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RTLS 2019
Exploring Attainable Outcomes with Deep Adopters
Author
Tanya Egbert
Author
Jennifer Hickenlooper
KLAS’ 2016 RTLS report revealed that many provider organizations want to do more with RTLS. This year, vendors’ deepest adopters share how they are expanding their use of RTLS solutions. What significant outcomes are they seeing because of these efforts? How can other organizations do the same? Additionally, insights from both deep adopters and vendors’ broader customer bases indicate that while most RTLS vendors successfully help organizations drive outcomes, there are a couple of vendors with which success is much less likely.Â
AiRISTA Flow and Cerner Fall Far Behind in Delivering Outcomes Due to Poor Product and Relationship
Compared to other vendors’ customer bases, AiRISTA Flow and Cerner customers report the fewest RTLS use cases and have the lowest satisfaction. No deep adopters of either vendor mention receiving collaboration or guidance to drive outcomes. AiRISTA Flow customers feel product development has stagnated since the vendor acquired Ekahau’s RTLS assets. Many report data-accuracy issues, poor integration, and inadequate support. Cerner customers struggle with inadequate reporting, upgrade issues, integration problems, and a lack of accurate data. Also, respondents find it difficult to receive timely, responsive service, and some say they have to pay extra to get the help they need.
Provider Organizations Are Main RTLS Drivers, with Vendors Playing Supportive Role
Only one interviewed deep adopter credits their RTLS vendor as the main driver of outcomes. This reveals a major area of opportunity for vendors: to step up strategic guidance and lead out in helping organizations expand their RTLS use and achieve outcomes.
CenTrak and STANLEY Healthcare Facilitate Broad Spectrum of Use Cases, Drive Outcomes
Among the high performers, CenTrak and STANLEY Healthcare stand out for the greatest breadth of validated use cases; they support their broad offerings with strong guidance that drives tangible outcomes for their customers. All three interviewed deep adopters of CenTrak report that strong training set them up for success. One has achieved significant savings by setting up return areas for rental equipment; this has improved visibility into what equipment is actually being used and has reduced equipment-rental expenses. Another uses integration with the nurse call system to improve nurse response times and, as a result, the patient experience. One STANLEY Healthcare deep adopter leverages auto-alerts for temperature monitoring, resulting in improved efficiency and millions in savings by preventing medication loss. Another reports that integration with the nurse call system has improved staff safety (with staff satisfaction increasing by 30%–40% as a result) and enabled them to create a new unit layout that helps clinicians spend more time with patients.
TeleTracking, Midmark RTLS, and Sonitor Excel in Key Metrics Driving Outcomes: Collaboration and Actionable Data
Collaboration and actionable data are two of the most important things vendors can provide to help drive RTLS outcomes, and TeleTracking, Midmark RTLS, and Sonitor lead out in these areas among deep adopters. Interviewed TeleTracking deep adopters report the vendor is a partner in their development, feels like part of the organization, is willing to come on-site, and collaborates to solve problems. Midmark RTLS deep adopters receive clear data from their solution that is then supplemented by calls with the vendor that can be tactical (helping customers utilize their data to drive outcomes) or strategic (helping expand RTLS use cases). Sonitor is praised by deep adopters for providing accurate, real-time data that helps facilitate discussions with physicians, and one deep adopter described their work with the vendor as a team effort.
Best Practices from Deep Adopters
71%Â
Formalize Departmental Ownership, Collaboration, and Resources:
To avoid poor buy-in and unclear ownership, involve the right stakeholders up front, including technical experts, clinical experts, nursing leadership, and IT support. These stakeholders should collaborate early on to determine how the organization can execute their vision and obtain employee buy-in. And while getting financial buy-in for dedicated RTLS resources is a big challenge, having people assigned to ongoing tasks like battery management, RTLS infrastructure support, and solution updates is key to success.
71%Â
Early On, Plan Use Cases and How They'll Drive Outcomes:
Because of the broad number of ways RTLS technology can be used, successful organizations need to clearly define the outcomes they want to achieve, the use cases they will leverage, and how those use cases will drive desired outcomes. This includes planning how to integrate the RTLS solution with existing workflows and other software solutions to achieve improved efficiency, cost savings, and other outcomes. This provides a solid foundation for further optimization and expansion of RTLS use.
51%Â
Establish RTLS Use and Maintenance Processes:
Logistical headaches can be avoided if organizations establish processes for maintaining and using their RTLS solutions. Maintenance processes include battery replacements, badge and tag ordering, and general equipment maintenance. Organizations should also determine standards for what items should be tagged.
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Leverage RTLS Vendor Expertise:
An engaged and knowledgeable vendor partner can provide much-needed guidance and support as organizations move forward with their RTLS initiatives. This may include helping organizations figure out how to achieve their vision or set up needed integration with other systems. Two-way collaboration with a trusted vendor partner can lead to ongoing outcomes and continued innovation.
37%Â
Use RTLS Data to Keep Improving Processes:
Organizations who want to take their RTLS outcomes to the next level should use the wealth of data from their technology to assess workflows and processes and then make specific process changes to lower costs and improve efficiency, among other outcomes. While even a basic implementation of an RTLS solution can lead to some outcomes, more impactful outcomes require analyzing data, making changes, and continuing to follow up on progress.
Writer
Amanda Wind
Designer
Jess Wallace-Simpson
Project Manager
Sydney Toomer
This material is copyrighted. Any organization gaining unauthorized access to this report will be liable to compensate KLAS for the full retail price. Please see the KLAS DATA USE POLICY for information regarding use of this report. © 2024 KLAS Research, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NOTE: Performance scores may change significantly when including newly interviewed provider organizations, especially when added to a smaller sample size like in emerging markets with a small number of live clients. The findings presented are not meant to be conclusive data for an entire client base.