Time tracking in ambulatory surgery - RFID technology at the service of the medical field

Publication date:

01/12/2022

Categories :

MV Santé is a private company that has specialized in outpatient surgery for nearly 20 years. With 4 clinics throughout the French-speaking part of Switzerland, with 15 operating rooms, they perform approximately 25,000 operations per year in all surgical fields. MV Santé has developed its own system called "e-chir" which supports and digitizes its procedures and data collection in order to continuously improve its processes and the use of its resources.

MV Santé provides almost all of its services on an outpatient basis and is essentially subject to the TARMED tariff. This tariff is regularly revised downwards and forces MV Santé to optimize its procedures, its work organization and its resources.

The needs

To optimize the allocation of its operating slots and resources, as well as the patient experience, MV Santé needed to know very precisely the occupancy time of its rooms throughout the patient journey within its clinics. For example, they needed to know the occupancy time of the operating room from the time the patient entered the clinic until he or she left.

Already a user of our SolCare solution (solution for the logistics of clinics and hospitals), linked to its Opale ordering system, MV Santé approached us to find an automatic time recording solution, which does not depend on the actions of its staff, and which is integrated into its e-chir system.

The solution

The SolMed solution is very simple. It allows to collect very precise time data at different places of the patient pathway, in order to have complete information in real time. For this, patients are equipped with bracelets containing an RFID chip. RFID antennas and readers are placed at strategic points along the pathway to capture the passage of the wristbands. The wristbands are printed with the patient's data when they arrive at the clinic and then placed on the patient's arm. Designed exclusively for this solution by Sato, the bracelets are hypoallergenic and very comfortable to ensure the patient's absolute well-being.

As the patient passes through the various rooms (reception, checkroom, anesthesia, operating room, recovery room, etc.), the antennas automatically pick up the wristband signals and send them to the RFID reader. Thanks to the Solid "SolWaves" middleware, the reader filters, analyzes and sends them back to the "e-chir" system. The e-chir algorithms can then calculate and dispatch the operating slots to optimize the use of its rooms. When the patient is discharged, the staff stops the RFID bracelet and the total time is counted.

E-chir and SolMed are obviously transposable for stationary surgery and allow to manage all operating rooms as a company within health structures and hospitals.

The advantages

The various advantages of this solution:

- MV Santé knows at all times where its patients are and the time remaining before the next step.
- The allocation of operating slots is optimized, as are internal resources.
- Patient flow is well defined.
- Billing is done automatically and with very precise times.

The technology

Although RFID technology does not provide geolocation to the nearest meter, it is the best alternative for the following reasons:

1) RFID technology requires far fewer antennas than Bluetooth communication.

2) An RFID bracelet does not require a connection and therefore no batteries. It is disposable and its price is affordable for a TARMED rate. Currently, a Bluetooth chip is much more expensive and is not disposable so it requires a lot of handling by the staff for recharging or disinfection.

3) The need is for zone to zone localization with precise passage times, rather than geolocation to the nearest meter. RFID technology fully meets these criteria.

We accompanied MV Santé throughout this project, from the choice of technology to the installation of the solution. Our expertise in traceability and digital solutions allowed us to develop the "patient tracking" solution. Being located in Geneva, the proximity, availability, and flexibility of our teams were also an asset for the follow-up of this project.

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