Pittsburgh-based ClearCount Medical Solutions has capped its latest round of funding at $5 million, which should go a long way towards driving market penetration and R&D for the SmartSponge and SmartWand systems. These solutions for hospital patient safety applications use radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and chips embedded in sponges to enable surgeons and nurses to detect and count sponges during operations. Read »

Having the ability to quickly, cheaply and accurately track mobile inventory and people is something hospitals can no longer live without. Two days ago, for example, we learned that eight-hospital Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, Texas, has opted for RadarFind's asset tracking software in its five hospitals that are large enough to warrant tracking. Yesterday, two more healthcare systems announced plans to leverage RFID technology for tracking purposes--one of which expects the decision to save $400,000 a year by bringing tracking efforts in-house rather than paying a contractor to do it. Read »

Having relied on the same infant security technology since 2002, Sutter Tracy Community Hospital recently upped its stake in RFID monitoring by installing version 6.0 of RF Technologies’ Safe Place Infant and Pediatric Security Solution. Read »

Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Zebra Technologies has added Integrated Business Systems and Services (IBSS) to its roster of channel partners, which means we can expect IBSS to incorporate more of Zebra’s hardware into its software going forward. Read »

Equipment tracking remains a top of mind concern at healthcare organizations. But Cook Children’s Medical Center is taking it a step further, implementing a tracking system to monitor medical equipment throughout its Ft. Worth, Texas facility while at the same time exploring how mobile technology can help cut down on needless wandering around the hospital by staff members. Read »

As real time locating systems become the norm in hospital settings, we're seeing slightly more interesting uses of the technology start to emerge. As I recently wrote, one hospital in New York is evaluating the use of a telemonitoring system that leverages RFID smart labels to keep an eye on medication adherence in discharged heart failure patients. Now, Princeton Baptist Medical Center (PBMC) in Birmingham, Ala., is involved in a pilot study testing the use of RFID technology to monitor compliance with hand washing guidelines. Read »

Following Tuesday's news that Terre Haute, Ind.-based Union Hospital is deploying an enterprise asset tracking system from Versus Technology, the Traverse City, Mich.-based provider of Active RFID and IR patient locating solutions on Wednesday added Rouge Valley Health System to its list of healthcare provider clients. Read »

If a group of healthcare IT professionals said we should stop questioning whether wireless sensors and tracking systems actually work, would it be enough to get the industry concentrating on deploying the most effective systems for yielding results? Read »

PositiveID Corp., a provider of health and security identification tools aimed at protecting consumers and businesses, is planning to expand its HealthID division by adding products for the daily management of diabetes. Read »

The role of real-time location systems in healthcare has garnered considerable attention over the past year, as hospitals advance efforts to implement technologies aimed at reducing costs and increasing operational efficiencies. Now, a study of the use of RTLS at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton, N.C., finds the technology can save hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and improve clinical outcomes. It can even boost staff morale. Read »