RTLS Simplified: How Bluetooth® Low Energy Simplifies Healthcare Locating Technology + Drives ROI

RTLS Simplified: How Bluetooth^® Low Energy Simplifies Healthcare Locating Technology + Drives ROI

12/8/2025

Healthcare leaders are under pressure to deliver measurable gains in efficiency, safety and patient satisfaction—all while managing shrinking budgets, staffing shortages and legacy infrastructure. New technology is often part of the solution, but adoption can feel daunting. Too often, systems are siloed, expensive or disruptive to implement. Real-time locating systems (RTLS) are a perfect example. For years, the promise of RTLS—improving staff safety, locating critical assets and supporting clinical workflows—has been clear. But traditional RTLS solutions required costly infrastructure investments and potential patient care disruptions, slowing adoption and limiting ROI.

That’s why Bluetooth^® Low Energy (BLE) is gaining wide adoption in healthcare as an RTLS technology. With Midmark CareFlow^™ RTLS powered by BLE, healthcare organizations can leverage existing infrastructure, deploy quickly and scale strategically. Whether extending the value of an existing wired or wireless infrared (IR) system or starting fresh with BLE, CareFlow RTLS can leverage existing BLE-capable wireless access points or rapidly deployed Plug-In BLE Sensors to provide a cost-effective, future-ready path to smarter RTLS.

This post explores how healthcare organizations can start smart, grow strategically and future-proof their RTLS investment—whether they’re an existing Midmark RTLS customer with existing RTLS infrastructure or just beginning their RTLS journey.

The Case for Smarter RTLS

Healthcare executives want technology that:

Supports multiple organizational priorities (e.g., safety, efficiency, staff satisfaction, patient experience).

Requires minimal resources to onboard and maintain.

Integrates seamlessly with existing systems like Epic, nurse call and CMMS.

Most RTLS solutions historically struggled to meet these criteria. They either delivered narrow use cases, demanded costly new infrastructure or lacked integration with the systems staff already used daily.

BLE changes the equation. With near-room accuracy (3–5 meters), BLE provides reliable facility-wide visibility for use cases such as staff duress, asset tracking and patient locating—without the complexity of installing extensive wired infrastructure. It’s the foundation of a new, simplified approach: RTLS Simplified.

Smarter RTLS Starts with Existing Systems

When it comes to maximizing efficiency in healthcare, a smart use of resources is to build on what healthcare organizations already have.

Leverage existing BLE-capable access points, to minimize cost and complexity. (Don’t yet have the latest AP technology? Deploy Midmark RTLS Plug-In BLE Sensors for fast, facility-wide coverage.)

Support integration with existing software systems to reduce training needs and staff disruption.

Provide a scalable path to clinical automation use cases with hybrid BLE + IR, allowing facilities to expand from near-room accuracy to room- and bed-level precision as their needs evolve.

This approach ensures health systems achieve quick wins today while keeping their RTLS investment adaptable for tomorrow.

Two Starting Points for BLE-Powered RTLS

Option 1: Leverage Existing IR Infrastructure

If your facility already uses Midmark RTLS infrared (IR) technology for workflow automation or nurse call integration, you can now extend that investment facility-wide by adding BLE.

Expand coverage: BLE provides visibility across areas not currently equipped with IR, enabling staff duress, asset tracking and patient locating with near-room accuracy throughout the entire facility.

Bridge today to tomorrow: BLE integrates seamlessly with existing IR infrastructure, creating a hybrid architecture that combines broad coverage with room-level or better precision where needed. If there are patient care areas that don’t yet have wired IR, easily add new third-generation wireless IR to further enhance precision coverage.

Accelerate ROI: Adding BLE and wireless IR is faster and less expensive than wired RTLS, so facilities can expand coverage without major capital investment.

Option 2: Use Bluetooth as an Entry Point

For organizations new to RTLS, BLE is the ideal entry point.

Start smart: Leverage existing BLE-capable access points or deploy Plug-In BLE Sensors to quickly enable near-room accurate asset tracking and staff duress.

Lower the barrier to entry: With zero hardware installation (if infrastructure exists) or easy-to-deploy plug-in sensors, BLE dramatically reduces upfront costs, IT demands and time to value.

Scale later: When room-certain precision is required—for example, for nurse call automation or advanced clinical workflows—facilities can add wireless IR sensors that integrate seamlessly with the BLE foundation.

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The Smarter Path Forward

Every technology investment healthcare leaders make must be both pragmatic and forward-looking. Midmark CareFlow RTLS powered by BLE delivers on both fronts:

For existing Midmark RTLS users, it extends the reach of wired IR systems with fast, cost-effective BLE coverage.

For new users, it offers a low-risk, high-value entry point that can scale into advanced automation.

With BLE, health systems can achieve immediate wins in staff safety, asset management and patient satisfaction—while laying the foundation for future innovation.

Smarter RTLS starts with existing systems. Ready to discover how CareFlow RTLS makes it possible? Contact an RTLS Specialist to learn more.

_{Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.}