Four OEM Benefits For RFID-Enabled Medical Devices

RFID technology has changed the ways in which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) fabricate, distribute and market modern medical devices. In turn, medical facilities and their patients reap the benefits of this technology in ways that are real and measurable, by increasing revenue and reducing costs and human error, to name a few.

The following four examples scratch the surface of the advantages most healthcare-related OEMs can enjoy from adopting RFID technology into their medical device products.

Medical Device Asset Tracking for Product LCM and Proper Billing

Without RFID tags and readers, the task of tracking medical devices such as surgical instruments becomes increasingly more difficult and labor-intensive. However, with the value-added benefit of asset tracking for an OEM’s product line, embedded RFID offers a competitive selling point to healthcare organizations.

Asset tracking is among the fundamental benefits of RFID-enabled medical devices. Having real-time information about the location and status of a vital piece of equipment can lower costs compared to other outdated methods. For example, some asset-tracking benefits for OEMs and their customers can include:

• Monitoring the entire lifecycle management (LCM) of a medical device up to the point where it needs to be retired and proactively replaced as appropriate
• Ensuring proper billing by knowing exactly what instruments were used and when
• Tracking the device from manufacturing, distribution and supply chain, to customer/sales rep inventory management