Calculating Total Cost of Ownership for Wander Management Systems

Many facilities are in the market for a wander management system to help protect a growing segment of residents at risk for wandering without restricting the freedom of movement for their entire population. It is important for the administrators tasked with researching and recommending these systems to understand how they work, the options that are available to tailor it to each facilities’ particular needs, and what considerations go into calculating the total cost of ownership.

How It Works

A perimeter-based, RFID-enabled wander management system consists of several different hardware components that combine to create an alert when a resident at risk of wandering moves into an unauthorized area or beyond a protected exit. This is accomplished by having the resident wear a bracelet with an RFID tag on it. The tag transmits a signal at a specific radio frequency that can be identified by a controller (receiver) placed near a point of egress. Hardware costs generally consist of enough controllers to cover all of the points of egress in a facility, integration pieces (for nurse call, CCTV, etc.), bracelets for as many residents as need to be protected at a given time, and tags to be attached to the bracelets. While an at-risk resident only needs to wear one tag, extras and replacements are needed since they require battery power to operate and need to be replaced.

Cost Factors Involved

Understanding the total cost of ownership also means factoring in installation costs, maintenance costs (support), upgrades, and training. Accutech’s ResidentGuard wander management systems provide a secure environment for your residents at a lower total cost of ownership to you, and have a wide range of features providing options to fit any need and budget. Our initial hardware costs consistently beat the price of competing systems. With free 24-hour technical support and free software (when applicable) upgrades for the life of your ResidentGuard system, we make it easy to add this critical protection to your facility. Accutech is the most trusted name in RFID security. We have been a leading manufacturer of advanced electronic monitoring and security systems since 1985 and our specialized, RFID-enabled solutions have been installed in more than 5,000 locations worldwide. In a recent customer survey, 100% of respondents said they would recommend Accutech products to a peer. Almost 60% said that Accutech’s sales support was above average or excellent, and over 90% said the same about our technical support.

Replacement tags are a continuing cost of owning an RFID-enabled wander management system. Accutech’s unique tags can be turned off when not in use - saving battery life (there is no expiration date). A simple LED light assures your staff that the tag is on, And our tags simply last longer than competing systems. We guarantee them for a year, but most last at least 18 months (only .01% of our tags are returned within warranty). With a ResidentGuard system, you will experience significant savings on replacement tags over the life of the system.

Tech Support Resources

Installation costs, training time, the ability to upgrade, replacement components, operation costs, and responsive customer support all contribute to the total cost of ownership of a wander management system. ResidentGuard is able to meet the budget and demands of facilities large and small while integrating easily with the existing systems your staff uses every day: nurse call, electronic access control (EAC), closed-circuit television (CCTV), fall detection, paging, etc. With 24 hour technical support, free upgrades, well-built reliable hardware, the availability of local installation and service technicians and long-life tags that turn off when not in use, ResidentGuard from Accutech Security delivers wander management solutions at a lower total cost of ownership than any competing product. All Accutech systems are assembled in the United States, installed and serviced by a vast network of local authorized dealers - Quality and service you can depend on. Get a Quote

The Accutech advantage:

• More than 25 years in RFID security–we helped to build the security industry, and we continue to lead it today.

• To date, our patented patient security solutions have been installed in more than 5,000 locations worldwide.

• All of our systems come with 24-hour technical support, and our extensive certified dealer network means local service anytime you need it.

• Accutech products work seamlessly with your existing systems–saving you and your staff time and resources.