San Francisco, CA -- (SBWire) -- 12/28/2017 --At a large New Jersey health system, ImageFIRST Healthcare Laundry Specialists recently used UHF RFID technology to help a customer manage their linen inventory.

A nationwide healthcare laundry and linen service, ImageFIRST services medical facilities from San Francisco, CA, to New Jersey with linen, scrubs, patient gowns, and more. Recently, an ImageFIRST customer realized that some of their inventory were missing.

ImageFIRST supplies the customer, a breast center of a New Jersey health system, with Comfort Care robes, which are unique due to their unusually soft fabric. Reportedly, the Comfort Care robes were so popular with staff and patients that other departments of the health system were borrowing them without the breast center or ImageFIRST knowing. With other departments borrowing the robes, managing the inventory became difficult.

To find the missing robes and control the customer's inventory, ImageFIRST leveraged UHF RFID technology. ImageFIRST embeds each Comfort Care robe with an RFID chip, and associates use in-field handheld garment scanners to read the chips. The breast center's dedicated ImageFIRST representative, Customer Advocate Jay Blumenfeld, uses the handheld scanner to scan clean robes, as well as scan and retrieve soiled gowns. The technology allows him to keep a detailed, accurate inventory for the customer.

In this instance, Blumenfeld took steps beyond his usual duties to find and return the borrowed Comfort Care robes. He headed to the main hospital soil room, where ImageFIRST does not normally visit, to scan the linen. The scanner allowed Blumenfeld to locate the missing robes easily (without digging through soiled linen) and return them to the customer.

"The use of the UHF RFID technology and in-field scanners helps us partner with clients to solve preventable issues and better manage their garment inventory to control their costs," said Gary Stephens, service director for ImageFIRST in northern New Jersey.

He added, "They love their Customer Advocate Jay Blumenfeld and all aspects of our customized, professional services!"

To find out more about ImageFIRST's products, like their healthcare bedsheets in San Francisco, CA, and throughout the USA and Puerto Rico, visit http://san-francisco.imagefirst.com/ or call 1-800-932-7472.

About ImageFIRST
Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST® is the largest and fastest growing national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the healthcare market. ImageFIRST's 36 locations nationwide serve over 11,000 medical facilities every week providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs and more while managing their clients' linen inventory for cost management. With a customer retention rate of over 95%, ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction through quality products and remarkable service: their Comfort Care® line of gowns are proven to increase patients' favorable perception of a facility by more than 50%. For more information about ImageFIRST, your cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction, please visit http://san-francisco.imagefirst.com.