaluable information about the hospital's equipment inventory.

Founded in 2002, San Diego-based Awarepoint uses innovative RFID technology which enables hospital staff to immediately find the equipment and personnel they need to serve patients' needs and reduce wait times. As the market-leader in asset tracking focused solely in healthcare, Awarepoint improves patient flow and equipment management by providing accurate information about what is happening inside a facility in real-time. Awarepoint is the only company to use a self-healing wireless mesh network designed for easy deployment into existing hospital facilities with minimum disruption. The hospital-proven Real-time Awareness Solution helps enhance patient safety, increase revenue, reduce length of stay and improve compliance.

www.awarepoint.com 10590 W. Ocean Air Drive San Diego, CA 92130 (888) 824-4866

Source: Business Wire

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