Feb 17, 2021Facing the challenge of a fast-paced and complex rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, Pennsylvania's Reading Hospital has deployed radio frequency identification technology to track the status of every vial that is removed from an ultra-freezer—a unit that stores goods at temperatures of -40 degrees to -86 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees to -123 degrees Fahrenheit)—then is placed in refrigeration, transported to the vaccination clinic to be administered, and sometimes returned to refrigeration, all while ensuring no vial expires before reaching a patient's arm. The UHF RFID solution was provided by Kit Check.
The hospital's management envisioned the solution early this year, after several weeks of providing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to the local population. "Our vaccine inventory counts were incongruous at the end of some days" before the system was introduced, according to Alan Portnoy, the hospital's pharmacy operations manager, "and missing even one vial of vaccine is of dire importance right now, especially considering that the Pfizer vaccine accounts for up to seven doses." Therefore, the hospital sought a way to make the process more seamless, and to maintain an automated digital record.