We must support our frontline caregivers with an evidence-based management approach to creating a smarter, safer and patient-centered healthcare environment.

Consider this unacceptable barrier to effective, patient-centered care. In our "wired, on-demand" world, nurses on a typical shift can spend up to 20 percent of their time "hunting and gathering" to:

•    Track down patients for emergency or time-sensitive interventions;

•    Find essential equipment for a procedure;  and

•    Chase specialists to assure the proper course of care.

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Across hospitals right now, we have an opportunity to reduce much waste and risk simply by being able to find my patient, my colleagues and medical devices the instant I need them.  The technology that enables this visibility is a healthcare real-time location system (RTLS)  -  a simple, economical and profoundly powerful way to solve so many day-to-day problems that impede care delivery and skyrocket costs.

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As a physician who's spent more than three decades working to improve healthcare, I certainly understand that there are many big problems to fix. We urge you and the entire Obama Health Team to be open to the vast array of innovative solutions, including real-time location that can bring immediate, hospital-wide value for minimal investment.