Asset Management and Temperature Monitoring at SUNY

University Hospital, part of State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, has implemented AeroScout’s Wi-Fi-based Asset Management and Temperature Monitoring solutions. University Hospital is using the solutions to increase equipment utilization, staff productivity and patient satisfaction. In addition, its O.R. throughput and on-time start rates have improved due to faster searches for and retrieval of critical medical equipment. The University Hospital management team recognized an opportunity to leverage its wireless network to better utilize its mobile medical equipment, including beds, wheelchairs, expensive rental equipment and approximately 600 IV pumps, all of which are constantly moving throughout the facility. Said Roxanne Taylor, Deputy Director of Perioperative Services. “We can now instantly locate the items we need, such as a specific type of table we need for a surgery. It saves us a tremendous amount of time, letting us focus on the patient and the situation at hand. This is particularly important for our trauma cases where every second counts.” In addition, to comply with The Joint Commission requirements for monitoring the temperature of refrigerators used to store items such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines and bone and tissue samples, the hospital has also placed AeroScout Temperature Monitoring Tags in refrigerators in the pharmacy and on nursing units. Previously, the nursing and pharmacy staff had to manually track and record the temperature of the refrigerators multiple times a day – an inefficient and potentially error-prone process. By using the Temperature Monitoring solution, University Hospital accurately and automatically tracks and records temperatures, and the appropriate personnel are alerted if readings deviate from the acceptable range. This has relieved the nursing staff from having to perform these duties manually, which means they’re able to spend more time caring for patients. (Terry Wagner, University Hospital’s CIO.)

A major concern for hospitals is keeping blood at the correct temperature. Kelsius automates temperature monitoring of refrigerators and cold rooms, simplifying task management and providing cost effective compliancy reporting for users in healthcare industries. http://www.kelsius.com