Smartrac, CIT to Present NFC-enabled Patient ID Shield Solution

On the occasion of the Next Generation Patient Experience (NGPX) event at Litchfield Park, AZ, Smartrac and Cutaneous Information Technology (CIT) are presenting the Patient Identification Shield, a solution to better manage patient ID, safety and experience. Key solution components are CIT’s patented Patient ID Shield, an alternative to error-prone wristband-based systems, which utilizes Smartrac’s Smart Cosmos enablement platform to impact the safety and experience of patients in a healthcare setting.
 
The NFC-enabled Patient ID Shield is a special decal or skin worn technology that can be directly applied on the patient skin, and offers secure, durable and reliable identification in a healthcare setting. In conjunction with Smart Cosmos associated applications, the Patient Identification Shield can integrate with existing data management and EMR systems to offer a fully customizable patient management system to enhance the safety and experience of the patient.
 
Hospital ID wristbands have long been known as a sub-optimal solution that comes along with considerable yet inevitable error rates. The US Department of Health estimates that misidentification errors cost $1.4 billion per year in the US alone. By leveraging RFID technology, bar codes and the Internet of Things, the new solution offers a superior alternative to traditional patient identification and a comprehensive patient safety and experience platform. It integrates with current data management and EMR systems allowing a hospital to enhance the capabilities of existing software investment.
 
The Patient ID Shield carries Smartrac’s NFC inlays plus legible text information and a QR code. The software provides a smartphone application integrated with the healthcare facilities electronic medical record system (EMR) and extracts the necessary data from that system and integrates the extracted data with the cloud data management system. Both the smartphone app and the backend software are based on Smartrac’s enablement platform Smart Cosmos.
 
“Our cooperation with CIT and the resulting Patient ID Shield is a milestone in our ongoing transition into a leading provider of ready-made and customized RFID products and IoT-based solutions as it confirms Smartrac as a credible solutions provider in the healthcare segment. It solo underlines the potential Smart Cosmos has to offer not only for retail and industrial markets but also for healthcare,” said Ted Danhauser, VP of sales Americas and global segment head for Pharma and Healthcare at Smartrac.
 
“CIT is committed to changing, even disrupting, the way healthcare organizations look at identification. Our collaboration with Smartrac has added an extremely high level of sophistication and experience in solution-oriented applications utilizing RFID technology, and in doing so has significantly expanded the capability and scope of the Patient Identification Shield,” added Michael Gilvary, COO and partner at CIT.
 
The Patient ID Shield solution will presumably be available worldwide starting the third quarter of 2017.