“Having better insights into our real inventory status for various pieces of equipment means we can make better procurement decisions and not over-purchase things that we already have enough of. Our network infrastructure was already Bluetooth ® LE enabled so we knew we can leverage the investment we have already made. And knowing the benefits Bluetooth ® LE brings we knew it was the right direction. The fact that we had the right infrastructure for that in place was the key motivation.”

— Greg Merrill, Program Analyst, the VA

Overview

The Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest hospital chains in the U.S. and responsible for the care of the nation’s military veterans. The scale of its operations is such that small changes in policy or management philosophy can have a massive impact on the experience of thousands of patients every day. This guiding principle was the driver behind a recent transformation that placed IoT solutions at the center of the patient experience and helped this massive organization build better relationships with the people they serve.

It started with recognition that the VA was not utilizing its technology to its full potential. Management wanted to explore how different stakeholders could benefit from a new approach. This quickly led them to indoor location services and the many use cases that have proven themselves in healthcare facilities around the world.

On top of that, the VA was recommitting itself to its core mission of providing the best possible healthcare services and fulfilling its special obligation to those who had sacrificed for the country. When they decided that they could get more out of their current tech stack, they began listing the challenges they wanted to solve.

Challenge

The VA already understood that misplaced equipment was causing lost productivity for the biomed, nursing and equipment distribution teams. High-volume devices like IV pumps were especially prone to being misplaced, leading to challenges in purchasing and maintaining equipment buffer quantities.

Additionally, they faced issues with wayfinding applications, resulting in missed appointments and a poor patient experience.

The urgency behind the project was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare systems everywhere were confronted with the need to do more with less. Staff shortages became a pressing issue, with a significant percentage working remotely. The VA had to make the most of their available manpower and work more efficiently.

Reaching that higher level of efficiency became a top priority, and the ability to find equipment quickly and more through indoor navigation was correctly identified as essential for improved outcomes and a better working environment.

The search was on for a provider to lead the VA’s digital transformation.

Solution

The VA knew that better indoor location services were the key to solving the issues that they faced because they already had experience with a similar, but less effective version.

Before selecting Kontakt.io, the VA had used Wi-Fi-based technology for indoor tracking use cases. This meant that they encountered accuracy issues, with signals penetrating through walls and causing uncertainty in locating equipment. Battery maintenance was a significant concern as well.

The VA chose Kontakt.io to update its indoor location services because our solution was easier to use compared to other options, the installation process didn’t require complex procedures like cable pulls or onsite surveying and, finally, we offered seamless integration with existing infrastructures, whether the VA’s own or third-party systems.

The VA opted for Bluetooth® LE technology because of several built-in advantages. Bluetooth® LE was already enabled in their network infrastructure, allowing them to leverage their existing investment. It provided superior accuracy compared to Wi-Fi-based solutions and minimized the maintenance issues associated with battery changes.

Bluetooth® LE’s open standard protocol and extensive installed base in mobile phones offered flexibility and infrastructure capabilities for future workflows and wayfinding applications.

Kontakt.io’s solution, combined with Bluetooth® LE, provided a cost-effective option for resolving the workflow and efficiency issues that were compromising the VA’s financial and care delivery performance.

By implementing more accurate indoor location services, the VA gained real-time insights into their inventory status, enabling better procurement decisions and preventing over-purchasing. Asset tracking, enabled by Kontakt.io’s technology, played a crucial role in minimizing search times and optimizing staff efficiency.

In addition to having an immediate impact in these areas, other use cases have gradually been identified. As the VA deployed Kontakt.io’s technology, they realized that other departments could also benefit from it. Nurses, biomeds, and custodial managers found the technology helpful in performing their jobs more effectively, all using the same tech infrastructure.

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