Radio Frequency Identification, which is better known as RFID, can be translated as the use of radio frequencies to read and transmit information through the use of small devices called tags. These are currently being used by healthcare organizations in order to tackle new challenges.

Such challenges are “operational efficiency, patient safety, and improvement of the business processes”, declares one of the TechNavio experts. In fact, healthcare providers and payers, including patients, “are transforming the usage of RFID from technology that is used to reduce costs to facilitating, automating, and streamlining identification processes.”

Healthcare organizations, including hospitals, nursing homes, home healthcare facilities, health maintenance organizations, laboratories, clinics, physician offices, and pharmacies situated within hospitals, form the cumulative healthcare industry in the report, which has recently been published by TechNavio Insights.

According to the report “RFID in Healthcare industry 2008-2012, by 2012”, “the market for RFID tags in healthcare industry is expected to reach $153.2 million driven by the development of lower cost tags and installed infrastructure, which will enable high volumes of articles to be tagged.”

(Original article: http://marketpublishers.com/lists/4538/news.html)

 

This RFID asset management system, basing on 13.56MHz, integrates best asset tracking practices with RFID asset tracking tags and multi-tag RFID readers. With this RFID tracking system, assets can be secured and tracked automatically as they move throughout the areas.

RFID tags are integrated as part of this passive RFID asset tracking system. There are series of RFID asset tracking tags that are fit for different enviroment. Each DAILY’s RFID tag has a unique ID for the security of asset mangement.

To take inventory, handheld RFID reader DL8033 and fixed RFID reader DL810 is used to track the tagged assets in the RFID asset tracking system. And RFID reader DL8033 is used to receive and collect asset data while RFID reader DL810 gives the real-time monitoring and alerting to improve the security of this RFID asset tracking system.

This RFID asset tracking solution can be deployed and tracked automatically to maximize asset utilization, thus reducing error and the time of finding items.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) devices have widely been used for tracking for years; recently, scientists from U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a unique tracking technology that monitors the environmental and physical conditions of containers of nuclear materials in storage and transportation.

“RFID technology is ideally suited for management of nuclear materials during both storage and transportation,” said Yung Liu, Ph.D., Argonne senior nuclear engineer and RFID project manager. “Key information about the nuclear materials is acquired in real-time,” he explained in a March 24 press release.

Data on the status and history of each individual container are available with a click of the mouse and can be used to augment and modernize DOE’s existing management systems for nuclear materials.

“The Argonne system can simultaneously monitor thousands of drums 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any abnormal situation, such a loss of seal, a sudden shock, a rise in temperature or humidity, can trigger an alarm for immediate action,” Liu explained.

The monitoring of tens of thousands of radioactive and fissile material packages has been a challenge for DOE to ensure accountability, safety, security, and worker and public health.

The system is comprised of active transponders, or tags with long-life batteries ( greater than 10 years), on each package, readers that collect information from the tags, control computer, and application software. The information is constantly updated and communicated via a secured network, thus decreasing the need for manned surveillance.

This RFID technology also has applications outside the nuclear field and may be used for other hazardous materials or any valued material, according to Liu.

“This new Argonne RFID technology, expected to be patented, has applications in many industries, and as the technology is further developed, its usefulness is bound to grow,” Liu said.