Using RFID to Improve Hospital Supply Chain Management for High Value and Consignment Items

This paper presents a radio-frequency identification (RFID)-enabled traceability system for the management of consignment and high value products requiring item level traceability in a hospital environment.The solution can be considered (i) as an alternative to RFID-enabled cabinets used in the replenishment of consignment and high value supplies in certain operating rooms, cardiac catheterization laboratories and interventional radiology departments, or (ii) as a complementary solution facilitating the tracking of medical devices removed from RFID-enabled cabinets. In short, the end-to-end traceability of medical products in the healthcare supply chain can be significantly enhanced