e4engineering.com:
In use, the Surgichip is programmed with critical information such as date of surgery, patient’s full name, surgical site, a description of the operation to be performed, and the surgeon’s name.
The Surgichip itself can store 256 characters which allows a complete description of most procedures to be encoded on the chip (e.g., arthroscopic meniscus repair and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with patellar tendon allograft). In the unusual instance in which more than 256 characters are required, a second chip may be used.
The chip may be programmed at the preoperative outpatient visit, in the emergency room, or on the hospital floor if the patient is an inpatient. A nurse or physician then scans the chip with an RFID reader and the patient reviews the information to be sure it is correct.
The Surgichip reader itself prints in clear typed script rather than handwriting or hand printing which are occasionally illegible and may be misinterpreted.
Surgichip web site.