RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK and GOLDSBORO, N.C. (June 15, 2007) – Within less than a year, Wayne Memorial Hospital has saved more than $300,000 by implementing innovative technology that is enhancing patient care, reducing equipment expenditures and improving overall efficiency.

“It was important to us that the system we were adopting was developed after several years of careful, physician-guided research about the specific needs of hospitals,” said Thomas Bradshaw, vice president of operations at Wayne Memorial Hospital. “The RadarFind system is non-invasive, easy to install and easy for our staff to use.”

The RadarFind Real Time Location System (RTLS) utilizes automatic indoor location technology to keep track of and monitor the status of various medical devices throughout a hospital. With this integrated hardware/software solution, staff can easily and effectively locate essential equipment such as intravenous pumps, wheelchairs, beds, pulse oximeters and mobile computer systems—all through a computerized system that easily accommodates various hospital staff skill levels.

On-screen color-coded map views and simple locator diagrams allow caregivers at Wayne Memorial to immediately locate equipment. Sophisticated reporting functions provide administrators with accurate information to track maintenance, measure equipment utilization and ultimately make better planning and budgeting decisions, resulting in substantial savings.

For example, Wayne Memorial planned to replace its infusion pumps in May 2007, but the RadarFind system—with its unique asset status tag (indicating Available, In Use, Needs Cleaning)— showed that utilization of infusion pumps over several months did not exceed 60 percent on any given day.

“Using this data, we were able to reduce our purchase by 53 pumps, saving the institution more than $300,000,” said Bradshaw. “As requests for other capital expenditures are reviewed we expect to realize additional savings.”

Unlike most other systems, RadarFind can be completely installed with no disruption to patient care. In fact, the system can be installed with the patient in the room. Wayne Memorial’s Bradshaw reported that the installation of RTLS readers and approximately 1,000 tags went so smoothly, many of his staff were unaware that the system had been installed.

Not only has asset tracking reduced capital expenditures, but the gained efficiencies result in more staff attending to patients instead of searching for equipment.

“Before RadarFind, we set aside one Saturday each month and budgeted 12 hours of staff time to have employees manually confirm wheelchair inventory and catalog which chairs needed service or repairs,” Brenda Warren, director of environmental services at Wayne Memorial explained. “The real-time location provided by RadarFind allows our staff to complete inventory weekly in a matter of minutes. In addition, our biomedical engineering staff can check for needed preventive maintenance and repairs in less than an hour.”

The unique status indicators on the RadarFind system asset tags have also helped Wayne Memorial minimize patient safety risks by alerting staff when certain devices need to be cleaned and sterilized. Moreover, automatic notification of devices due for preventive maintenance have streamlined the scheduling process to further reduce labor costs associated with searching for missing equipment.

According to Vincent Carrasco, M.D., chief medical officer for RadarFind, “The quality of care increases dramatically when you can deliver better service in a more timely manner with patient safety always at the forefront.”

Based on this past year’s experience using the RadarFind RTLS system, Wayne Memorial’s Bradshaw anticipates exceeding the 1,000 tags currently being used. He recently commented on getting many more requests for asset tags, particularly from the nurses who want to tag additional equipment.

“Hospitals need a solution that can help them better care for patients, make the best use of their staff and help address the constant financial pressures they face,” RadarFind CEO Terry Kane explained. “Our system has delivered in all three of these areas to help Wayne Memorial Hospital significantly improve patient care while achieving its financial objectives."

About Wayne Memorial Hospital
As the second largest employer in Wayne County, N.C., Wayne Memorial Hospital is considered to be the major hub for healthcare services in the area. Since its founding in 1896, Wayne Memorial Hospital has grown from a small, grass-roots organization to a full-service hospital and regional referral center for diagnostic tests, specialty and general surgery, intensive care, cancer care, diabetes care and education, emergency care, physical rehabilitation and many other types of care. A qualified and dedicated staff of professionals, a vast array of in-service and outreach programs and a full spectrum of advanced, state-of-the-art equipment characterize this exceptional facility, which is licensed for 316 beds. With more than 124 physicians and dentists on the medical staff, Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro offers a full spectrum of specialties.