The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) an alliance of 103 academic medical centers and 191 of their affiliated hospitals, has signed a three-year agreement extending radio frequency identification to all its members in the United States.
UHC has contracted with Redwood City, Calif.-based AeroScout, Inc., which uses standard Wi-Fi and other wireless networking standards to track the real-time location and status of valuable assets such as equipment or people.
AeroScout is one of two suppliers for asset tracking systems and equipment. Ekahua based in Reston, Va., is the other supplier.
"We were impressed with the breadth of AeroScout's offering, its leadership and reputation in the healthcare industry and the number of UHC members that are already AeroScout clients," said Cindy White, UHC vice president of Operations.
UHC officials say RFID will increase hospital efficiency, regulatory compliance, patient care and safety.
"Academic medical centers and community hospitals around the world, including many UHC members, rely on AeroScout's solutions to operate more efficiently, comply with regulatory standards and improve patient care," said Gabi Daniely, VP of Marketing and Product Strategy at AeroScout.
