We are syndicating this article from Chemistry Today.
Deepak Prakash, Vice President, Healthcare
Stefan Genser, Director, Business Development
Christopher Zimmardi, Field Applications Engineer, IOT
Identiv, Inc. Santa Ana, California, USA
Keywords: RFID, Safety, Engagement, Digital, Healthcare, Compliance
Abstract:
This article discusses the potential of RFID systems in medication management within healthcare. It highlights how RFID can enhance accuracy, safety, and efficiency by simplifying medication tracking, monitoring, and documentation, which are often manual and labor-intensive processes. The article also explores the expanding use of RFID in areas like oncology drug management and smart pill bottles for patient adherence, as well as new capabilities such as integrated sensors for critical parameters. It addresses practical considerations for implementing RFID solutions, including infrastructure costs and integration with existing IT platforms, emphasizing the importance of data privacy and security. Finally, it looks at the future of RFID, noting advancements in tag design, dual-frequency capabilities, and the integration with AI, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to further optimize care delivery and improve clinical outcomes.
Introduction
The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems to track hospital and health system assets, including equipment and staff, has had a long and well documented history. Recent reports from healthcare institutions in the US have expanded the use of RFID to help enhance medication management accuracy, safety and efficiency(1).
RFID can simplify one of the more burdensome workflows in the hospitals, the tracking and monitoring of medications. Medication errors are one of the most common occurrences in hospitals and the consequences can be quite staggering(2). RFID could bolster the workflows of current medication technology systems where tracking, documentation, or verification is often manual and labor-intensive.
In a 2022 report by the AHSP Foundation(3), survey results showed that RFID adoption is on a promising trajectory with uses in tracking medications that are patient-specific, temperature sensitive, and in dose management. RFID technologies(4) can now incorporate cost-effective sensing of critical parameters such as temperature, humidity and fill level and complement existing workflows.
As part of a connected care ecosystem, RFID solutions can be an integral part to drive safe and effective medication management processes. Patients, staff, equipment as well as the dispensed medication can be tagged and tracked. Furthermore, integrating these into the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems, can allow for real-time visibility and, combined with data and analytics, help optimize care delivery.
Expanding Use of RFID
As mentioned previously, healthcare institutions are expanding the use of RFID into newer areas to improve the overall healthcare experience. Consider the area of oncology drugs. These drugs are expensive and prepared in precise patient-specific doses. The use of RFID has enabled the hospital system to effectively manage a high-value drug to ensure that the correct patient received the drug while reducing instances of theft and waste. In this use case, each dose was tagged and authenticated with the correct details (patient, dosage, time), which then enabled the healthcare professional (HCP) to scan the medication according to established protocols(5).
Another interesting application is the emergence of smart pill bottles. Poor patient adherence is one of the leading areas of focus for pharmaceutical companies(6) with a significant impact. In the context of clinical trials, poor adherence can lead to incorrect clinical outcomes.
Information Mediary Corp.(IMC) developed smart pill bottles and blister packs with embedded RFID modules. When the pill bottles were accessed, critical information was transmitted wirelessly to the study monitors. In addition to accurately tracking patient use, the overall results were enhanced due to fewer self-reporting or memory recall errors(7).
Near Field RFID applications, including HF and NFC are increasingly getting attention in both healthcare and pharmaceutical contexts. They enable secure, short-range data exchange and support a wide range of applications, including patient identification, access control to sensitive areas, medication verification, authentication of pharmaceutical products, and direct patient engagement via Smartphone.
New Capabilities in RFID
Healthcare is a vast, complex and fragmented space with constant demands on efficiency, transparency and safety. To meet these challenges, RFID capabilities are rapidly evolving too. An example of this is the integration of sensors with RFID. While temperature and humidity are widely adopted in various use cases in healthcare, new sensors can drive innovative ways to effectively address problems.
Innovations in RFID transponder chip design have enabled the integration of these sensors either directly “on-chip” through Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductors (CMOS) based circuits or by seamlessly incorporating external microelectrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices. When mounted on a single flexible RFID circuit, these sensing features can be readily produced using standard label converting methods, ensuring scalability for commercial applications.
Implementing RFID
While the potential benefits are high, like any technology solution, there are practical considerations when it comes to implementing RFID solutions on a large scale. Depending on the nature of the solution being deployed, initial infrastructure costs could be high. This typically will include the costs of tags, readers, associated software, as well as integration into existing systems.
The return of investment will be apparent, via automation of inventory tracking as one example. In recent years, the pharmacy team at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center identified a recurring challenge with operating room inventory: after medications were stocked in the anesthesia workstations (AWS), visibility of that inventory diminished.By implementing RFID technology into OR inventory management in 2023, we were able to resolve this challenge, save 17 hours of staff time every week, reduce stockouts, increase patient safety, enhance regulatory readiness, and improve employee satisfaction(8).
While the potential benefits of RFID are significant, scaling these solutions across an enterprise requires careful planning. Beyond the obvious capital outlays for materials and equipment, organizations must account for infrastructure integration costs—ensuring that RFID systems align seamlessly with existing IT platforms such as electronic health records (EHRs), medication management systems, and inventory control software. Deployment is not simply a matter of hardware installation; it often entails process redesign, staff training, and change management to fully realize operational gains.
There are also additional protocols that need to be instituted to ensure data privacy and security in compliance with regulations. Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) is any individually identifiable health information that is created, stored, transmitted, or received in electronic form, as defined under the U.S. HIPAA regulations. It covers details like patient names, medical record numbers, diagnoses, treatment histories, prescriptions, and other data that can tie back to a specific patient. While RFID and BLE technologies do not directly store any patient sensitive data, they must be deployed within a governance framework that treats relevant identifiers (e.g., MAC address) and system integrations as extensions of ePHI, with the same safeguards as direct patient data.
Future of RFID
Recent advancements in tag design and converting are enabling the production of labels and tags that can withstand common sterilization processes. This robustness opens new possibilities for tracking sterile items, reusable medical devices, and sterile packaging without compromising device integrity or patient safety. By addressing challenges related to durability, integration, and hygiene compliance, these technological improvements enhance operational efficiency, support regulatory requirements, and expand the potential for seamless digital integration in clinical workflows.
New innovations in RFID technology are redefining what’s possible in healthcare and medication management. New chip architectures now deliver higher read sensitivity, faster response, and built-in privacy safeguards, making it easier to track dense tag populations in complex clinical settings. Dual-frequency designs combine long-range UHF with short-range NFC, enabling both logistics tracking and point-of-care verification with a single tag. At the same time, fully passive sensor tags capable of monitoring temperature, humidity, and other conditions are now productized, supporting cold-chain compliance and sterile storage without the added cost or complexity of batteries.
It certainly is an exciting time in the digital transformation of healthcare to improve clinical outcomes, enhance patient safety while balancing cost and compliance. The advent of AI had the potential to usher in a new direction for RFID across the entire healthcare value chain – from predictive analytics and demand management to patient engagement and compliance.
The emergence of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) could be an effective adjunct to the use of RFID. The miniaturization of tags expands the use into areas of remote patient monitoring (RPM), wearable devices to create a new, real-time connected care paradigm.
The growing adoption of the Internet of Medical Things(9) (IoMT) is transforming how patients engage with their own care and how providers manage treatment pathways. The prevalence of wearables and other connected devices illustrate how connected devices are evolving the standard of care. When paired with RFID, NFC, and BLE technologies, IoMT devices create continuous data streams that feed into healthcare analytics systems. This convergence opens the door for AI-driven insights that can optimize medication management, improve adherence, and provide real-time decision support—ultimately enhancing the patient journey and improving clinical outcomes. Looking ahead, these capabilities will also power predictive analytics for population health, enabling providers to anticipate medication demand, identify at-risk patient groups earlier, and improve resource allocation across entire healthcare systems.
References
- RFID solutions attract attention for medication inventory management , AHA.org, February 2025 (online)
- Tariq RA, et al. Medication Dispensing Errors and Prevention. [Updated 2024 Feb 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
- Use of RFID Technology in Health Systems , ASHPfoundation.org, 2022
- Identiv offers NFC and BLE tags with sensor data, RFID Journal, June 2022
- Sentara Cardiac OR Cuts Costs & Stockouts with RFID Medication Tracking, Bluesight.com (case study)
- Improving Medication Adherence: Scaling Cost-Effective Digital Technologies, Indentiv.com White Paper, September 2025
- Smart packaging in commercial healthcare, IMC.com White Paper, March 2025
- Implementing RFID to Automate Inventory Tracking in the OR and Reduce Staff Burden, Becker’s Hospital Review, March 2024
- The Internet of Medical Things (IOMT) at the heart of digital healthcare, OMDIA Analyst Report, June 2022
