Piloting an RTLS solution before you commit: 5 key benefits for hospitals

Real-time location system (RTLS) vendors can talk your ear off about the benefits of their respective products. But like any technological solution, you must “see it to believe it.” That’s why it’s a good idea to include a pilot as a requirement in your RFP for a hospital asset tracking solution.

So, what is a pilot exactly? Essentially, it’s a test run—a small installation of the RTLS solution in a specific part of your hospital. Through a pilot, you will see in real time how the RTLS works, how easy it is to use, and whether it can achieve the results you want.

The 5 benefits of piloting a hospital RTLS solution

1. Allowing you to think through different use cases. What are the processes and workflows that can benefit from the analysis of high-quality utilization data? These can be difficult to visualize in the abstract but become clearer when you test one or two workflows.
2. Identifying the staff who must be involved for the project to be successful. Who will be the product champion? Who will be the system administrator? Who are the end users who will respond to system alerts and facilitate workflows?
3. Supporting change management among staff. New technologies and processes can be stressful for workers whose roles will be affected. A pilot helps hospitals head off resistance by introducing the product at a small scale and demonstrating how valuable it can be.
4. Understanding the multifaceted impact of the installation. Can the project go from zero to running in a matter of days? How long will clinical areas that drive hospital revenue be closed—if at all? A pilot will help you unmask the hidden costs of an RTLS that is infrastructure heavy. You’ll be able to assess the time your IT staff will spend to help set things up — these are things vendors may not want you to see in the selling phase.
5. Surveying how quickly you can achieve a return on your investment. Even on a small scale over a few weeks, the RTLS should produce the kind of data that makes evidence-based purchasing decisions possible. You can then estimate whether the savings those decisions enable justify the cost of implementing the RTLS.

RTLS pilots can reveal vendor commitment to achieving measurable outcomes

Crucially, a pilot can also demonstrate an RTLS vendor’s experience —or lack of experience—with the unique challenges that hospitals face.

It’s one thing to have a great product, but it’s another to be qualified and committed to helping hospitals get the most from their RTLS solutions. During a pilot, a high-quality RTLS vendor will share best practices for system use, offer advice for avoiding common pitfalls, and identify the essential staff whose buy-in you need to achieve success.

Additionally, a partner worth its salt will center on the hospital’s needs and timelines—not the RTLS vendor’s—when installing and operating the solution. If the hospital needs to start small and gradually add components to the system over many months, a good RTLS vendor won’t pressure the hospital to bite off more than it can chew in the name of a sale. 

What can you expect from a Cognosos RTLS pilot?

Cognosos’ RTLS delivers a cutting-edge solution to achieve room-level visibility with minimal infrastructure. We provide pilots to show hospitals the value of our solution up front. If your team does decide to do a test-run of our RTLS, then here’s what you can expect:

Speed: A Cognosos RTLS can be up and running in as little as three days, and most pilots conclude within four to six weeks of the first planning meeting.

Sensitivity: Our RTLS leverages artificial intelligence and long-range networking technology, which allows Cognosos to operate using low-impact, high-efficiency infrastructure. Installation poses minimal impacts or disruptions to clinical care—and no closure of patient care areas.

Support: Cognosos experts work closely with hospitals throughout the pilot, providing training sessions and check-in calls or visits to ensure your staff gets a true sense of the RTLS’ benefits.

If your hospital is in the market for a new RTLS solution, now is the perfect time to pilot Cognosos. To learn more, please contact us today.