Guest Post by JOHN R. JOHNSON:

I’m really excited about the impact that RFID technology is going to have on the retail sector in the years to come. RFID is already helping retailers to track goods from the point of manufacture to the store shelf, allowing them greater inventory visibility.

What this means for the consumer is that retailers like Walmart, Macy’s and JCPenney will be able to keep more products on store shelves, therefore lessening out-of-stocks that are so frustrating for shoppers. All three retailers are strongly pursuing the technology.

So instead of searching two or three stores to find your product (hello online shopping!), RFID will help to assure that the product you are looking for will almost always be in stock in the future. Retailers estimate that average industry accuracy is a woeful 65 percent without RFID; it soars to 98 percent or so with RFID!

I’m also looking forward to the day when checkout lines become a thing of the past, due to RFID-enabled checkout areas.

While the developments in retail are exciting, the real sweet spot for RFID could just be in the healthcare and medical industries. While the technology makes retail stores more efficient, RFID can save lives in healthcare by properly identifying patients, making sure they receive the right drugs, and that those drugs are authentic.

Healthcare providers big and small are turning to RFID to track patients and staff, manage assets and inventory, and even to monitor hand-washing procedures. Jordan Hospital, a small regional provider in Massachusetts, is touting its use of RFID technology at its oncology center through a series of radio ads. The facility uses RFID for patient registration, greatly improving the patient experience. (You can listen to the ad here.)

RFID is also being targeted to prevent infections following surgeries like knee and hip replacements. Technology developed at the University of Pittsburgh known as the Ortho-Tag features a wireless chip attached to prosthetics and a handheld reader that would allow physicians to view critical information about artificial knees, hips, and other internal prosthetics — as well as the condition of the surrounding tissue — that currently can be difficult to track.

The RFID tag would contain information about the patient, the implant, and the procedure uploaded to it prior to an operation, says New Jersey-based orthopedic surgeon Lee Berger, the CEO of Ortho-Tag, Inc., and inventor of the tagged implant.

In addition, sensors within the chip would gauge the pressure on the implant, the chemical balance and temperature of the tissue, and the presence of harmful organisms, which would allow potential infections to be treated before they become serious.

So while RFID for retail is certainly in the news lately, look for life-saving healthcare apps to get more attention moving forward.

John R. Johnson is the Editor of RFID 24-7. To learn more about the technology, visit rfid24-7.com

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