Only 10 to 15 percent of the health care market uses real-time locating systems, although among organizations that do, virtually all experience some operational efficiencies, according to a new KLAS report teaser. And the bulk of efficiencies seem to be found in equipment utilization and staffing.

KLAS' new survey, Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) 2011: Maximizing the ROI, announced Tuesday, surveyed over 150 organizations that use Wi-Fi or other tags to track devices, personnel, patients and even how often staff washed their hands.

About 95 percent of the groups using RTLS show efficiency gains, from tiny 25-bed hospitals to multi-center institutions with thousands of beds, the Orem, Utah-based research business said. In a graph depicting the overall reported impact of RTLS systems on operational efficiency, KLAS explained that improved equipment utilization and staff efficiency topped the list, at 75 percent, with better documentation and alerts/reporting tying for second, at 19 percent.

Nonetheless, report author Steve VanWagenen warned that not all deployments are "created equal."

"Much of a facility's success with RTLS depends on the breadth of the deployment, the variety of ways RTLS is being used and the level of integration between RTLS and other solutions," he said in a statement.

Vendors in this space mentioned in the report include AeroScout, Awarepoint, CenTrak, Cerner, Ekahau, GE, Hill-Rom, Intelligent InSites, Radianse, Sonitor, TeleTracking and Versus.

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