Overcoming the Obstacles in Healthcare IT

The healthcare industry has been slow to fully leverage the power of advanced technology solutions, despite the obvious benefits to patients and medical professionals. Electronic medical records (EMR) systems are a prime example.

According to the March 2007 issue of Computerworld, the primary obstacles to widespread adoption of new technology like the EMR system are culture, cost, and time. Many healthcare professionals are resistant to making the operational changes that are required to run an EMR system. In addition, the installation process, particularly at larger hospitals, can run into the millions, forcing organizations to choose between the EMR system and new construction or additional medical equipment. Finally, there is a perception that implementing an EMR system would disrupt short-term operations.

For mobile healthcare processes, however, resistance to adopting new technologies is much less of a barrier. Mobile solutions offer a quick and accurate way to capture, record, and transmit information, and many healthcare organizations have already begun leveraging mobile technology solutions.

AirClic® has successfully circumvented each of these obstacles with simple, user-friendly applications that are quickly gaining acceptance across the healthcare industry. Because AirClic solutions can automate a wide range of processes, many tasks, such as administering medications on schedule and at the proper dosage, correctly identifying blood samples throughout diagnostic testing, or tracking patients, can be performed accurately, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

AirClic’s rapid customization and deployment, nearly instant application upgrades, flexibility that easily extends to subcontractors, and high-speed ROI are just a few of the reasons the healthcare industry has embraced mobile process technology.

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Mobile Solutions Improve Fleet Management and Increase Profits

Escalating fuel prices have hit the field services industry particularly hard, forcing companies to look for ways to cut expenses. According to
an in-depth study by the Aberdeen Group, Service on the Move: Driving Profitability via Fleet Management, mobile technology is a powerful solution to this problem.

The study examined fleet-based companies, focusing on key performance indicators such as fuel costs, total operating costs, vehicle utilization, operator compliance, and average travel time per job. The findings revealed that operator behavior directly impacted profitability. Events like missed pick-ups or deliveries, poor driving habits, inefficient routing, and unauthorized breaks all contributed to increased costs.

The Aberdeen study noted that using a mobile solution to capture and transmit vehicle and driver information can build accountability, increase efficiency, and improve customer service. The study cited that geo-fencing, a feature of AirClic® MP Tracker 2.0, helped influence behavior and streamlined operations. Using GPS functionality, geo-fencing enables managers to see when a worker has crossed into or out of a designated geographic area. This feature also allows them to quickly locate an available worker closest to a specific landmark to handle a last-minute work order.

Not surprisingly, Aberdeen reported that the technology improved performance only when all stakeholders, including vehicle operators, dispatchers, and fleet managers, bought into the program and adopted the mobile solution.

AirClic has avoided this potential roadblock by designing simple applications that require less than 15 minutes of training. Once field workers begin using the system, most find that it makes their jobs easier by removing tedious paperwork and manual data entry. In addition, managers can utilize real-time monitoring to reward good behavior and best practices. Positive user experience is just one of the many reasons that AirClic adoption rates are among the highest in the industry.

For field-based service organizations, a mobile solution like AirClic offers greater accountability, improved productivity, increased customer loyalty, and the ultimate reward, higher profit margins.

Click here to learn more about AirClic MP Tracker 2.0

Royal Cabinets

The construction industry has always been fiercely competitive, but the current housing slump has put even more pressure on residential builders and building suppliers to eliminate unnecessary costs and improve efficiency.

California-based Royal Cabinets, one of the largest producers of kitchen and bathroom cabinets on the West Coast, is no exception. With a fleet of 148 trailers and 20 drivers, the company was dedicating many staff hours each day just keeping track of its equipment.

The company turned to AirClic® for a custom solution that would provide real-time visibility and control over its entire field operations. AirClic automated several key mobile processes, including proof-of-delivery, proof-of-service, and trailer tracking and monitoring.  Using AirClic’s built-in GPS functionality, company foremen were able to create a virtual fence around a work site perimeter by capturing and uploading longitude and latitude coordinates to the company’s server. The system automatically tied all data captured by drivers, installers, and customer service teams to an exact location and timestamp. This information enabled the company to accurately track costs for each project on a job site and rate the quality of each installation.

Since deploying AirClic, Royal Cabinets has saved both time and money. The staff no longer spends countless hours hunting for missing trailers and manually entering field data. In addition, by improving worker accountability, the company has reduced installation errors and accelerated deliveries, resulting in six-figure cost savings.

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