News
Editorial by Taggart F. Neal, CEO / Founder of TAGCarts, Inc.
September 17, 2021 – Sacramento, CA USA
TAGCarts, Inc. salutes and congratulates the 1st US Carbon Neutral Health System!(1.) It is increasingly clear healthcare has embraced corporate sustainability. With goals dating back five to ten years, we now find ourselves on the eve of twenty twenty-two, and in the initial manifestation of their economical, social, and environmental goal achievements. As a whole, these healthcare system values’ are now driving corporate decision making, supply chain partners, and spend commitments.
Consumerism in Healthcare
As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.7 percent (2.). As the nation’s largest employer(3.), healthcare employs one in eight of us accounting for 12.5% (4.), and is expected to grow an additional 14% by 2028 due to the aging population (5.). This means healthcare isn’t an industry island of isolation, but rather consumers are healthcare and healthcare systems are consumers. This readily explains the rapid insurgence of consumerism into all facets of healthcare. Trends in consumer market = trends in healthcare. Accordingly a large percentage of those of us who work in healthcare, are the same consumers of healthcare. Today’s informed consumer is today’s informed patient as well as today’s healthcare worker. This is the driving force of compounding sustainability in healthcare and consumers will patronize healthcare systems who operate with forward thinking values that reflect their own.
Sustainability Phased Integration
With healthcare systems sustainability priority goals targeting greatest impact within their control, operational efficiencies, design, the built environment, and green energy consumption represent their first and second stage adoption of sustainable healthcare. These phases required dedicating their own resources toward new and innovative systems of operation and use; through their own capital and with applied grants and government / organizational rebates. The secondary and tertiary phases of adoption to sustainability, will actually cost healthcare far less capital and resources as they place the burden of “Shift” on their supply chain partners.
Product Differentiation
In the scope of hospital capital equipment, “Hospital Grade”, use to represent proven efficacy, durability, and ever lasting utility. Today, in light of current and past global pandemics (COVID-19, Ebola, etc.), informed patients (consumers) understand more than ever the link between their health and the health of their community and planet.
Has the casual “Consumer Grade” standard evolved beyond “Hospital Grade” for capital medical equipment? Perhaps when it comes to to the sustainability component of the products, yes…temporarily. However the evolved procurement processes and policies enable healthcare’s supply chain to slingshot past the consumer market where “Hospital Grade” represents sustainable production, manufacturing, and supply chain for approved vendors and diversified suppliers.
“TAGCarts has set the bar for sustainability in the medical cart and workstation capital equipment segment. Our products clinically solve for nurse safety, efficiency and work-flow optimization. Our company, partnerships, and brand reflects those values of forward thinking healthcare systems; constantly improving and measuring our impact. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s smart business.”
– Taggart F. Neal, CEO / Founder TAGCarts, inc.
Vendor Differentiation
For the last few decades, being a diversified supplier to healthcare was enough to shine and win committed spend; Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned, Small Business, and more. In the last ten years we have seen that grow into the suppliers who have policies of “Corporate Good” and policies of giving back. Examples are performing charity on weekends, highway clean-ups, adopting a less fortunate hospital across the globe, and more. The real evolution is taking place now. Environmental Preferred Purchasing and Sustainable Procurement policies are the new normal…
- What are your products made of?
- Where are they made?
- Who makes them?
- Is there a carbon footprint score or certification available?
- How is your company promoting wellness and good outside of your primary revenue core competencies?
Consumers – nurses, procurement, administration, staff, c-suite, management – are smart and informed. They peel back the layers of the marketing with a click on their phones or mouse – to fact check if the spirit of the marketing and positioning message are consistent with their products and actions.
Wherever healthcare supplier / vendor companies lie on the sustainability spectrum, being true and authentic to your commitments, goals and impact will deliver the highest rewards.
For Your Medical Cart Solutions,
Tagg
TAGCarts – Powered by Design, Designed for Care.
To see TAGCarts features and benefits for nurses and healthcare professionals please click here and review our “Suitable Medical Cart Applications.” To learn more about TAGCarts’ core sustainability commitments please click here. For questions about this article, share your next project, schedule a demo or contact us please click here.
Site References:
3. https://www.exploremedicalcareers.com/1-in-8-americans-employed-by-u-s-healthcare-industry/
4. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/10/health-care-still-largest-united-states-employer.html
5. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm
August 20, 2021 – Sacramento, CA USA
TAGCarts is pleased to officially welcome Dr. Karen K. Giuliano, PhD, RN, FAAN, MBA, to the TAGCarts Board of Advisors.
Karen brings over 25 years of experience in critical care nursing, medical product innovation and clinical outcomes research. Karen has made numerous contributions to the literature, with over 80 publications in more than 20 different journals and is also a frequent presenter. While her knowledge is in general acute and critical care, Karen’s specific interests are focused on the intersection of clinical needs and medical technology use, development and innovation.
In mid 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Registered Nurse, Karen K. Giuliano, was featured on the “Handoff” podcast by Trusted Health – For the Modern Nurse, as a nationally recognized nurse-innovator. TAGCarts reached out to Dr. Giuliano to appreciate her interview and share the work they were doing to elevate nursing with highly designed medical carts for healthcare.
Karen recognized the medical cart market as antiquated and ripe for disruption. Embracing TAGCarts’ vision and culture, Karen was attracted by how the company had made nurse input vital to their research and design process. In light of the CEO’s experience in medical carts for healthcare, Karen was impressed with the depth of end-user / nurse feedback TAGCarts integrated as part of the due diligence product development process. (TAGCarts and it’s partners conducted a multitude of interviews, performed in depth research, and hosted a three-day design charette with nurses in Berkeley, California in January 2020).
In the fall of 2020 TAGCarts engaged Karen’s consultancy firm, Pace-Setter & Associates, to perform clinical research and collect data around a potentially life saving medical cart innovation project. In addition Karen participated on the design team for their first generation supply / treatment / procedure medical cart.
“TAGCarts is committed to creating innovative products that include clinical end-users as a vital part of the product development process-that is why I am part of TAGCarts.”
– Karen K. Giuliano, pHd, rn, FaAN, MBA
Karen and CEO Taggart Neal met in Boston, Massachusetts in April of 2021 as her role soon progressed from consultant to Advisor.
“Karen’s experience and performance in critical care nursing, product innovation, and clinical research is nationally recognized in healthcare. She is a joy to work with and we are grateful to have her expertise on the team.”
– Taggart neal, Ceo tagcarts, inc.
Dr. Giuliano’s professional and educational background can be seen on her Advisor profile here.
June 14, 2021 – Sacramento, CA USA
TAGCarts, Inc. was recently awarded a Utility Patent from the United States Patent & Trademark Office, for their “Wall Anchor for Cart with Recharging.”
Patent No.: 10,927,873 – TAGCarts, Inc.
TAGCarts®’ intellectual property development is a key focus of it’s growth strategy. On February 23, 2021 the USPTO awarded the Delaware corporation’s first utility patent relating to medical and workstation carts. You can readily view on Google Patents here, “Wall Anchor for Cart with Recharging.”
Background of Invention:
In TAGCarts’ mission to solve for nursing with evolved medical cart and workstation solutions, an undeniable pain point emerged as omnipresent.
Problem: Clinically and professionally trained Nurses monitoring, managing, and maintaining mobile medical cart power systems. Initially chords, plugs and outlets plagued hospital and healthcare nursing. In order to keep medical carts and workstations powered, nurses are required to monitor power levels, manage chords, outlets and plugs, and maintain populations of powered carts for use while others may be charging. A slight improvement came with “Swappable” batteries. Now, with banks of batteries charging at centralized stations in a department, nurses were no longer having to plug, unplug and manage chords, outlets and plugs. However, they still require monitoring, managing and maintaining these floating battery cartridges, into the carts, into the chargers, and round and round. This added unnecessary nurse ambulation, and traded one physical and cognitive task for another. While solving for chords and plugs, and to some extent nurses bending up and down with chords, now they are carrying loaf of bread sized batteries to and fro. Additionally, now the PAR levels of batteries available, must be maintained, purchased, and refreshed to require the power modules for the carts. Unfortunately a huge majority of carts and workstations still use the less expensive chord / plug / outlet versions, and the newer “Swappable Batteries” still fall short of actually solving for eliminating this non patient centered task from nursing workflow.
Solution: The TAGCarts’ Patented design is an ecosystem whereby omnipresent and existing items in the nurses’ environment of care, are smart, charging carts at all times as needed. Thus completely eliminating the physical, mental, and cognitive task nurses currently have with mobile power systems – and more importantly freeing them up to do more dignified, important, and patient outcome centered tasks.
The winners of the concept design?: Nurses, Patients, Staff, and hospitals.
Currently named the “Power-Anchor Smart Rail™”, the product has successfully completed the “Proof of Concept” phase and entered the “Prototype” phase. The company’s evidence-based design methodology directs toward usability studies and select hospital pilots next. In addition to smart charging, the Power-Anchor Smart Rail also embodies features for seismically anchoring, cart-top / workstation surface wireless charging (handhelds, laptops, & tablets), general “Docking” (physical or virtual), and data transmission for medical carts and workstations.
TAGCarts® has benefited from a plethora of nursing professionals who continue to encourage, support, and participate in their research and development of medical cart solutions for healthcare. Together – they are committed to medical cart design and manufacturing that enables and elevates the nursing community, rather than add remedial tasks with no patient benefit.
About TAGCarts, Inc.
TAGCarts® is a Veteran Owned, California Founder Institute company bringing the medical cart industry into the 21st century with conscientious design and material manufacturing for nurses in healthcare. Based in Sacramento, TAGCarts® mission driven values’ of social responsibility and sustainability in healthcare was honored as Comstock’s Magazine’s “Startup of the Month” and founded by CEO Taggart F. Neal in 2019.
Sacramento, CA USA
Early on in the COVID-19 global pandemic, TAGCarts vetted several types of face coverings for procurement and dissemination. While they were not clinical in nature, the intent was to support others when masks were still hard to come by. They partnered with “GEAR’N UP” out of Littleton, Colorado. “Renae and the GEARN’Up Team understood the culture and values underlying our support of nurses with medical cart solutions. While less expensive options were available, she brought us an eco-friendly solution that was an absolute home run with our clientele, and really anyone who received a mask”, says Founder Taggart Neal.
The “Next Level® ECO Face Mask” boasts a 93.6% PFE (Particle Filtration Efficiency) rate which is the highest ratings in Next Level’s cloth mask product line when compared to our CVC and Cotton cloth masks. The Eco Mask is reusable, eco-friendly, and sustainable 2-ply mask made of 70% recycled material. Lightweight, breathable, and super-soft comfort fit for all day wear. Each mask is made using RPET poly from recycled water bottles. Moisture wicking fabrication is washable and breathable. Features a double layer fabric, goes over your ears for secure fit, fits over an N95 mask.
About TAGCarts, Inc.
Based in Sacramento, TAGCarts® is a Veteran Owned, California Founder Institute company established in 2019 by Founder and CEO, Taggart F. Neal. They are bringing innovative design and material manufacturing to the medical cart industry in the 21st century. TAGCarts® mission driven values of social responsibility and sustainability in healthcare was honored with Comstock’s Magazine “Startup of the Month”, in November 2019.
Clients & Featured Media:
