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RFID Tracking Systems: Philips Announces New RFID Asset Tracking
Solution
Royal Philips Electronics
November 20, 2006
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) announced today that
its Medical Systems division is introducing the Philips asset tracking
solution, a turn-key solution used for locating hospital assets and
improving efficiencies. Using Wi-Fi based technology by AeroScout
Inc., the asset tracking solution is designed around the hospitals’
existing 802.11 wireless infrastructure, allowing hospitals to
leverage investments they have already made in their wireless
technology. |
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The Philips
asset tracking solution is designed around each hospital’s specific
use cases to help solve problems such as productivity, regulation
requirements, utilization, theft, and loss. With an understanding of
the unique requirements that the healthcare environment demands,
Philips has an advanced solution that can enable hospitals to make
facility-wide improvement. The Philips asset tracking solution
utilizes technology that includes wireless tags, a location engine,
and the MobileView user interface. The tags, which can be attached to
most mobile assets, transmit to the hospital’s existing 802.11
infrastructure. This information is fed into the location engine and
the asset’s position can then be portrayed on a map, or in a table or
report format for any networked hospital user.
“Asset tracking addresses many of the perennial problems that modern
hospitals face,” said Yuval Bar-Gil, CEO of AeroScout. “This solution
will enable Philips’ customers to optimize their asset utilization,
meet JCAHO compliance requirements, and help to improve hospital
efficiencies.”
The first customer to deploy the Philips asset tracking solution is
the University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson, Ariz. This installation
is one of the healthcare industry’s largest Wi-Fi-based asset tracking
projects, covering eight floors and a million square feet with 2,300
tagged assets in use throughout the hospital. Hospital staff members
use the Philips solution to track and manage equipment such as
infusion pumps, beds, monitors, wheelchairs and other portable
devices.
“While it is an obvious benefit to staff who spend numerous hours
searching for equipment, Philips asset tracking solution is so much
more than finding equipment,” said Tom Kirkland vice president,
customer services, for Philips Medical Systems. “With the information
that is gathered through the asset tracking solution, asset
utilization, work flow efficiencies, and staff productivity can be
improved.”
“Asset tracking allows users to maximize the resources they have and
to make smarter decisions about what they need going forward.
Visibility of location and awareness of building trend history over
time means both staff satisfaction in the short term and staff
efficiencies in the long term” said Kirkland.
The Philips asset tracking solution
A main component of the Philips asset tracking solution is the suite
of services to help maximize the solution for the hospital. Services
include implementation, maintenance, operational and change
management, consulting and extensive end-user support and training.
“We were impressed with Philips project management throughout the
entire installation environment,” said Jeff Schaefer, Director
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services at the University Medical Center,
Tucson Ariz. “Philips understands healthcare environments and
respected our unique requirements regarding patient disturbances,
infection areas, fire codes and more. Philips worked with our entire
staff to design and install the most appropriate solution for our
business cases. Their approach to providing a complete solution—not
just the technology—has made us confident that we will reach our ROI
goals. We plan on expanding the system to include more products next
year.”
Philips will be showcasing its new asset tracking solution at booth
1929 at the 2006 Radiological Society of North America show, in
Chicago from November 26th through December 1st.
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is
a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering
products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense
and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs
approximately 126,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide.
With sales of $37.7 billion (EUR 30.4 billion) in 2005, the company is
a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring
systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home
appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is
located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About AeroScout, Inc.
AeroScout, Inc. is the leader in Active RFID asset tracking and
location solutions over standard Wi-Fi networks. Its enterprise
visibility solutions accurately locate and monitor assets and people
in both indoor and outdoor environments to improve business processes.
The company has customers in the healthcare, manufacturing and
logistics industries. AeroScout is headquartered in San Mateo with
offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit
www.aeroscout.com. |
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