Real-Time Location Systems Save Wake Forest Baptist $3.5M

The health system saved money by avoiding equipment purchases and reducing rental expenses; RTLS also saved it $300,000 and more than 10,000 staff hours annually. Wake Forest Baptist Health is a prominent academic medical system known for innovation and the delivery of quality care, along with a reputation for distinguished medical research.

In the area of asset management, Wake Forest has been able to save more than $3.5 million by avoiding equipment purchases and reducing rental expenses – all because of increased assets visibility and process changes, which allows staff to effectively distribute assets across the organization and to utilize the organization's own fleet to its fullest potential.

"In addition, our staff doesn't need to search for the equipment they need to provide patient care," Emmerich said. "This enabled us to convert thousands of 'non-value-added' hours toward patient care. I know that might seem unreal, but in hospitals where staff does not have visibility into the location and status of medical equipment, they might spend 1-2 hours per shift just looking for equipment they need. And that is a waste of their valuable time."