GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Skytron, a division of the KMW Group, Inc., today announced that Texoma Medical Center has implemented the company’s Real-time Location System (RTLS), powered by Awarepoint,  to automatically track and manage over 200 hospital assets, as well as to monitor all visiting vendor sales representatives within the 318,000 square feet hospital facility.

“Optimizing utilization of our critical mobile assets including IV pumps, telemetry packs, wound vacs, wheelchairs  and security tracking of visiting vendor sales reps were key goals for Texoma Medical Center,” said Greg Stepp, Director of Supply Chain Operations at Texoma Medical Center.  “RTLS asset tracking and management provides us a better way to deliver care, locate our assets and use them more efficiently, as well as increase our security hospital-wide to ensure patient and staff safety.”

With easy access to the RTLS system via a desktop icon, all authorized employees can easily locate needed equipment as well as the nearest available equipment in real time.  “Wireless temperature tracking is also provided for all nourishment refrigerators, freezers, drug cabinets, blood bank, warming cabinets and cold rooms,” continued Stepp.  “This eliminates nursing having to keep a daily manual temperature log.  In addition, all vendor sales representatives are issued a tracking tag when visiting Texoma Medical Center.  This allows our staff to monitor the location of visiting sales representatives throughout the hospital and to notify staff if someone enters a restricted point.”

Since RTLS implementation, Texoma Medical Center has experienced numerous documented benefits, including:

• Increased visibility to evaluate actual equipment utilization and reduce capital equipment purchase needs
• Tracking rental equipment and reducing rental expenses
• Dramatically decreasing staff search time for missing equipment
• Accelerated completion of  biomed scheduled preventative maintenance
• Documented improvement in satisfaction of hospital staff

 
“We’re honored to be a part of Texoma Medical Center’s RTLS Asset Tracking and enhanced Security, ” stated Bryant Broder, Sr. Product Manager for RTLS Solutions at Skytron.  “Skytron Asset Manager, powered by Awarepoint, will help improve workflows along with cost saving equipment utilization benefits, positively impacting operational efficiency and patient care.”
 
The speed and ease of a complete and reliable installation were also important to Texoma Medical Center. The 100% wireless RTLS infrastructure enabled quick installation without disrupting patient care throughout the entire enterprise.  Installation began on January 18, 2010 and the facility was completed in February 17, 2010, enabling true hospital-wide awareness not only at room level, but providing persistent accuracy across TMC’s entire hospital footprint.