LAS VEGAS, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- According to HARRY P. PAPPAS, CEO
and founder of the RFID Educational Foundation, the non-profit charitable
institution, is leading an effort to form the RFID in Healthcare Consortium
(http://www.rfidinhealthcare.org). On September 9, the Foundation is
holding a by-invitation-only meeting at the RFID World 2008 event in order
to establish the consortium.
"With worldwide interest in using radio frequency identification (RFID)
to increase accuracy and reduce costs in healthcare, we at the Foundation
believe it is time to involve industry, government, and educational leaders
in providing unbiased information on what the technology can and cannot
do," said Pappas.
The Consortium will hold its first meeting, September 9 as guests of
TechInsights' world-class show dedicated to the RFID industry. The by-
invitation-only meeting includes industry veterans such as Ken Baker, CEO
of NewAge AdvantaPure; Daniel Sands, President and CEO of Solstice Medical;
John C. Shoemaker, President of Shipcom Wireless; John Stevens, Chairman of
Visible Assets.
Chairs of the Foundation's Life Sciences Advisory Board -- Professor
Daniel Engels, University of Texas at Arlington; Dr. James Fonger, an adult
cardiothoracic surgeon; and Paul Rudolf, M.D. of Arnold & Porter, LLP --
are participating in the organization of the Consortium as well.
According to Ken Baker, the consortium is being formed in order to
educate the healthcare industry on typical global deployment methods and
best practices for RFID technologies across all areas of the industry and
to provide a collective voice to consumers, businesses, and regulators.
Prof. Engels, former Research Director of the MIT Auto-ID Lab says,
"Educating the industry and the general public on specifications,
standards, regulatory guidelines, and testing procedures is of prime
importance to both the development of the RFID and healthcare industries."
"The global healthcare industry needs a forum for peer development,
education of stakeholders, reviews of RFID technology, of regulatory
guidelines and standards that proactively ensure safe implementation of
this technology for healthcare institutions," says Paul Rudolf, formerly
with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and now a consultant to many
healthcare stakeholders.
"We need to a have vendor-neutral, non-profit organization that values
education above all else in helping RFID technology find its voice," says
Dan Sands.
Dr. Fonger adds: "The opportunities to reduce cost and improve patient
safety with RFID technology are compelling."
The Consortium's efforts to collect input from experts within the
medical device industry, RFID industry, standards and regulatory bodies
should help eliminate subjective interpretation of uses of RFID.
About The RFID Educational Foundation, Inc.
Today, the RFID Education Foundation is paving the way toward global
education, and literacy in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
technology. The Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization
recognized by IRS as a 501(c)(3), was formed in 2007 by Harry P. Pappas and
Emily Sopensky in order to educate and inform the general public,
consumers, and others about RFID technology and to promote public awareness
about RFID technology.
About RFID World (http://www.rfid-world.com/2008)
RFID World is the leading industry event where buyers and sellers of
advanced track & trace solutions meet to discover new technologies and
applications, as well as share ideas and network with industry innovators
from around the globe.
About TechInsights (http://www.techinsights.com)
TechInsights is the daily source of essential business and technical
information for the electronics industry's decision makers - the Creators
of Technology - that define, develop, and bring to market the electronic
products that improve our lives. With global market leading brands such as
EE Times, Semiconductor Insights, TechOnline, Embedded Systems Conferences
and Portelligent, TechInsights is the leading dedicated information and
services business serving the worldwide electronics market. For more
information, please visit http://www.techinsights.com. TechInsights is a
division of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a
global provider of news distribution and specialist information services
with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
Media Contacts:
The RFID Educational Foundation / RFID in Healthcare
Harry Pappas +1 610 357 0990 hpappas@therfidfoundation.org
Emily Sopensky +1-202-550-5108 esopensky@thrfidfoundation.org.
TechInsights and RFID World
Lynda Kaye, Mango Communications + 650-799-2888
lynda@mangocommunications.com
SOURCE The RFID Educational Foundation, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.rfidinhealthcare.org
http://www.rfid-world.com http://www.techinsights.com
CONTACT:
Harry Pappas, +1-610-357 0990,
hpappas@therfidfoundation.org, or Emily Sopensky,
+1-202-550-5108, esopensky@therfidfoundation.org, both of The
RFID Educational Foundation - RFID in Healthcare; or Lynda Kaye
of Mango Communications, +1-650-799-2888,
lynda@mangocommunications.com, for TechInsights and RFID World
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