SBIR Phase I: Web Based Asset Tracking System (WeBATS) for Hospitals

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to provide relief to growing healthcare costs by using IT to reduce the cost of inventory management. Initially, high value medical equipment would be tracked. The IT market to track people and supplies in hospitals is predicted to be a $8.8 billion market by 2010. A segment of this market is real time location systems (RTLS). RTLS tracking is accomplished using closed systems that are inherently difficult to distribute information broadly. This project would develop a web-based asset tracking system to replace the existing crude external accesses. In 2003 around $1.1 trillion worth of inventory supported $3.2 trillion annual retail sales in the US. By allowing inventory information to be accessed using devices such as PCs, PDAs, and cell phones, the project will make the supply chain more efficient.