System use tests in 2015 showed it was only able to accurately track equipment in 40 percent of cases, according to an online article in 2017.
The Department of Veterans Affairs in 2012 awarded a $543-million contract to implement a real-time locating system (RTLS) at its facilities and pharmacies to track equipment and supplies. The system was intended to improve efficiency, save millions in lost and misplaced equipment and track sterilized equipment to help prevent death and disease.
System use tests in 2015 showed it was able to accurately track equipment in only 40 percent of cases, according to Jeremy Schwartz in a June 30, 2017, news article online at https://bit.ly/2FUQyMd.
Schwartz also described one VA medical center in Washington, D.C., where he found $154 million in supplies that were not being inventoried and shortages of basics such as alcohol pads and clip appliers to close blood vessels during surgeries.
Michael Dunfee, co-owner of MGM Solutions, a leader in Patented Triangulation and Intelligent Boundary Recognition software, says the current Wi-Fi-based technology contracted across many VA hospitals has proven to be flawed, due to the incompatibility of hospitals and large campuses with Wi-Fi service. It is described in Meg Bryant’s July 6, 2017, article, "Veterans Affairs Medical Equipment Tracking Project Launch Delayed to 2018" which can be read online at https://bit.ly/2pvAGp0.
"Hospitals, like other high-tech environments, contain numerous barriers which block or interfere with a Wi-Fi signal. Magnetic equipment and physical barriers such as thick walls all interfere with Wi-FI technology," according to Dunfee.
Problems abounded from the start: failures in operational tests, questions about reliability of inventory tags and basic concerns about Wi-Fi capacity to support the system, which all crippled attempts at more efficient tracking of equipment, patients and lab samples, says Jeremy Schwartz. The system should have gone live several months ago, but projections now indicate a go-live date of June 2018, according to Meg Bryant.
These problems have forced the VA to renegotiate the RTLS contract and reduce the number of hospitals where it intends to install the tracking systems from 283 facilities to 148. These systems, if working correctly, says Dunfee, could save lives, prevent the spread of disease and ensure optimum efficiency and supply management. Scrapping the contracts is not the answer, he says.
To solve the problem, Dunfee recommends the use of non-Wi-Fi-based RTLS, which would easily cover large hospital systems and sprawling campuses. These products use a radio frequency to track Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags (small embedded computer chips) over a long-range. His company, MGM Solutions, has developed technology to provide RTLS capability that doesn’t rely on Wi-Fi, instead using low radio frequency signals. Many of the problems currently being faced would disappear, and the tracking system as designed could deliver efficiency, cost savings and most importantly, safe, patient care.
Non-Wi-Fi-based RTLS is vital for the huge campuses of VA Hospitals across the U.S., especially those in large urban settings. Such RTLS systems can be used to track patients and staff from the moment they check in to an emergency facility or outpatient or inpatient facility. They can also be used to increase security and safety of staff in any environment.
MGM Solutions’ technology includes three separate components that track material and equipment, track patients and provide a security system for staff so that they can simply press a button and notify security at the first indication of a dangerous encounter, according to a technology article by MGM Solutions.
In a related matter, the VA announced last Jan. 23 its joint effort with the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen prevention, waste and abuse at its facilities. The effort will be included in next week’s Veterans’ Journal column.
Items of interest
to vets and relatives
— Are you a veteran and need some help finding a job? The Warwick Vet Center will host a combined résumé writing and dress-for-success seminar in conjunction with Operation Stand Down Rhode Island and the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 28, at the Warwick Vet Center, 2038 Warwick Ave., Warwick. Assistance will be given to obtain the clothes you need to succeed in your job interviews and subsequent employment. A résumé is required to qualify for the Dress for Success component of the program to obtain donated business attire. All veterans from all periods of service and National Guard-Reserve members are welcome. For more information or to make a reservation, call Paul Santilli at (401) 739-0167.
— The Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol will be the venue for a celebration honoring women veterans sponsored by the Providence VA Medical Center and the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Affairs on Thursday, March 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event, in recognition of Women’s History Month and to honor women veterans of all eras, will include guest speakers, a panel discussion, light refreshments and resource materials for women veterans. It is free and open to the public. Veterans and others who would like more information should call Tonya Maselli McConnell at (401) 273-7100, ext. 6191, or email tonya.masellimcconnell@va.gov.
— Coventry veterans’ organizations are searching for relatives of World War I veterans from the entire Rhode Island Kent County area to include them in a centennial observance of their relatives’ service and sacrifice in The Great War. Three observances are planned for Memorial Day on May 28, Flag Day on June 14 and Veterans Day on Nov. 11. More detailed ceremony information will be given when planning is completed. Relatives are asked to provide the following information on their World War I veterans: name, branch of service and military rank, if known. Provide your name, telephone number, address or email address by April 20. Send information by mail to Coventry Veterans, c/o VFW Memorial Post 9404, P.O. Box 702, Coventry, RI 02816, or email the details to Don Babiec at civilwarinri@gmail.com.
Meetings
— Sampson Air Force Base Vets Association Rhode Island Squadron, 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, Twin Oaks Restaurant, Billy’s Room, 100 Sabra St., Cranston, for all Air Force veterans.
— American Legion Smithfield’s Balfour-Cole Post 64, 6 p.m. collation and 7 p.m. meeting Wednesday, March 28, 170 Pleasant View Ave.
Send veterans’ meeting and news items to George W. Reilly at VeteransColumn@gmail.com
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