InfoLogix, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise mobility and advanced wireless asset tracking solutions for the healthcare and commercial industries, announced today that the first successful implementation in North America of a mobile wireless application for the healthcare industry running on the SAP NetWeaver® Mobile 7.1 offering is now live at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas.
Located in one of the world’s largest medical and research centers, Baylor College of Medicine’s Wireless Asset Tracking System (WATS) is using four handheld devices, running a custom application of the latest version of SAP NetWeaver® Mobile that was designed, developed, and deployed by InfoLogix. The handheld devices are used to scan and track its inventory of over 10,000 medical, research and scientific devices, located in 55 buildings throughout the Texas Medical Center and the city of Houston.
With the SAP NetWeaver Mobile 7.1 Ramp-Up process that started in August 2007, BCM looked to replace the time consuming and complicated manual process of tracking and updating its inventory. The SAP Ramp-Up program provided the right framework for Baylor. Using the program’s scoping document, BCM established a schedule for completing the project in just 12 short weeks.
The solution developed by InfoLogix allows BCM to capture and record data in real-time, automatically uploading the latest identification and location information into the organization’s tracking system, which runs on the SAP® ERP application. SAP NetWeaver® Mobile 7.1 provides BCM the utmost in inventory feedback, accuracy and asset management operations.
Paul Sammons, Analyst and Project Lead at Baylor College of Medicine said, Communication with the InfoLogix team has been the cornerstone of this project from the very beginning. InfoLogix understood exactly what we wanted to accomplish, and took our ideas from theory to development.
As one of the top medical schools and medical research institutions in the United States, Baylor College of Medicine is dedicated to providing students, researchers and employees with the best and most modern equipment available. As a result, the list of assets BCM must manage is extensive and expensive, ranging in values from five thousand to millions of dollars each. It includes everything from microscopes, cameras, genome sequencers, various types of medical equipment and scientific equipment, to clinical equipment, computer hardware and motor vehicles.
Prior to working with InfoLogix and SAP NetWeaver Mobile, BCM’s Property Control technicians had to perform their tasks by traveling to either an on-campus location or one of several buildings off-site, and scanning assets using outdated scan equipment. They then had to return to home base to start manually uploading their findings into BCM’s database with a custom program. Only at this point was their data reflecting the current status. Any assets not scanned required a second trip to the building to determine if they were removed or just missed in the inventory.
When this system was approaching the end of its planned lifecycle, BCM’s Property Control team decided its replacement needed to give immediate feedback to the field technicians to resolve missing items while still in the building, adding efficiency for both the technicians and laboratory/clinic staff. In addition, the system needed to be vigorous enough to meet requirements for the Baylor Clinic and Hospital, scheduled for completion in 2011. To accomplish this, the system needed to be wireless, mobile, operate in real time, automatically update the inventory database, and integrate seamlessly with their SAP® solutions. It also needed to be flexible enough to make anticipated but not yet defined changes in-house for the hospital. They conducted extensive research on the mobility technology market, including RFID (radio-frequency identification) and barcode technology solutions.
InfoLogix provided BCM with two proposals, each using RFID and barcode technology. The college opted for a barcode solution, which can be upgraded in the future to RFID if they so choose. InfoLogix immediately set to work designing a customized application running SAP NetWeaver® Mobile that targeted Motorola MC-70 handheld devices. Three months later, the solution was deployed. It operates on BCM’s existing wireless network, captures asset data with a swipe, and automatically updates their database as the technicians perform their duties throughout the medical complex.
Robin S. Lee, Executive Director, Finance and Administration at BCM says, We are very excited about WATS. The efficiencies gained with this wireless tool will enable the Property Control staff to maintain quality inventory information as we experience rapid expansion with the opening of the Baylor Clinic and Hospital, and offers future functionality for tracking hospital equipment real-time.
InfoLogix also provided onsite testing and training, working with BCM’s technicians on the application’s use, and managed the transition of the application’s maintenance to BCM’s representatives. Now, the college can inventory a roomful of assets in mere minutes, search for any equipment that was in the room when last inventoried, and confirm that the location and tag data in their database is correct and absolutely current. BCM’s staff can access the inventory from any workstation with just a few clicks, and know exactly where any given medical device is located.
David Gulian, president and CEO of InfoLogix says, Knowing the location of medical devices and other equipment assets is vital to the efficient operation of any medical facility, and that goes double for an organization as large as Baylor College of Medicine. From our perspective as healthcare and commercial mobility experts, this project is a ringing endorsement of the capabilities of SAP NetWeaver® Mobile, and proves that the platform is more than ready for prime time.
About InfoLogix, Inc.
InfoLogix is a leading provider of enterprise mobility and advanced wireless asset tracking solutions for the healthcare and commercial industries. InfoLogix uses the industry's most advanced technologies to increase the efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of complex business and clinical processes. With 19 issued patents, InfoLogix provides mobile managed solutions, on-demand software applications, mobile infrastructure products, and strategic consulting services to over 2,000 clients in North America including Kraft Foods, Merck and Company, General Electric, Kaiser Permanente, MultiCare Health System and Stanford School of Medicine. InfoLogix is a publicly-traded company
