Rfid Tagging Paper

Medical RFID Tagging: What it is and how it works
Isis Melendez-Reynoso
GS1145: Strategies for the Technical Professional
Professor Laura Dorsey
Saturday AM
ITT Technical Institute
Unit 2 Assignment 2: New Technology in My Field
April 14, 2013

What is RFID Tagging? RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. Therefore RFID simply means that radio frequency is being used on patients and products as an identifying marker and tracking process. The use of RFID technology on products will be combined with the Electronic Product Code (EPC). This will provide the capability to locate as well as track those items through the entire distribution chain. This means that Healthcare companies can capture required information such as the
The FDA already requires medical device companies to be able to identify each of the units it produces and distributes by a serial number. These medical device companies need better control of the implants on a consignment basis with hospitals, since returns can occur more than 50 percent of the time. With the new RFID technology that improvement in visibility into returns could possibly enable personnel to quickly and more efficiently locate a crucial piece of equipment and immediately determine its capabilities for use. In the event that a catastrophic error should arise, they would be completely traceable from the manufacturer to the consumer, and the preventative maintenance on equipment could be more accurately tracked. With the RFID tags with read/write capabilities can be used to detect seal integrity for the containers and individual packages. The tag would be able to record the time and duration of the seal loss, allowing even problems that occur in mid-shipment to be detected. For example, since Hospitals currently have to track the radioactive isotopes throughout the facility from storage to transport and from the administration to disposal. These RFID tags and readers would be able to automate these tasks. (Reiner & Sullivan,
Usage is expected to accelerate when the price for RFID technology prices drop and companies become more confident of the applications. With the FDA and HDMA recommendations for tagging drugs, over the next few years we should see more pharmaceutical companies using it. The necessity of RFID adoption will be determined by patient safety requirements and product tracking requirements. RFID/EPC tags will account for drugs authenticity and status this will make sure that they meet the identification and anti-counterfeit requirements. (Reiner & Sullivan,