HID Acquires GuardRFID to Expand Healthcare Offering, Create Safer Experiences for Patients and Staff

  • Feb 09, 2023

HID recently announced it has acquired GuardRFID, a leading provider of real-time location services (RTLS) hardware and software solutions in the healthcare space. The addition of GuardRFID expands HID’s offering and relevance in the active RFID and RTLS space, including the support for new use cases catered to the needs of healthcare facilities.

“Bringing GuardRFID and its innovative RTLS technology into the HID family allows us to enhance our healthcare presence to better protect patients and staff,” said Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID. “As incidents in healthcare facilities continue to rise, these solutions will help providers do what they do best – making their patients feel better, faster.”

GuardRFID’s suite of active RFID tags, readers, exciters and software support four primary use cases important to the healthcare market, including:

  • Infant Security: The TotGuard™ infant security system prevents infant abduction and mother-baby mismatches by providing wearable tags for mothers and infants. The system works in conjunction with both a hospital’s access control and network video systems.
  • Staff Duress: 44% of nurses experience physical violence in the workplace, according to the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses. Small, lightweight active RFID tags equipped with a call button can be worn on a wristband or lanyard to help protect healthcare workers in the event of duress.
  • Asset Tracking: RFID tags are used to provide the real-time visibility of healthcare assets and enable staff to quickly find the equipment they need. This improves asset utilization, saves labor costs, and reduces theft.
  • Patient Wandering: At-risk patients, such as the elderly or those struggling with mental health, are tagged and become instantly detected at exit doors, stairwells, and elevators. The doors can be configured to lock and sound alarms when the tags are detected in proximity, offering an extra level of protection to these patients and their caregivers.

“Incorporating GuardRFID into HID’s Identification Technologies grows and reasserts our expansion as a major player in the healthcare industry,” said Marc Bielmann, SVP and Head of IdentificationTechnologies, HID. “This acquisition, along with our growing portfolio of RTLS and active RFID solutions, provides new and existing healthcare clients with even more options to protect their patients and staff.”

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, GuardRFID is now part of HID’s Identification Technologies Business Area led by Marc Bielmann. The GuardRFID offering will merge into HID’s Internet of Things (IoT) Business Unit and benefit from HID’s sales and other global functions to support its offering.

“At GuardRFID we have build a solid reputation for high-quality Healthcare solutions and outstanding service for our customers and partners. We are excited to join the HID team and believe it will enhance our ability to compete and grow our market share in the North American Healthcare market. Having the brand and resources of HID coupled with our solutions will make us a leader in the industry,” said Kerry Brock, President & CRO of GuardRFID.

Featured

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.