RFID‐enabled healthcare systems: risk‐benefit analysis

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this technical paper is to provide a review of the applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) in healthcare management systems. It seeks to describe RFID's key points, adoptions, risks and benefits, and the areas of its applications. Some applications of RFID in healthcare management are briefly reviewed and three cases are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides key information on RFID and the integration of healthcare systems and RFID for generating new systems with higher levels of profitability, efficiency, and productivity.

Findings

To make healthcare systems functional and successfully operational, the healthcare industry can use RFID solutions to reduce operating costs by decreasing the labor costs, insurance claims, the risks associated with medical errors, and errors in medication filling pharmacies. This will help the healthcare industry to increase the operating income by reducing working capital through reductions in inventory level and lowering appropriate costs. Such strategies can bring higher levels of profitability and productivity to the healthcare systems.

Practical implications

Owing to the fact that a better management of healthcare system is related to the full understanding of RFID technologies and the system under consideration, sufficient background on the RFID technology along with its risks and benefits are provided and its impact on the healthcare management system including profitability and productivity enhancement are discussed.

Originality/value

In this paper, author has discussed about the RFID active and passive tags, the costs of tags, its producers, and frequencies.

Citation

Zare Mehrjerdi, Y. (2010), "RFID‐enabled healthcare systems: risk‐benefit analysis", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 282-300. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506121011076192