In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, a provider’s quick diagnosis and suggested treatment makes the difference in whether a patient has a positive or negative outcome.

If big numbers impress you, consider that, according to Bradley Sokol, CEO of Fast Track Technologies (FTT), the application of radio frequency identification (RFID) and related technologies in the hospital marketplace will increase to $8.8 billion in just 4 years, in 2010.

The Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human focused national attention on the need to improve medication safety to prevent harm (IOM, 2000). Medication errors with the greatest potential to cause significant patient harm are those involving high-risk drugs.

Most hospital processes focus on trying to prevent costly medical errors after a patient begins treatment. However, there is a process that starts before patient treatment that can have an even bigger impact on patient safety and quality of care.

From the halls of Congress to federal government meetings and briefings, state legislatures, city halls, and workplaces across America, serious discussions are centered on healthcare.

Preventing patient falls and related injuries in acute care settings has been an elusive goal for many hospitals. Falls are a high-risk and high-cost problem (human and fiscal) for all healthcare facilities.

The number of specialty pharmaceuticals available for treating a wide range of chronic and degenerative diseases is growing rapidly.

Prague was the European center of alchemy in the Middle Ages and, in April, was the host city for a conference that featured experiments in the application of alchemy to healthcare improvement. Or so it seems in retrospect.

The U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and most of Western Europe are increasingly multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual.

The medical profession is legendary for applying linear logic and scientific method to any problem it faces, whether it is a disease or the current center of attention — patient safety.