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Digital Supply Chain

Real-Time Visibility in Medical Supply Chains using IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) and Oracle JD Edwards Integration

Medical Devises, when manufactured, cross various stages of Supply Chain network before it reaches the end customer. Contract Manufacturers face a lot of challenge in tracking the medical devises through the network and the complexity increases due to multiple entities, systems, partners involved. Tracking mechanism are important to resolve issues, reprocess devises for sustainability, thereby reducing Patient risks and improving safety.

IoMT is Internet of Medical Things and can be leveraged by Oracle JD Edwards for tracking Medical Devices which are traceability critical in Supply Chain. They provide real time visibility, and this paper deals with Real time data integration using IoT Orchestrator which transforms Raw data from medical devices into actionable insights in JDE ERP. This paper further delves into Service request creation, rules and cross reference mapping associated with IoT data into JDE Orchestrator thereby enhancing decision-making.

Insights

Remote Patient Monitoring – IoMT can help in monitoring patient vitals (heart rate, blood pressure etc.) from anywhere. This enables the doctors to attend to multiple patients simultaneously and be able to track data real time
Smart Wearables – tracking the patient health data and providing timely insights are enabled. Humans can be reminded about taking specific medicine at intervals, and alerted for hospital care before situations go into emergency

Introduction

IoMT is the enhanced form of IoT (Internet of Things) refers to interconnected network of Medical Devises and applications which constantly exchange health/ medical data. This transforms Patient Care, Medical Devise Reusability, improving clinical outcomes and Medical Devise Reprocessing.

The IoMT market is rapidly growing and is expected to reach $176 billion by 2026. This growth is propelled by the rising adoption of connected devices, advancements in wireless technology, and the demand for efficient healthcare solutions. This paper dwells into Oracle JD Edwards (JDE) based solution for enabling IoMT thereby connecting medical devises into JDE applications.

Medical Devise Tracking

Medical Devise Tracking refers to the ability to monitor and identify medical devices throughout their entire life cycle, from manufacturing to distribution, and ultimately, to patient use. By implementing the end-to-end system interconnection using Oracle JD Edwards IoT Orchestrators, manufacturers can quickly address issues which arise out of product defect, or track the product in various supply chain phases till it reaches the patient.

This involves defining a unique lot/ serial numbers along with Product barcodes such that the devises can be tracked through the Supply Chain. With this, the product can be recalled if needed at a later stage, and hence assuring the safety of the patients. Also, by understanding the location of the product the reusability of the product can be planned.

Real-time Location Systems (RTLS)

Real-time Location Systems (RTLS) provides Real-time visibility of Device location and its status thereby it provides the accurate picture of its usage, reprocessing situation, and reduce excess inventory and stocking issues. It contains various components Sensors, RFID Chips, and QR Coded Devise identifiers (Lot/ Serial Number, Expiry Date, Country of Origin, Conformance Standards etc.)

A Real-Time Location System (RTLS) for tracking medical devices typically includes several key components that work together to provide accurate and real-time visibility of device locations and statuses. Here are the main components.

Tags and Sensors: These are attached to medical devices and emit signals that can be detected by the RTLS. Tags can use various technologies such as RFID, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or Wi-Fi.
Readers and Antennas: These devices receive signals from tags and sensors. They are strategically placed throughout the healthcare facility to ensure comprehensive coverage. The RFID reader captures the signal from the tag and processes it to determine the tag's location. This can be done using various methods, such as triangulation or signal strength measurement.
Connectivity: RFID gateways provide the connectivity layer that communicates bi-directionally with endpoints (tags) and the central system. This can include wired or wireless connections.
Software Platform: The RTLS software processes the data received from the readers and provides a user interface for monitoring and managing the tracked devices. It can integrate with ERP systems like Oracle JD Edwards.

Figure 1: RFID Sensors emitting signals through RTLS Network to JDE

Figure 1: RFID Sensors emitting signals through RTLS Network to JDE

RTLS provides Real time device position by sending the latitude and longitude coordinates of the devices through the gateway and will be processed by JDE Orchestrators to convert into physical address, which then determines the position of device either in Customer Warehouse or Hospital or Consignment location. This is helpful to determine the inventory level for the Customer, such that the Stock need not be locked in the consignment location.

RTLS also sends the latitude and longitude coordinate of the medical device used in the surgery, hence the exact position of the device will be known to manufacturer. The devices will also be kept in Return location or Disposal location depending on the condition of the device, and based on the coordinates, the manufacturer can determine the number of incoming devices for reprocessing. The sensor also transmits the condition of the device as good to be reprocessed or not.

Design of IoT Orchestrator for End-to-End tracking

Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne utilizes Orchestrations to interface with devices that gather raw data and transform it into actionable insights. The EnterpriseOne IoT Orchestrator processes these orchestrations to facilitate the immediate, real-time conversion of raw data into valuable, transaction-ready information within JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.

IoT Devices and Sensors

Choose the IoT sensors and devices to track the medical devices in real-time (e.g., GPS trackers, temperature sensors, accelerometers, etc.).
Make sure that these devices can send data in real-time or near-real-time to a centralized system.

Data Flow Integration

IoT Platform: Use an IoT platform (e.g., AWS IoT, Microsoft Azure IoT, or IBM Watson IoT) to collect data from the sensors.
Middleware: Set up middleware (e.g., Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ) to ingest real-time data and forward it to JD Edwards.
JD Edwards API: JD Edwards supports integration through its EnterpriseOne Orchestrator. Develop REST APIs to send data to JD Edwards for further processing and storage.

Real-Time Data Collection

Set up a real-time data stream (using an IoT gateway or middleware) to capture the sensor data and send it to the orchestrator.
Data can be captured in real-time (for instance, using MQTT or HTTP) from IoT sensors on medical devices.

IoT Device Setup

Sensors on medical devices collect data (e.g., temperature, location, battery).
These sensors are usually embedded in smart devices or connected via a microcontroller like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or ESP32.
Devices connect to the internet via:
- Wi-Fi
- Cellular (4G/5G)
- LoRaWAN
- Bluetooth (via gateway)

Output: Sensor data is sent out using a lightweight protocol — often MQTT, HTTP, or CoAP

Figure 2: End-to-End data flow from Medical Devices to JDE Orchestrator

Figure 2: End-to-End data flow from Medical Devices to JDE Orchestrator

Business Use Case:

A patient with a cardiac implant is monitored using this system. The implant detects an irregular heartbeat and elevated fluid levels, which could indicate heart failure. The IoT Orchestrator processes this data and sends an alert to the patient's cardiologist. The cardiologist reviews the data through the JD Edwards dashboard and decides to adjust the patient's medication and schedules an urgent follow-up appointment. This timely intervention helps prevent a potential medical emergency.

1. Data Collection:

Implanted Device:
- The smart implant features advanced sensors that continuously track vital health metrics, including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and fluid levels.
- These sensors are designed to operate with minimal power consumption to ensure long-term functionality.

2. Data Transmission:

Wireless Communication:
- The implant uses secure wireless protocols (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee) to transmit data to a nearby gateway device, such as a smartphone or dedicated medical device.
- The gateway acts as an intermediary, ensuring data integrity and security before forwarding it to the cloud.

3. Data Processing:

JD Edwards IoT Orchestrator:
- The IoT Orchestrator receives raw data from the gateway and applies predefined orchestrations to filter, transform, and enrich the data.
- It integrates with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, allowing seamless data flow into the ERP system for further analysis and action.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the integration of JD Edwards with medical device IoT through Orchestrator represents a significant advancement in healthcare technology. This seamless connectivity boosts real-time data collection, analysis, and decision-making, resulting in better patient outcomes and increased operational efficiency. By leveraging the robust capabilities of JD Edwards and the innovative IoT solutions, healthcare providers can ensure better monitoring, timely interventions, and personalized care. This integration not only optimizes resource utilization but also sets a new standard for healthcare management, paving the way for a more connected and responsive healthcare ecosystem.