A medical supply such as an operating room towel, laparotomy sponge, gauze pad, bandage, or swab with radio frequency detectable material which eliminates the need for re-entry into a patent after operating in situations where medical supplies are missing. The patent can be easily scanned with a handheld scanner to determine if the medical supply was accidentally left inside the patient. If no RF detectable material is observed, unnecessary re-entry into the patient is prevented. The radio frequency detectable material is incorporated into the medical supply as a tag, in the handle, as a handle, stitched to the medical supply, woven into the medical supply, or sewn into a seam in the medical supply. An identifier on the medical supply indicates that the medical supply is an RF detectable medical supply. In addition to preventing unnecessary re-entry, scanning for RF detectable material is much safer than scanning for x-ray detectable material.