RFID in Healthcare

This publication has been discontinued on July 19, 2011.

Introduction

RFID in healthcare

Introduction

• Falling tag prices, EPCglobals standards initiative, numerous healthcare-related deployments and FDA regulations on medication tracking have brought RFID into the spotlight. However, challenges regarding solution costs, IP rights and privacy issues make the future of RFID in healthcare far from sealed.

Scope of this report

• This brief outlines the market drivers as well as barriers to mass-market RFID adoption It gives examples of healthcare-specific RFID uses, current initiatives and implementations
• It uncovers the RFID value chain and its players It gives Datamonitors view on the technologys future and what important issues vendors need to consider with regard to RFID

Research and analysis highlights

• The CIMITs ORF initiative, heavy-weight IT vendor presence through IBMs and Microsofts involvement in RFID, as well as a positive outcome for the medication tracking survey undertaken by Accenture, all bode well for the future of RFID in healthcare.
• Despite RFIDs promise to reduce medical errors the cost of RFID tags must come down and the technology must become further customized for healthcare in order for RFID to become a widely-deployed solution among cash-strapped US hospitals.

Key reasons to read this report

• Understand the particular application areas of RFID in the healthcare provider sector
• Get the latest update on industry initiatives, implementations and regulation
• Identify key players in the healthcare RFID value chain

ABOUT DATAMONITORMARKET CONTEXT

• Outline of the brief
• The state of play
  • High price, fragmented value chain, proprietary standards
  • Market about to solidify and standards development underway - although patent issues are clouding the horizon
  • Accenture study demonstrating RFID advantages in pharma
  • FDA mandate to boost tagging solutions, but only for bar coding
  • RFID as a supply-chain enabler for healthcare providers
• RFID uses in healthcare
• Healthcare RFID implementations and initiatives
• The RFID value chain
  • Healthcare-specific RFID vendors

THE FUTURE DECODED

• Intermecs bid for royalties may have many negative repercussions
• The issue of privacy is overrated...
• ...but will gain more significance as patient and personnel tracking takes off
• Storing vast amounts of data on already stretched clinical data repositories creates needs for storage and data management
• Bar codes have not yet played out their role in healthcare
• It is key to focus on RFIDs unique capabilities in the provider arena as well as to solve the technologys current shortcomings

RECOMMENDATIONS

APPENDIX

• Further readings
• SPP writing team
• How to contact experts in your industry
• List of Figures
  • Figure 1: Drivers and barriers to adoption for healthcare RFID

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