A case study of hospital patient discharge process re-engineering using RFID

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tools have assumed an important role in supporting logistics and supply chain management processes. Unlike barcode systems, it is necessary to implement Business Process Reengineering (BPR) with an innovative spirit on the fundamental processes before implementing RFID to achieve greater synergy. BPR requires that there exist a fundamental framework and a proven, reliable methodology, which are generally applicable and repeatable. Towards this end, this paper presents a framework of business process reengineering based on RFID. A case study of hospital patient discharge is presented to illustrated the BPR framework.