Delivering quality healthcare requires many different departments and processes where patients, equipment, samples and supplies need to be accurately identified and tracked.

Many hospitals and other medical facilities struggle with everyday problems that get in the way of fast, accurate and reliable identification and tracking. And many of them come down to the quality and limitations of the barcode labels and patient ID wristbands they use to automate identification and data capture.

In this article, we take a quick look at some of these common problems, how they occur, and how to eliminate them with high-quality and specially designed Zebra labels and patient ID wristbands. Let’s take a look.

Patient Identification

Positive healthcare outcomes and good patient safety begin with accurate patient identification from admission to discharge. But there are three common challenges that often make this harder:

• Wristband barcodes and printed information can become illegible and unscannable due to fading, smudging or other issues after contact with hand sanitizers.
• Wristbands can also twist on a patient’s wrist, requiring a nurse to wake the patient to adjust the wristband and successfully scan it.
• Sometimes linear barcodes are unscannable due to the curvature of a patient’s wrist, requiring a nurse to manipulate the band to scan the code.

The easiest way to prevent these issues is with Zebra’s LaserBand®2 Advanced Wristbands.

• LaserBand®2 wristbands are made with specialized materials and a simple assembly that allows barcodes and printed information to withstand moisture and the harshest sanitizers and cleaners. They’re up to 6 times more durable to hand sanitizers than competing products.
• They also have a patented design that doesn’t twist on the patient’s wrist. The bands always lay flat for quick and easy scannability, without having to manipulate the wristband.

Phlebotomy Collection

Collecting and accurately identifying blood samples from bedside to the lab is another critical healthcare process, but it’s often plagued by a serious problem:

• Many hospitals and other facilities manually identify “stat” samples that need quick testing within an hour or less. Since they don’t have an easy way to identify these samples on a barcode label, it opens up the process to error, and if testing doesn’t happen on time, you can end up having to do a re-draw and re-test.

Thankfully there’s an easy way to automate the identification of stat samples. Zebra’s direct thermal IQ Color 2000D paper labels have invisible inks that can be pre-printed on phlebotomy labels and activated on-demand during the label printing process. These colorful “tabs” on labels make stat samples immediately visible and identifiable.

Blood Bag Identification

Two common issues often occur with blood bag labeling for blood banks:

• Labels with basic materials are often not resistant to moisture and can easily fade, making barcodes and printed information unreadable or unscannable.
• It’s also critical to prevent blood contamination from label adhesives, but basic labels don’t have specialized adhesives for this purpose, so the adhesive can leach through blood bags.

By using Zebra’s thermal transfer 8000T primary blood bad polyethylene labels with Zebra’s 3200 wax/resin ribbon, you can put an end to both problems. You get a label adhesive tested to ensure it won’t leach through the bag and contaminate the blood, and the polypropylene material is resistant to moisture so it remains readable throughout its use.

Microscope Slide Labeling

Microscope slides are a big part of the medical testing process, but this is another area where barcode labels can create problems. Here’s why:

• Contact with stains and Xylene during testing can cause labels to fall off the microscope slide or cause the image to fade and become unreadable and unscalable, resulting in the need to obtain another sample for re-resting.

The good news is that Zebra has created a solution specifically for microscope slide labeling: its thermal transfer Z-Xtreme 5000T polyester label and image lock resin ribbon.

These Z-Xtreme labels are pre-tested to ensure resistance to stains, Xylene and other chemicals used in the testing process. So your labels remain identifiable and secure, and you can deliver lab results to the correct patient in a timely manner. And the image lock cartridge resin ribbon is available for use with Zebra’s ZD420-C printer, enabling quick and easy installation of your thermal ribbon.

Asset Tracking

Equipment such as wheelchairs, test equipment, beds and other items are frequently in high demand and needed in specific locations in a hospital. But if you don’t know where they are, or you can’t easily identify them to track inventory, maintenance, or other critical information, you can be left with time-consuming searches or even costly losses and unnecessary replacements.

One of the best ways to track the status and location of medical equipment is by using RFID technology to track assets. But RFID is a big challenge in many healthcare environments for several reasons:

• The metal parts of healthcare equipment can cause interference with the readability of RFID labels, meaning RFID reads might fail.
• To properly identify metal items, many healthcare facilities have to use more costly specialized RFID tags.
• Metal-friendly RFID tags are typically thicker and can’t be printed through standard thermal printers.

Fortunately, there’s a great solution for RFID healthcare asset tracking with Zebra’s Silverline RFID labels. These labels feature a material barrier between the RFID inlay and adhesive that prevents interference and delivers improved read ranges.

They’re also more cost-effective compared to other RFID tags for labeling metal items, and you can print and encode them easily with Zebra’s ZT411 RFID industrial printer, which includes an optional upgrade to print thicker tags.

Where to Learn More About Zebra Healthcare Wristbands and Labels

Hopefully this article has introduced you to some great solutions to barcoding and labeling issues that you might be experiencing with healthcare identification and tracking. But there are many more solutions available to help improve your patient care and processes.

Contact Tri-State Business Systems now to learn more about our complete portfolio of Zebra printing, labeling and wristband solutions, and how we can help you solve your biggest operational challenges.

Why Zebra Labels and Printing Supplies Are the Right Choice

Printing, applying and scanning barcode labels is a basic process that businesses need to depend on without thinking.

Barcode labels are business critical and allow us to track inventory and shipments, automate data capture, and keep information and workflows moving reliably through our operations. But all it takes is a single failed scan, one poorly printed barcode, or one adhesive failure to bring things to a halt.

That’s why it pays to understand and use the right barcode labels and high-quality supplies, to avoid and eliminate print quality, scanning and adhesion problems, which can get in the way of our barcode-driven productivity and efficiency.

It also pays to invest in high-quality and pre-tested Zebra thermal printing labels and supplies, and here’s why:

High-Quality, Pre-Tested, and Reliable Labels

Zebra’s pre-tested, consistent label materials ensure print quality and reduce the need to re-print labels due to poor readability and scannability. It also ensures the clarity and accuracy of pricing and other business-critical information on your labels and tags.

High-quality labels and printing supplies also ensure that only the best materials come into contact with your printheads. This means you can get your desired print quality without having to constantly adjust print darkness and without causing excessive wear and use of your printheads. Over the long haul, that can easily add up to thousands of dollars in savings on printhead replacements.

Using Zebra printing supplies means you’re getting great quality labels, ribbons and materials that are designed to eliminate common labeling and scanning issues and maximize the life, availability and productivity of your printers and printheads.

Outstanding Materials, Production Quality and Pre-Testing

Zebra pre-tests all of its labels and printing supplies and has quality processes in place to ensure the highest print quality. These include:

• No substitution of materials
• ISO 9001:2008 certified quality processes
• A computerized vision inspection system
• Color-matching software and equipment

Zebra’s supplies Research & Development team also pre-tests all Zebra labels and supplies on Zebra printers, putting them through stringent tests and analysis. Testing includes:

• Pre-testing on Zebra Printers
• Assessment of printhead wear
• Verification of adhesive strength specifications
• Pre-tests for different environmental factors such as:
  • Indoor/outdoor
  • Low/high temperatures
  • Abrasion
  • Chemical exposure

Unsurpassed Selection

When you purchase genuine Zebra supplies, you have access to a large selection of quality, pre-tested supplies manufactured by the thermal industry experts. Zebra offers more than 1,000 combinations of labels, tags, receipts, wristbands, and ribbons, including over 500 stock products.

When you need to grow your business through better operational efficiency, branding, customer service, and compliance, Zebra has the selection you need. It’s why Zebra supplies are the leading choice from small businesses to the Fortune 500.

Supplies Availability and Reliability

Zebra is one of the largest thermal converters in North America and has extensive manufacturing capabilities and automation. With multiple supplies facilities across the U.S., Zebra can ensure reliable and quick delivery and has full contingency/disaster plans to ensure uninterrupted shipments.

100% Guaranteed Printhead Protection

We’ve saved the best for last, but if you use Zebra printers and agree to use genuine Zebra supplies exclusively, you get guaranteed protection against premature printhead replacement costs. If you have a printhead that wears out too soon, it will be replaced at absolutely no charge.

To learn more about Zebra supplies, including getting guaranteed printhead protection, contact our labeling experts at Tri-State Business Systems now. Call us at 908-359-8001 or email sales@tri-statebussys.com www.tri-statebussys.com   

Rugged Barcode Scanners Improve Productivity in Warehouses and Manufacturing Facilities

If your employees don’t have the ability to scan items quickly and easily, you waste time, sacrifice productivity, and potentially even lose track of items—ultimately—your bottom line suffers. By investing in Zebra 3600 Series scanners, you give your employees the tools they need to keep operations running as smoothly as possible. Check out these benefits.

Practically Indestructible

Designed for warehouse and manufacturing environments, Zebra 3600 Series scanners feature a nearly indestructible design. To preserve their internal components, these scanners are dust-tight and spray proof. They’re also waterproofed to the IP67 standard and come with an IP65-sealed cradle so you never have to worry about unexpected spills or leaks causing a malfunction.

Even if the scanner gets dropped, the employee can typically pick it up and keep working without missing a beat. These scanners can survive falls from 8 feet high onto the hardest concrete. They also work in extremely low temperatures, making them the ideal solution for cold chain environments.

First-Time Capture, Every Time

Scanning and rescanning a barcode may only take a few seconds, but when you account for all the times this happens in all of your facilities, the seconds quickly turn into hours of wasted time. To safeguard productivity and ensure you’re not paying workers to wrestle with poor quality tools, Zebra 3600 Series scanners offer first-time capture every time.

Enjoy lightning fast capture of all barcodes and direct marks displayed on screens or printed on labels. Even damaged, dirty, and low-contrast barcodes are no problem.

Variety of Options Tailored to Your Needs

The DS-3608 and DS-3678 use an array imager to capture barcodes and direct part marks, while the LI-3608 and LI-3670 use linear imaging, and within those categories, you have even more options. Depending on your needs, you can choose standard range (SR) or give yourself the ability to read barcodes up to 70 feet away with extended range (ER) scanners. Alternatively, opt for the high-density (HD) or direct parts mark (DPA) scanners.

With all these scanners, you can choose from corded or cordless options. You can also add a variety of peripherals to customize the scanning solution for your unique needs.

Easy to Set Up and Use

Regardless of the exact scanner you select, you can look forward to an easy setup process and an unrivaled out-of-box experience. Complimentary management tools allow you to remotely configure these scanners, update their data formats for transmission into your business applications, track maintenance and repair requests, and monitor battery life for cordless models.

From the assembly line to quality control and everywhere in between, Zebra rugged scanners provide your team with an easy-to-execute scanning option, and users can choose between visual, auditory, or haptic feedback modes so they always know when they’ve successfully scanned a code.

Trade-In Rebates Available

To help you save money on the cost of investing in new scanners, Zebra has a trade-in program. Right now, you can return qualifying old equipment for rebates worth up to $250 toward the cost of upgrades.

Ready to revolutionize your manufacturing and distribution workflows? Learn more by contacting us today at Tri-State Business Systems, LLC at (908) 359-8001, or look through our website www.tri-statebussys.com  for more products and solutions.