< + > Revolutionizing Healthcare with RTLS: Insights from Dr. Mohammed Smadi from Penguin Location Services

In our latest interview on Healthcare IT Today, I sit down with Mohammed Smadi, PhD, CEO at Penguin Location Services, to explore the potential of Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) in healthcare. Here’s a glimpse into the key takeaways from our conversation.

Traditionally, RTLS has been too costly for widespread adoption in healthcare. Dr. Smadi addresses this challenge head-on, emphasizing that Penguin Location Services is making RTLS accessible for all healthcare organizations. “Every aspiring healthcare enterprise that wants RTLS should be able to afford it,” he asserts. By leveraging standard Bluetooth technology, Penguin is dramatically reducing costs and expanding accessibility.

Dr. Smadi discusses how standardization, particularly with Bluetooth 5.1, is set to revolutionize RTLS. “The move away from proprietary Wi-Fi protocols toward standardized ones enabled industry growth. Penguin sees a similar opportunity with standardized Bluetooth for RTLS,” he notes.

A standout feature of Penguin’s RTLS is its use of AI to achieve room-level and even bed-level accuracy. “The AI is an all-encompassing platform,” Dr. Smadi explains, highlighting how it integrates Bluetooth signals, environmental factors, and user behavior for precise location data.

Rather than just tracking assets, Penguin views RTLS as foundational infrastructure for a broad range of IoT applications. “RTLS is the Trojan Horse,” Dr. Smadi says, hinting at its potential to support diverse uses such as patient flow analysis, hand hygiene monitoring, and staff safety.  The Penguin platform can easily layer on things like sensors to make this enhanced tracking possible. Dr. Smadi shares a compelling success story from a private healthcare system in the MENA region, where Penguin’s RTLS expanded from asset tracking to include patient tracking and workflow optimization.

For a deeper dive into these topics and more, watch the full interview below.

Learn more about Penguin Location Services: https://penguinin.com/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.