Operations, periop, and clinical engineering leaders who need predictable equipment availability across units without adding burdensome steps for staff.
Locate time under 5 minutes for pumps, vents, monitors, beds, and specialty carts
Higher utilization and lower rental spend through rebalancing and hoarding controls
PM/recall on-time rates up, fewer second passes to find devices
Search-free workflows for nurses and transport—less time hunting, more time on care
The Problem We're Actually Solving
Hospitals don’t just “lose” devices—they lose time: minutes at the bedside, minutes before transport, minutes during handoffs. Those delays ripple into throughput, length of stay, and labor cost. A modern hospital equipment tracking system makes the location and status of devices visible at chokepoints and on demand, so the right equipment is in the right place at the right time.
How It Works (Executive View)
Tag + Identify Devices carry a durable ID (barcode/2D for documentation plus passive RFID for non-line-of-sight reads). Tags encode a non-PHI key that links to asset records.
See Movement Fixed readers at thresholds, storage rooms, and key corridors create automatic “last observed location” events.
Find Fast Handheld readers guide staff by signal strength to locate a specific item in racks, rooms, or bays—no line of sight required.
Act In the Flow Mobile computing puts lookups, messaging, and exception capture in one device at the point of work.
Close the Loop Interfaces sync with CMMS/EHR to update status, PM, and recalls.
Architecture Choices (Keep It Simple, Scalable)
Passive RFID backbone: battery-free tags + fixed read zones (storage rooms, unit thresholds, corridor ceilings, elevator lobbies) generate reliable movement events and rapid audits.
Barcodes/2D remain the clinical identifier in documentation and device specifics.
Handhelds for proximity search, spot audits, and exception capture (relabel, retire, out for service).
Mobile computing to unify lookups, alerts, and checklists at the point of work.
Privacy model: non-PHI tag keys; role-based access; audit logs; standard interfaces with CMMS/EHR.
Reduce Rental Dependence (and Hoarding)
When location and status are visible, rentals become the exception—not the plan. Use hospital equipment tracking to see what you own, where it sits, and whether it’s ready now. Units borrow from under-used stock before opening a rental PO, hoarding flags resolve faster, and savings are documented for Finance and Clinical Engineering.
How this reduces rentals
Utilization heatmaps: Spot device classes or units below target use and redeploy.
Ready/available signals: Show which pumps/monitors are cleaned and patient-ready to prevent “we rented because we couldn’t find one.”
Floor PAR for mobiles: Maintain right-sized minimums for high-turn devices; alert on drift that suggests hoarding.
Rental gating: Prompt owned-asset alternatives before a rental is approved.
Rounding & recovery: Daily handheld sweeps pull idle equipment from rooms/hallways back to shared pools.
Evidence for Finance: Monthly avoided-rental and redeployment reports tied to asset IDs.
KPIs to Watch
Rental hours/dollars per month by unit or service line
% of fleet in target utilization band (e.g., 60–80% for pumps)
Median time idle between “cleaned” and “in use”
Hoarding alerts opened/resolved per week
Redeployments completed vs. requested
Quick Start (30-60-90)
Baseline: last 3–6 months rental spend by device class.
Targets: set utilization bands and PAR mins for top 2–3 mobile devices.
Signals: turn on ready/available status and unit dashboards.
Recovery: add a daily rounding route with handheld proximity search.
Governance: require owned-asset check before rental PO approval.
Report: publish avoided rentals and redeployments monthly.
Rollout Playbook
90 Days to Results
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-3): Map flows (ED → ICU, PACU → floors). Tag pilot device classes (e.g., pumps, vents). Install 3–5 read zones per route.
Phase 2 (Weeks 4-6): Train superusers. Turn on locate-time and hoarding alerts. Start weekly utilization/rental huddles.
Phase 3 (Weeks 7-10): Expand read zones to high-traffic corridors and clean rooms. Add CMMS lookups and recall lists.
