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Hospital Corporation of America (HCA Inc.), the country's largest for-profit hospital operator, is launching an asset management pilot this fall using two-dimensional bar codes in conjunction with an existing RFID system. According to Dr. In Mun, vice president of research and technology at HCA's North Florida Division, 2D bar codes could provide a lower-cost solution for tracking some assets, as well as providing more data at the point of use. "The RFID pilot raised many questions," says Mun. "What happens when we lose a tag? We need some sort of back-up for the data on the item. Also, the tags are expensive, and there are physics problems. We cannot tag metal surgical tools at all, for instance." HCA currently has 171 hospitals using bar codes in a variety of applications, and is one of the largest healthcare users of the technology (along with the Veteran's Administration). Adoption across the healthcare industry has been slow, however. There are a number of reasons that hospitals haven't deployed bar coding, including a lack of leadership, cost, the complexity of the insurance system, and liability issues. Mun thinks that the hype around RFID has also delayed bar code systems. "If they are starting from scratch, many are waiting for RFID to become available and trying skip over bar coding," Mun says. The pilot began this October at HCA's Capital Regional Medical Center, a 180-bed facility in Tallahassee, Fla., that serves North Florida and South Georgia. That facility has been using an RFID system from Agility Healthcare Solutions, Glen Allen, Va., ( a subsidiary of Trenstar Inc.) for more than a year. The RFID system, based on 433 MHz active tags, is used to track mobile assets like IV pumps, beds, and wheelchairs. Now, HCA wants to test the efficacy of 2D bar codes that would work in tandem with the RFID system, but also be used for patient wristbands and to mark other items like surgical instruments. The pilot project will include a mix of Data Matrix and Aztec bar codes, so that HCA can compare the two codes' performance. One unique element of this pilot will be the surgical tool tracking component. By tracking surgical instruments more closely, Mun says the hospital hopes to ensure the correct tools are in the operating room for each surgery, and account for them afterward. "[Operating room] time is precious," Mun says. Mun will be presenting more information about HCA's asset management activities at the upcoming Asset Management Conference & Expo in San Diego next February. The hospital will mark the surgical tools with laser marking equipment from Telesis Technologies Inc., Circleville, Ohio. Agility is providing software for the pilot, and Hand Held Products Inc., Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., is supplying the bar code scanners. Although HCA will be marking its own surgical tools, Mun hopes that by establishing a data standard, manufacturers will eventually be open to source marking. Using 2D bar codes would be less expensive than RFID, while at the same time increasing the amount of data available locally at the point of activity. The marks could also be used to update service information for equipment that has a regular maintenance schedule. "RFID doesn't give us all of the solutions that we're after," says Dr. Mun. "One technology won't solve all of our problems. What we're trying to find out is, is there a standard that will deliver all of the information we need?" www.Telesis.com www.handheld.com www.trenstar.com/agility
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