RFID monitors help trim health costs

A goal for many aging people is to remain independent in their own homes. Researchers are exploring ways that radio frequency identification technology can help them avoid the expense of assisted living. At Intel and the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers are developing systems that monitor common items in the home to make it simpler to tell if people are taking medication, eating properly, and doing other tasks. RFID tags can show if pill bottles have been moved, for example, indicating whether a pill was taken at the proper time. Given escalating health care costs and the financial problems of Medicare and other government programs, many groups are keenly interested in seeing these technologies move into the marketplace.