New Surgical Instrument Tracking Improves Asset Management, Maximizes Clinical Efficiencies
/EINPresswire.com/ Xerafy and SIS-USA partner to introduce RFID-based system to accurately and automatically track surgical trays and devices
Xerafy and Surgical Instrument Service Company, Inc. (SIS-USA) have partnered to solve the ongoing issues related to tracking and managing surgical trays, surgical devices and biomedical equipment. Each company is a leader in its respective field and the new partnership will bring an innovative, best-of-breed solution to provide highly visible surgical asset management aimed at tracking the use history of surgical instruments and devices.
The SIS-USA solution incorporates software and Xerafy autoclavable radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to bring tray-level visibility to tray inventories between the sterilization department and operating room. It uses EPCglobal Gen 2, ISO 18000-6C standard passive UHF RFID technology to automatically track, count and record items as they move through decontamination, assembly, sterilization, storage, transport and procedural uses – from the autoclave to the operating room and back.
Inaccurate tracking of surgical tools creates inventory problems that not only cost hospitals thousands of dollars annually, but more importantly, can be the difference between life and death when a particular item fails. Errors in identifying surgical tools and following specific cleaning and sterilization processes increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), a growing problem that is attracting increased attention from healthcare organizations and regulators. The FDA has created the Reusable Medical Devices Improvement Initiative to address these problems, and cited accurate product identification as a key to preventing HAIs.
Using RFID to track and manage assets in hospitals is undergoing rapid adoption. Spending on RFID systems to track healthcare equipment is expected to more than triple this year, from $449.5 million in 2012 to $1.73 billion in 2013 according to Transparency Market Research (1). The research firm predicts the total RFID market for healthcare will experience 19.3 percent compound annual growth from 2012 to 2018, when spending will reach $34 billion.
Xerafy is helping expand the use of RFID tracking because its tags can be mounted on or embedded into surgical trays and baskets, devices and equipment to provide real-time visibility to the tray and device level. Data can be shared over Wi-Fi and other networks to desktop computers, tablets, smart phones and other devices to support real-time locating, materials management, track-and-trace and other systems.
"SIS has been partnering with hospitals for over 40 years,” said SIS Executive Vice President Keith Johnson. “Our customers came to us for help, they needed a better way to track and manage items while in inventory, through the sterilization process and during surgical procedures. The solution we developed by working with Xerafy, a proven RFID tag innovator, dramatically improved the facilities ability to track their trays and devices, from the sterile processing department to the operating room and back again. It drives down operating cost by giving hospitals a new level of control over their assets, while freeing employees from time-consuming tracking and inventory management processes."
"This is where Xerafy’s ceramic tag innovation truly shines; in applications that demand uncompromised performance in the most demanding conditions. After a year in development, where we gained valuable input from surgeons, SPD directors and equipment manufacturers, our improved autoclavable designs bring standards-compliant passive UHF RFID technology to the OR and CSPD. Battery-assisted tag technologies simply haven't been able to withstand the rigorous sterilization processes, not to mention the significant cost differences,” said Bill Michalek, Xerafy’s healthcare practice director.
"Our focus on developing application specific solutions with best of breed industry solution partners, such as SIS-USA, shows our unified commitment to bringing innovative and cost effective UHF solutions to these emerging markets."
Xerafy and SIS are co-exhibiting at the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego from May 5th through 8th. Xerafy will also be featuring its healthcare products, partners and solutions at the RFID Journal LIVE! trade show and conference April 30th to May 2nd in Orlando.
(1) http://mediaroom.marlinfinance.com/healthcare-equipment/healthcare-equipment-market-to-increase-use-of-rfid-technology/
About Xerafy
Xerafy’s innovations have changed the price-performance ratio for RFID tags and made it possible for customers to track assets in a wide range of harsh environments. Xerafy provides read-on-metal tags that can be embedded directly into assets to meet a full range of needs for RFID asset tracking in the aerospace, industrial, data center, healthcare, energy and other industries. Xerafy is headquartered in Hong Kong and maintains U.S. sales and support offices in San Jose, Dallas and Minneapolis, and additional offices in the U.K. and China.
Learn more about Xerafy by visiting www.xerafy.com.
Xerafy and the Xerafy logo are trademarks are registered trademarks of Xerafy in the United States and other countries.
About SIS
Empowering healthcare facilities to reduce failures and inefficiencies in the clinical arena is our primary objective. Through targeted education, validation and maintenance, SIS has enabled facilities to lower medical device costs, decrease surgical delays and improve staff production. But it’s our service that our customers’ say is truly a cut above the rest. SIS is a comprehensive provider of services that maximize the useful lifespan and effectiveness of medical equipment and instrumentation. Our services include:
• High quality repair and refurbishment services
• Comprehensive, personalized staff education and competency validations
• Tracking and trending of repair history data
• Instrumentation and equipment acquisition consultation
• Preventative maintenance
Visit www.sis-usa.com/ for more information.
To learn more about the FDA’s initiatives for improving the safety and management of reusable medical devices, visit www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/ReprocessingofReusableMedicalDevices/default.htm
Media Contact:
John Burnell
Xerafy
+1 216.571.2319
Press release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/13MhtMR
Xerafy and Surgical Instrument Service Company, Inc. (SIS-USA) have partnered to solve the ongoing issues related to tracking and managing surgical trays, surgical devices and biomedical equipment. Each company is a leader in its respective field and the new partnership will bring an innovative, best-of-breed solution to provide highly visible surgical asset management aimed at tracking the use history of surgical instruments and devices.
The SIS-USA solution incorporates software and Xerafy autoclavable radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to bring tray-level visibility to tray inventories between the sterilization department and operating room. It uses EPCglobal Gen 2, ISO 18000-6C standard passive UHF RFID technology to automatically track, count and record items as they move through decontamination, assembly, sterilization, storage, transport and procedural uses – from the autoclave to the operating room and back.
Inaccurate tracking of surgical tools creates inventory problems that not only cost hospitals thousands of dollars annually, but more importantly, can be the difference between life and death when a particular item fails. Errors in identifying surgical tools and following specific cleaning and sterilization processes increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), a growing problem that is attracting increased attention from healthcare organizations and regulators. The FDA has created the Reusable Medical Devices Improvement Initiative to address these problems, and cited accurate product identification as a key to preventing HAIs.
Using RFID to track and manage assets in hospitals is undergoing rapid adoption. Spending on RFID systems to track healthcare equipment is expected to more than triple this year, from $449.5 million in 2012 to $1.73 billion in 2013 according to Transparency Market Research (1). The research firm predicts the total RFID market for healthcare will experience 19.3 percent compound annual growth from 2012 to 2018, when spending will reach $34 billion.
Xerafy is helping expand the use of RFID tracking because its tags can be mounted on or embedded into surgical trays and baskets, devices and equipment to provide real-time visibility to the tray and device level. Data can be shared over Wi-Fi and other networks to desktop computers, tablets, smart phones and other devices to support real-time locating, materials management, track-and-trace and other systems.
"SIS has been partnering with hospitals for over 40 years,” said SIS Executive Vice President Keith Johnson. “Our customers came to us for help, they needed a better way to track and manage items while in inventory, through the sterilization process and during surgical procedures. The solution we developed by working with Xerafy, a proven RFID tag innovator, dramatically improved the facilities ability to track their trays and devices, from the sterile processing department to the operating room and back again. It drives down operating cost by giving hospitals a new level of control over their assets, while freeing employees from time-consuming tracking and inventory management processes."
"This is where Xerafy’s ceramic tag innovation truly shines; in applications that demand uncompromised performance in the most demanding conditions. After a year in development, where we gained valuable input from surgeons, SPD directors and equipment manufacturers, our improved autoclavable designs bring standards-compliant passive UHF RFID technology to the OR and CSPD. Battery-assisted tag technologies simply haven't been able to withstand the rigorous sterilization processes, not to mention the significant cost differences,” said Bill Michalek, Xerafy’s healthcare practice director.
"Our focus on developing application specific solutions with best of breed industry solution partners, such as SIS-USA, shows our unified commitment to bringing innovative and cost effective UHF solutions to these emerging markets."
Xerafy and SIS are co-exhibiting at the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego from May 5th through 8th. Xerafy will also be featuring its healthcare products, partners and solutions at the RFID Journal LIVE! trade show and conference April 30th to May 2nd in Orlando.
(1) http://mediaroom.marlinfinance.com/healthcare-equipment/healthcare-equipment-market-to-increase-use-of-rfid-technology/
About Xerafy
Xerafy’s innovations have changed the price-performance ratio for RFID tags and made it possible for customers to track assets in a wide range of harsh environments. Xerafy provides read-on-metal tags that can be embedded directly into assets to meet a full range of needs for RFID asset tracking in the aerospace, industrial, data center, healthcare, energy and other industries. Xerafy is headquartered in Hong Kong and maintains U.S. sales and support offices in San Jose, Dallas and Minneapolis, and additional offices in the U.K. and China.
Learn more about Xerafy by visiting www.xerafy.com.
Xerafy and the Xerafy logo are trademarks are registered trademarks of Xerafy in the United States and other countries.
About SIS
Empowering healthcare facilities to reduce failures and inefficiencies in the clinical arena is our primary objective. Through targeted education, validation and maintenance, SIS has enabled facilities to lower medical device costs, decrease surgical delays and improve staff production. But it’s our service that our customers’ say is truly a cut above the rest. SIS is a comprehensive provider of services that maximize the useful lifespan and effectiveness of medical equipment and instrumentation. Our services include:
• High quality repair and refurbishment services
• Comprehensive, personalized staff education and competency validations
• Tracking and trending of repair history data
• Instrumentation and equipment acquisition consultation
• Preventative maintenance
Visit www.sis-usa.com/ for more information.
To learn more about the FDA’s initiatives for improving the safety and management of reusable medical devices, visit www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/ReprocessingofReusableMedicalDevices/default.htm
Media Contact:
John Burnell
Xerafy
+1 216.571.2319
Press release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/13MhtMR
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