HID acquires GuardRFID

AUSTIN, Texas – Identity solutions company HID has expanded on its healthcare offering with the acquisition of GuardRFID.

HID said the acquisition of the real-time location services company (RTLS) will create safer experiences for patients and staff as they utilize GuardRFID’s software and hardware solutions to support new use cases for infant security, staff duress, asset tracking, and wandering patients, while expanding HID's offering and relevance in the active RFID and RTLS space.  

“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 RFID tags, readers, exciters and software sees support for a number of use cases in the healthcare market, including the above-mentioned infant security, staff duress, asset tracking, and wandering patients. One example is the TotGuard infant security system that prevents infant abduction and mother-baby mismatches by providing wearable tags for mothers and infants. It works in conjunction with a hospital’s access control and network video systems.

“At GuardRFID we have built a solid reputation for high-quality healthcare solutions and outstanding service for our customers and partners,” noted Kerry Brock, President & CRO of GuardRFID. “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.”

“Incorporating GuardRFID into HID’s identification technologies grows and reasserts our expansion as a major player in the healthcare industry,” added Marc Bielmann, SVP and head of identification technologies, 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.”

More on this and other HID stories at newsroom.hidglobal.com.