North Haven, CT – June 7, 2010 – Queralt, LLC., a leading developer of value-based RFID technology applications announced that it has been engaged to provide analytical services to Hartford Medical Group (HMG), to assist in understanding time and motion behaviors of providers and patients during the primary care visit. The technology and respective reports allow HMG to identify opportunities for continued process improvement, to increase patient satisfaction and value and improve operational efficiency within the practice. Based on the positive results from the initial pilot, HMG decided to expand the study to the rest of the practices
“Hartford Medical Group, part of the Hartford Healthcare system, asked us to automate the collection, measurement, and reporting of patient data,” explained Queralt Co-Founder and Managing Partner Michael Queralt, “to help them measure total patient throughput time during a treatment visit. This includes patient time in the waiting room queue, time in the actual exam room, interaction time with their healthcare provider, and overall room utilization for each of their facilities.”
To accomplish this Queralt has integrated and implemented battery powered mobile wireless communications using active RFID and infrared sensing equipment deployed in the primary care office setting. Using this equipment, they measure the movement of patients, providers and other staff, in real time, recording the data automatically. They then upload the information to a server for analysis without compromising protected health information or patient identities.
Explained Queralt, “This solution captures, on a real-time basis, the position of each individual, including the time and location while they are involved in the various practice processes. It is a portable solution that can be deployed in multiple practices and enables a process that allows HMG to capture data for blind study of the patients’ flow.”
The study, already underway, is scheduled for completion in January 2011.
Queralt concluded, “Healthcare facilities can dramatically increase the efficiency and utilization of their resources to improve patient care and reduce costs, but first they must develop an understanding of how those resources are being utilized now. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. This project demonstrates the great thought leadership of the Hartford Healthcare system and we expect to see many other healthcare organizations commence similar studies to improve the healthcare experience of all of us.”
