Help Wanted: Training The HTM Workforce of Tomorrow

The future of equipment maintenance p.
64
Your Industry Source for Healthcare and Equipment Coverage

May 2021
Help
Wanted
Training the HTM
workforce of
tomorrow
p. 38
lso in our special

A
HTM issue:
EXCLUSIVE AAMI Q&A
• Discussing the state of the HTM industry
with president Steve Campbell p. 30
INFUSION PUMPS
• A challenging technology… or a
technological challenge? p. 44
PATIENT MONITORS
• How COVID-19 has pushed these
devices forward p. 46
IMAGING INFORMATICS
• New workflows, new forms of coordina-
tion, new strategies for success p. 56

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CONTENTS
May 2021
FEATURES
38 38
Training the HTM workforce of
tomorrow
As many older clinical engineers and
BMETs near retirement, work is underway
to prepare the next generation.
40
Testing equipment gets user friendly
More and more, testing devices are
resembling consumer electronics,
with touch screen displays, smart
automation and scalability.
43
Seeking clarity on medical device
instructions for use
Could standardizing the way IFUs are
written be the key to getting servicers and
manufacturers on the same page?
44
Infusion pumps — a challenging
technology or a technology
challenge?
EXCLUSIVE Q&As
Learning about past problems with 22 28
these devices and becoming familiar Laureen Driscoll Polina Braunstein
with common errors of use are essential President President and
technology management activities. MultiCare Tacoma CEO
General & Allenmore Quake Global
46 Hospitals The next level in
Patient monitors evolve during Embarking on a new hospital
pandemic leadership role during automation
A look around at the latest solutions the pandemic
entering the market, and how
COVID-19 has impacted their evolution.
30 54
Steve Campbell Dr. Christopher
56 President Roth
Building new workflows with Committee chair
AAMI
imaging informatics SIIM
Discussing the state of
As silos come down and imaging Getting prepared
HTM and upcoming
reaches across the enterprise, making for the biggest
AAMI Exchange
sure you’ve got the right leaders at the event in imaging
table is crucial. informatics
HealthCare Business News I may 2021 3

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20 46 PUBLISHER DOTmed.com, Inc.

CEO Philip F. Jacobus
PRESIDENT Matt Ulman

EDITOR IN CHIEF Gus Iversen
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EDITORIAL
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sean Ruck
SENIOR REPORTER John R. Fischer
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lisa Chamoff

Lauren Dubinsky
James Laskaris
Robin Lasky
COLUMNS & SECTIONS Juuso Leinonen
Stefanie Manack
John W. Mitchell
6 Daily News Roundup Vijay Ramnathan
Some of the top current events stories from our Daily News online Dominic Smith
Christopher Thompson
Judy Zakutny

19 Upcoming Events COPY EDITOR David Imber
Mark your calendar for these medical industry conferences and meetings
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Mai Hiraoka
20
Hospital Spotlight
DESIGN DIRECTOR
DESIGN
Stephanie Biddle
Behind the scenes at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and DESIGN CONSULTANT Oscar Polanco
MultiCare Allenmore Hospital
SALES
24 Imaging Department Manager SALES DIRECTOR David Blumenthal
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What does it mean to achieve patient-centered care in imaging? dblumenthal@dotmed.com
KEY ACCOUNT Susan Minotillo

25 Supply Chain Savvy MANAGERS 212-742-1200 Ext. 261
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Can mobile apps help your facility reach ‘supply Nirvana’?
Connie Goon
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26 Purchasing Insights cgoon@dotmed.com
HTM and the changing face of technology ACCOUNT MANAGERS Colm Ford
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27 People on the Move
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Familiar faces in new places shaking up the healthcare industry 212-742-1200 Ext. 260
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Letter from the Editor
Some thoughts on HTM

(and your inadequate passwords)
Every year, the editorial team at HealthCare We also look at the challenge of getting servicers and manufac-
Business News looks forward to our annual turers speaking the same language on instructions for use (IFUs). As
HTM issue. With help from our friends at the Lauren Dubinsky’s story on page 43 shows, sterilization tools provide
Association for the Advancement of Medical In- a prime example of these challenges and help illustrate why they
strumentation (AAMI), we are addressing some deserve attention.
of the most important topics in the equipment Finally, if I may, a quick public service announcement: Change
service industry. We even interviewed AAMI your passwords, folks! Mix upper-case and lower-case letters,
president Steve Campbell on page 30 to find throw in numbers, add special characters, store these passwords
out what to expect from the virtual Exchange taking place in early June. securely. I was stunned to learn about new research showing that
As many of you already know, medical technology — whether it among healthcare data breaches, the most common password was
be serviced by in-house engineers, independent servicers, or manu- “123456”. The second most popular was “password”.
facturers — has always been a core focus in our news because DOT- Those are extreme examples, but the truth is that if you know all
med.com, the company that publishes this magazine, has been the your passwords by heart then they’re probably too easy to crack —
leading online platform for sharing service insights, parts, and other so please put this magazine down right now and update them to
equipment resources since the late nineties. include more gibberish. Health IT has enough security vulnerabilities
Of course, a lot has changed since the 20th century, and the job as it is, don’t let your dog’s name followed by the year you were born
requirements of HTM professionals are no exception. As the older be part of the problem!
generation of clinical engineers and BMETs transition into retirement, Thanks for reading,
there’s an unmet need for a new pool of talented professionals to Gus Iversen
take over for them. Our cover story on page 38 explores efforts to Editor in Chief
raise awareness around HTM careers and a new apprenticeship pro- giversen@dotmed.com
gram to help newcomers hit the ground running Twitter: @dotmedcom
AI held in greater esteem among providers than

two years ago: report
Posted online March 18, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Ninety percent of U.S. healthcare pro- tion that we’ve seen in recent months,” Dr. It also reported that only 7% of hospitals
viders have an AI/automation strategy Jeremy Friese, president of payer market at had fully operational AI strategies and that just
in place, up from 53% in Q3 2019, ac- Olive, told HCB News. 6% of respondents had 10 or more use cases
cording to a report from marketing firm A 2019 study by Sage Growth Part- live across their organization. These issues were
Sage Growth Partners and AI consulting ners found only half of hospital leaders were chalked up primarily to resource constraints by
firm Olive. familiar with the concept of AI, and that 44% of survey participants who blamed it on
“One substantial change from the past more than half were unable to name an AI not having enough staff and difficulty identify-
year was how comfortable we all became vendor or solution. ing best processes for automation.
with operating digitally; we got used to liv- The 2021 study showed a rise in the im- “We recommend providers start by iden-
ing in a virtually connected world. For hos- portance of automation, with 76% of respon- tifying the areas or functions that would
pitals, the pandemic forced many of their dents seeing it as essential to cutting waste- most benefit from automation,” said Lori
major revenue streams to cease, and they ful spending. In addition, 75% said strategic Jones, president of provider market and
needed to figure out how to do things dif- initiatives around AI and automation became chief revenue officer at Olive. “Generally,
ferently to stay afloat. These factors collec- more or significantly more important in 2020, these will include administrative functions
tively led to the entire healthcare ecosystem since the pandemic began, and 56% credited that often involve highly repetitive, tedious
adopting more digital solutions, leading to automation technologies with raising their and time-consuming tasks.”
the explosions in telehealth and automa- ROIs two or more times higher. Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54213
6 HealthCare Business News I may 2021 www.dotmed.com/news

HealthCare Business Daily News Online
Top trending headlines
• Breaking news as we went to print:
Telehealth doctor pleads guilty
• M&A activity
for role in conspiracy to defraud
Medicare
• FDA approvals dotmed.com/news/54481
Different device choices alter

• New studies cost for interventional radiology
procedures
• Market analysis dotmed.com/news/54410
Mayo raises $500 million in bond

Did you know this magazine is just the • Exclusive sales for five-year capital spending
tip of the iceberg? Healthcare industry interviews dotmed.com/news/54441
House of Representatives to decide

current events impact your facility and
• 16 personalized again on Resident Physician
they happen when you least expect it. silos Shortage Act
dotmed.com/news/54469
That's why we cover them every day in
Philips and Ibex partner to support
our 100% FREE Daily News online. • 100% FREE pathology diagnostics
dotmed.com/news Hospital worker saves physicians

from wearing tens of thousands of
faulty masks
Mammography, colonoscopy rates

Register today rebounded months into pandemic:
and never miss Report

another story Mayo Clinic launches two new

companies
Armed hospital patient in Ohio

dies of gunshot wound amid police
altercation
US lawmakers call CMS radiophar-

maceutical payment policy ‘flawed’
Analysis finds 87% of US breast

cancer centers begin screening at
age 40
Wrongfully terminated ER doctor
VIDEO INTERVIEWS awarded $26 million

In a new segment called Five Agiliti poised to bring in around
Minutes in Healthcare, HCB News $2.6 billion in NYSE debut
publisher Phil Jacobus chats with Many women willing to pay
industry leaders about the out-of-pocket for advanced breast
COVID-19 impact via Zoom. imaging: study
Check it out at: Colorado physician charged with

$300,000 theft of COVID relief
dotmed.com/news/jacobus programs
I may 2021 7
@dotmedcom
HealthCare Business News
Daily News Online > dotmed.com/news
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) lowers rate of

interval breast cancers
Posted online April 09, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Screening with digital breast tomosyn- have a higher breast cancer detection rate in have not seen significant reductions in inter-
thesis may help reduce interval breast screening compared to digital mammogra- val cancer rates in DBT screening when com-
cancer rates. phy. The higher cancer detection rate with DBT pared to mammography, and that interval
That’s what a new study out of Skåne might translate into lower interval cancer rates, cancer rates are not the only measure that
University Hospital and Lund University in and this is what has been shown in our trial,” define the effectiveness of DBT. “Our study
Sweden says, adding to growing evidence lead author Dr. Kristin Johnson, a radiology is, so far, the only study which has shown
that DBT holds significant advantages over resident at Skåne University Hospital and Ph.D. reduced interval cancer rates with DBT com-
mammography. student at Lund University, told HCB News. pared to DM and more studies are needed to
Interval cancers arise in between screen- The decrease in interval cancers may be confirm the results.”
ings and are considered more aggressive than due to the heightened sensitivity of DBT over Johnson and her colleagues are work-
screen-detected cancers. The interval cancer DM, according to the authors, which gives it ing on a cost-benefit analysis of the Breast
rate among nearly 15,000 women screened in the potential to better detect rapidly grow- Tomosynthesis Screening Trial, where the
the study with DBT and DM was 1.6 per 1,000, ing cancers with poorer prognosis. This could interval cancer rates came from, for their
compared to 2.8 per 1000 out of 26,000 who lower breast cancer mortality and may even study. They are also evaluating the trial for
only received DM. Interval cancers found gener- pave the way for DBT to eventually replace false positive recalls.
ally had unfavorable characteristics. DM in the future, according to Johnson. The findings were published in Radiology.
“DBT has in several trials been shown to She stresses, however, that other trials Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54465
Cool Pair Plus to join Risk-based AI algorithms help

Avante’s family of companies detect cancer from limited
Posted online March 24, 2021 by John R. Fischer number of mammograms
Cool Pair Plus, which sells, services, refurbishes and repairs
MR cryogenic equipment, will be joining the Avante Health Because of COVID-19, mammograms have become limited
Solutions family of companies. in number from the cancellation and postponement of non-
“We anticipate that Cool Pair Plus will immediately provide urgent services. This has made detecting breast cancer and
accelerated growth within the Avante Diagnostic Imaging plat- triaging patients more difficult.
form,” said Avante in a statement. “Facilities vary in how they triage patients during the initial shut-
Avante’s diagnostic imaging services include on-site repair, downs and how they are triaging women as they work through back-
discounted OEM-compatible parts, equipment upgrades, remote logs. Some are scheduling based on the ordering of original appoint-
diagnostic tools, equipment planning and logistics, a technical ments. Others are prioritizing diagnostic mammograms over screening
hotline and mobile storage. The company has businesses special- mammograms, but not looking at other risk factors,” Dr. Diana Miglio-
izing in ultrasound, surgical equipment, rental services, patient retti, professor and division chief of biostatistics at UC Davis Depart-
monitoring, oncology and diagnostic imaging. ment of Public Health Sciences, and affiliate investigator with Kaiser
In 2018 the company acquired refurbisher Ultra Solutions to ex- Permanente Washington Health Research, told HCB News.
pand its capabilities and footprint in the ultrasound market, as well Following extensive research in one of the largest studies of its
as its inventory of parts, probes and ultrasound systems. The same kind, Miglioretti and her colleagues found a risk-based algorithm
year, it partnered with Equipment Maintenance Solutions (EMS) to that can maximize cancer detection efficiently. The algorithm takes
expand its footprint into MR and CT service, sales, parts and rentals. into account clinical indication, breast symptoms, breast cancer his-
Cool Pair Plus offers exchange and repair services for MR cold- tory and age. It was used to assess nearly two million mammograms
heads, compressors, adsorbers, and helium flex lines for major of nearly 900,000 individuals taken at more than 90% of radiology
manufacturers, and provides on-site MR magnetic service, includ- facilities between 2014 and 2019.
ing turnkey installations for these solutions. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54353 Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54393

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Sanford Health announces building plans for virtual

hospital
Sanford Health (Sanford) is planning the ties, patients and long-term care residents and retention of healthcare professionals be-
construction of a virtual hospital to pro- across Sanford’s network of hospitals and ing an ongoing challenge for rural regions,
vide affordable care to rural and under- clinics. It is expected to increase opportuni- which are home to almost 20% of the U.S.
served Midwestern communities. ties to supply care in communities as well population.
The initiative is supported by $300 mil- as long-term care locations, while making it The remaining portion will go toward the
lion provided by South Dakota business- easier to care for a variety of complex chronic expansion of the Sanford Sports Complex in
man Denny Sanford, whom Sanford Health conditions and care transitions. Travel for Sioux Falls, South Dakota to promote health-
named itself after in 2007. routine care among patients is also expected ier and active lifestyles and increase access to
“Anchored by a cutting-edge flagship to drop or be eliminated altogether sports opportunities for underserved youth.
command center in Sioux Falls, a network Sanford also plans to invest the donation Year-round athletic opportunities will be
of satellite clinics will provide remote access in construction with its academic partners for available to all ages, interests and abilities,
to our specialists for consultations, patient eight new graduate medical residencies and including soccer, baseball and softball fields.
monitoring, assisted living support, critical fellowships in critical specialty areas. This is Sanford expects approximately one million
care, mental health and more. This will allow expected to double opportunities for medi- new visitors over five years to participate in
patients to get quality care close to home,” cal school training and provide highly-sought tournaments, sports training programs and
Dr. Jeremy Cauwels, Sanford Health chief clinical expertise, resources and subspecial- youth and adult league games, which will
physician, told HCB News. ties to the care of patients close to home. It benefit the region economically.
The virtual hospital will service communi- is seen as essential, due to the recruitment Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54338
Elekta’s patent claims against Siemens contemplates sale

Zap Surgical dismissed as of ultrasound business
‘invalid’ Posted online April 13, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Posted online April 08, 2021 by John R. Fischer Siemens Healthineers is considering selling its ultrasound
business, which is valued at about $1 billion.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has declared claims made
The thought of selling came after the company received
by Elekta for patent infringement against Zap Surgical to be
interest in the business, according to Bloomberg News.
invalid.
No final decision, however, has been made on a sale at this
Concluding a suit that dates back to 2019, the Patent Trial and Ap-
time, and a Siemens representative declined in an email to com-
peal Board ruled that Zap Surgical’s ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery
ment on the sale to Bloomberg News. “The central aim of the
platform did not infringe on Elekta’s U.S. patent for a rotatable treat-
Siemens Healthineers Strategy 2025 is to secure our market
ment system.
leadership beyond 2025.”
“It is a shame that it has taken an expensive two-year legal process to
The company’s ultrasound business consists of devices that
arrive at this obvious conclusion. Innovation is hard, painstakingly slow
can be used for a range of procedures, including general scan-
and expensive yet it is ultimately the only right focus for successful medi-
ning and advanced echocardiography. It just last year moved its
cal device companies, especially given the fact that patients' lives are at
ultrasound headquarters from Mountain View, California to Is-
stake,” John Adler, CEO and founder of ZAP Surgical, told HCB News.
saquah to finish assembling its ultra premium ACUSON Sequoia
The ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery platform — FDA cleared in
ultrasound system.
2017 — is the first and only vault-free stereotactic radiosurgery delivery
The sale would add to $161 billion worth of healthcare trans-
system. It is designed as an alternative for invasive surgery that delivers
actions globally this year, according to Bloomberg, which would
high-dose radiation to brain tumors precisely, while protecting normal
be 260% higher than in the same period for 2020. A sale could
brain tissue, eyes and other organs. Its design saves providers an esti-
also potentially attract private equity and strategic bidders.
mated one to two million dollars on shielded radiation treatment rooms.
The market for ultrasound declined amid the COVID-19
Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54480
pandemic, reported Siemens Healthineers in its annual report.

Philips aids in creation of regional hub for UK
COVID-19 imaging database
Royal Philips has installed the Philips understanding of this still unknown disease taneously. Its integration with the NCIDD’s
Global worklist for mass data collection as quickly as possible, in order to better help secure central SMART Box server supports
and management at the first regional hub people with COVID-19. The easy and safe mass data collection, management and
set up to support the U.K.’s National CO- exchange of data is essential,” Jodie Bridge, de-identification and allows Cheshire and
VID-19 Chest Imaging Database (NCCID). precision diagnosis business leader at Philips Merseyside to contribute to research in areas
The hub is the NHS’ Cheshire and Mer- UK&I (UK and Ireland), told HCB News. that require large volumes of clinical data.
seyside Consortium and will provide the The deployment of a single centralized Access to this data is expected to enable
NCCID, a centralized database of X-ray, CT and secure SMART box server has provided quicker patient assessment upon arrival in
and MR images, with imaging data from 13 access to 15 years of imaging data for 2.5 emergency rooms, save radiologists’ time,
Trusts to help develop AI solutions for the million people in the region, making it the and increase safety and consistency of care
care of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 largest single data source for the NCCID. across the country.
and other severe infections. The Philips Global worklist indexes mul- The CCID database is a collaborative ef-
“There is a need to find ways to provide tiple archives on servers to create a single fort among NHSX, an organization oversee-
continuity of care for patients with chronic worklist and allows for image acquisition ing the digital transformation of the NHS;
conditions, to keep collaboration going be- and reporting to be performed seamlessly the British Society of Thoracic Imaging; and
tween clinicians and with patients. And at the across multiple sites. It also can facilitate the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust.
same time there is the need to gain a better multiple trials and research projects simul- Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54427
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Radioligand therapy from Novartis yields positive

phase III study results for prostate cancer
Novartis’ Phase III VISION study showed sistant prostate cancer have a less than one studies conducted by Novartis, as well as those
positive findings in overall survival in six chance of surviving five years and need by other organizations. For example, a 2019
and radiographic progression-free sur- new treatment options. These groundbreak- phase I/II trial of 16 men with progressing
vival for patients who received 177Lu- ing data confirm our belief in the potential mCRPC paired the treatment with the tumor-
PSMA-617, a targeted radioligand of 177Lu-PSMA-617 to reimagine outcomes specific radiation sensitizer idronoxil (NOX66)
therapy for progressive PSMA-positive for these patients through phenotypic pre- to assess responses. Nearly 70% saw a more
metastatic castration-resistant prostate cision medicine,” said John Tsai, head of than 50% drop in PSA levels after the com-
cancer (mCRPC). global drug development and chief medical bination treatment. In addition, adverse side
The results are the first interpretable ones officer for Novartis, in a statement. effects, such as fatigue and pneumonitis, were
comparing the therapy to the best standard Radioligand therapy combines a targeting reported in 31% of all patients.
of care alone and are seen by Novartis as a compound that binds to markers expressed by More than 15 dedicated early to late
sign of potential for the therapy to become tumors and a radioactive isotope. The two to- development and research programs are
the targeted treatment for more than 80% gether damage DNA to inhibit tumor growth underway to identify the next wave of ra-
of patients with advanced prostate cancer. and replication. This allows for targeted deliv- dioligand therapies for cancer, according to
They will be presented at an upcoming ery of radiation to the tumor and limits dam- Novartis. The company is increasing capac-
medical meeting and included in U.S. and age to the surrounding normal tissue. ity for delivery of radioligand therapies like
EU regulatory submissions. The safety profile of the Phase III trial cor- 177Lu-PSMA-617 to patients in need.
“Patients with metastatic castration-re- relates with data reported in previous clinical Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54359
Siemens raises $2.8 billion Cleveland Clinic, IBM launch

to fund acquisition of Varian joint clinic aimed at speeding
Posted online March 26, 2021 by John R. Fischer up healthcare research
Siemens Healthineers plans to invest part of $2.8 billion it Posted online March 31, 2021 by John R. Fischer
raised in share capital into its planned acquisition of Varian
Cleveland Clinic and IBM are setting up a joint clinic to harness
Medical Systems.
advanced computational technologies for ramping up the pace
The company financed the purchase by selling 53 million
of discoveries in healthcare and life sciences.
new shares to only institutional investors through an accelerated
Called the Discovery Accelerator, the clinic will utilize hybrid cloud, AI
bookbuilding process at €44.10 each. The capital raised is also
and quantum computing to bypass challenges in the research process
expected to help it be selected to join Germany’s bluechip DAX
to find faster methods for addressing health challenges like COVID-19
Index, a stock market index made up of 30 German companies
and to better understand why it leads to ongoing symptoms in some
trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
patients. It is the product of a planned 10-year partnership between the
“With this share placement, we successfully completed the
two organizations and will be part of the Global Center for Pathogen
equity-related part of the Varian financing and implemented the
Research & Human Health.
financing structure as originally announced,” said Dr. Jochen
“Bottlenecks exist in the steps of data generation, analyses of large
Schmitz, CFO of Siemens Healthineers, in a statement. “The trans-
data sets, and performing the clinical trials needed to measure effective-
action will also increase the free float and hence the attractiveness
ness and safety,” Dr. Lara Jehi, Cleveland Clinic’s chief research informa-
of our share.”
tion officer, told HCB News.
The company made a gross total of over $2.75 billion from
Research today takes about 17 years, from the research bench to the
the sale of new shares, excluding deduction of commissions and
patient bedside. The clinic will boost this pace by using new technology to
expenses. Approximately 16.2% of the offer went to Qatar Invest-
generate, store and quickly assess large data sets in genomics, single cell tran-
ment Authority. The new shares will be issued from authorized
scriptomics, population health, clinical applications, and chemical and drug
capital, with the subscription rights of shareholders excluded.
discovery. Carrying out these research efforts will be experts in viral patho-
gens, virus-induced cancers, genomics, immunology, and infectious diseases.
Urgent cares, retail health clinics lack sufficient
regulation: report
Urgent care centers and retail health clin- on the proliferation of these “convenient sexual, reproductive and LGBTQ+ inclusive
ics are under-regulated, with many states care” providers, so only a handful of states care, especially if run by a Catholic health
lacking access to them for people in low- have taken action to strengthen oversight,” system.
income and medically underserved com- Lois Uttley, Women’s Health program direc- Uttley and her co-authors recommend
munities or who are uninsured. tor at Community Catalyst, co-author of the that state licensing requirements and Certifi-
That’s what Community Catalyst and the report, told HCB News. cate of Need programs be applied to these
National Health Law Program are saying in Most states, according to the report, do facilities, and include contract requirements
a new report. The report also questions if not require facility licenses for urgent care with Medicaid and targets for percentage of
urgent reproductive and sexual healthcare centers or retail health clinics because they service to Medicaid-insured and uninsured
services and LGBTQ+ inclusive care are be- often operate under an individual physician’s consumers. They also suggest states set up
ing offered, especially at facilities operated license. As a result, such facilities are not re- accreditation processes to standardize sites,
by or run in partnership with Catholic health quired to serve people who are uninsured or mandate the provision of basic healthcare
systems. have Medicaid, and may not have a charity services, and enforce non-discrimination pro-
“Urgent care centers and retail health care policy. While common in middle-class visions; and that they establish coordination
clinics constitute a relatively new segment of communities with insured residents, urgent between urgent care centers, retail clinics,
the health industry and have grown quickly care centers are often missing in low-income hospitals and primary care services to encour-
over the last few years. State health industry and medically underserved areas. In addi- age a strong continuum of quality care.
regulators have only recently begun to focus tion, many may not offer services for urgent Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54446
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65% of hospitals ‘unambiguously noncompliant’

with federal price transparency rule: study
Posted online March 23, 2021 by Robin Lasky
Only 22% of hospitals were found to curbing the rising cost of healthcare, Centers information from a sample of 100 hospitals.
be compliant with a new price transpar- for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) The authors of the study found that, while
ency rule that went into effect on Janu- issued the new rule in November of 2019 interpreting the results most generously in
ary 1st of this year. expanding on the categories of price infor- favor of the hospitals, only 22 of them were
As anyone who has ever tried to price- mation that hospitals were already required in full compliance, while 65 were deter-
comparison shop for medical care can attest, to publicly disclose under the ACA. mined to be unambiguously noncompliant.
medical billing information can be extremely “Price transparency puts patients in con- “We are troubled by the finding that
difficult to access and otherwise frustratingly trol and supports competition on the basis of 65 of the nation’s 100 largest hospitals are
opaque. It is not uncommon for a consum- cost and quality, which can rein in the high clearly noncompliant with this regulation.
er to be entirely rebuffed by hospital staff cost of care,” Seema Verma, CMS Adminis- These hospitals are industry leaders and may
when attempting to obtain advanced pricing trator, said in a statement about the new reg- be setting the industrywide standard for
quotes for contemplated procedures, and ulation last October. “CMS’ action represents (non)compliance; moreover, our assessment
when such information can be obtained, it perhaps the most consequential healthcare strategy was purposefully conservative, and
is usually only after considerable time and reform in the last several decades.” our estimate of 65 percent noncompliance is
persistent effort. Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed journal almost certainly an underestimate,” the au-
In order to make this arena more eq- with a focus on policy and analysis, conduct- thors of the Health Affairs study concluded.
uitable for consumers and in the hope of ed a review of the publicly available pricing Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54342
Google Cloud partnering with Fujifilm acquires Hitachi’s

Varian on radiation oncology diagnostic imaging business
platform for $1.6 billion
Posted online April 14, 2021 by Lisa Chamoff Posted online April 06, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Google Cloud has tapped Varian Medical Systems to collabo- Fujifilm Corporation has completed its $1.6 billion acquisition
rate on the development of a new artificial intelligence (AI)- of Hitachi’s diagnostic imaging business.
based diagnostic platform for cancer treatment. The deal adds Hitachi’s CT, MR, X-ray and ultrasound systems
The collaboration will use Neural Architecture Search (NAS) tech- to Fujifilm’s portfolio, as well as a 5.5% stake it holds in the global
nology via the Google Cloud AI Platform to create AI models for medical imaging market. It is expected to put Fujifilm, which holds
organ segmentation, a crucial but labor-intensive step in radiation 2.9%, close to Canon in terms of market share, which ranks fourth
oncology. in the sector behind GE, Siemens and Philips, according to the Nikkei
Organ segmentation is the process of using diagnostic images to Asian Review.
identify the organs and tissues that must be targeted or protected “We are targeting mid-July time frame to complete the brand-
during a course of radiation therapy. The segmented images are ing transition,” Jun Higuchi, president and CEO of Fujifilm Medical
used to create radiotherapy treatment plans that specify where and Systems U.S.A., Inc. and chairman and CEO of Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc.,
how much dose will be deposited during treatment. The process can told HCB News.
take a clinician hours per patient, and in some parts of the world it In addition to imaging modalities, the deal adds endoscopy, in
can limit patients’ access to advanced treatments. vitro diagnostic systems and PACS to Fujifilm, including a new port-
“The collaboration with Google Cloud is a longer-term develop- folio of endoscopic ultrasound PACS. Fujifilm’s advanced image pro-
ment project that is expected to impact how Varian makes AI tools cessing technologies and AI solutions will be used alongside these
in the future, and revises and trains them so that they are always products to create higher-value-added solutions based on medical IT
evolving,” Kevin O’Reilly, senior vice president and president of Var- that will enhance quality of care globally.
ian Oncology Systems, told HCB News. Discussions about the acquisition date back to late 2019, when
Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54524 it was priced at just over $1.5 billion.

New study reveals methods to reduce MR wait
times, increase efficiency
Posted online March 25, 2021 by Robin Lasky
A new study from the Thayer School will keep increasing throughout the day.” of reducing wait times and resulting costs
of Engineering at Dartmouth, analyzed It is a common practice among hospitals incurred by the hospital. They found that by
data from Lahey Hospital & Medical Care to subordinate outpatient radiology exams, optimizing patient schedules with the use of
in Burlington, Massachusetts, in order to such as CT and MR scanning, to the typically these techniques outpatient MR wait times
discover the most common causes of more urgent needs of inpatient care, result- can be reduced, resulting in a 23% savings
delay in outpatient MR scanning, and ing in longer outpatient wait times. How- to the hospital without impeding patient ac-
uncovered effective techniques for im- ever, it has been previously established that cess to care.
proving efficiency. other process and scheduling problems may “The slot size should be adjusted if in-
“Two of the most important factors in also contribute to longer wait times. consistent with procedure durations,” Dart-
our case study were patient arrival patterns Outpatient wait time at Lahey Hospital mouth engineering professor Vikrant Vaze
and exam procedure durations,” first author had been, on average, 54 minutes, mea- told HCB News. “The order of the exams is
Yifei Sun, a Dartmouth engineering Ph.D. sured from the first arrival of the patient to also worth investigating since some proce-
candidate, told HCB News via email. “If a sig- administering the scheduled MR scan. The dures take longer than others. For example,
nificant number of patients arrive later than researchers at Dartmouth, after analyzing putting all the longer procedures at the start
scheduled, all the later exams will be post- data in order to identify various common of the day would increase the overall waiting
poned. If the procedure durations are often reasons for delay, used mathematical models time for all patients throughout the day.”
longer than the slot time, then the wait time and simulation algorithms for the purposes Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54304
DOJ extends investigation Microsoft buys Nuance for

into UHG’s $13 billion acqui- $19.7 billion
sition of Change Healthcare Posted online April 13, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Microsoft has paid $19.7 billion in all-cash to acquire speech
The Department of Justice is extending its investigation into recognition firm Nuance Communications.
UnitedHealth Group’s proposed $13 billion acquisition of The tech giant paid $56 per share, with the full transaction includ-
Change Healthcare. ing Nuance’s debt. Microsoft plans to use Nuance’s artificial intel-
The agency requested more information from both companies ligence solutions to enhance the offerings of its Microsoft Cloud for
regarding the deal according to an SEC filing submitted Friday Healthcare, which has a range of capabilities for managing healthcare
by Change Healthcare. The additional request extends the time data at scale.
regulators have to assess the buyout past the standard 30-day “Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI
period, according to Modern Healthcare. solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better
UHG announced its plans to acquire Change Healthcare back decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we ac-
in December under its subsidiary, Optum. The deal at the time was celerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance,” said
worth approximately $8 billion. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in a statement.
The American Hospital Association requested earlier this month Nuance’s products include the Dragon Ambient eXperience, Drag-
that the Justice Department investigate the proposed deal, out on Medical One and PowerScribe One for radiology reporting. All are
of concern that it may hinder competition in health IT services built on Microsoft Azure and are designed to recognize and transcribe
and would allow it to consolidate and use much of the country’s speech in doctor office visits, customer service calls, and voicemails.
healthcare data to process and deny patient claims. They can seamlessly integrate with electronic health records to re-
“Post-merger, Optum will have strong financial incentives to duce clinical documentation and help providers create better patient
use competitive payers’ data to inform its reimbursement rates experiences, and will be used alongside Microsoft’s Azure, Teams
and set its competitive clinical strategy, which will reduce competi- and Dynamics 365 solutions to support customer engagement and
tion among payers and harm hospitals and other providers,” the enhance security.
AHA wrote. Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54515
Olympus constructs $45 million employee base in

Massachusetts
Olympus has completed the construc- and Respiratory, will operate globally out of of-the-art wetlab setting.
tion of its $45 million Westborough this facility,” Gabriela Kaynor, TSD global di- The MedPresence platform will also be
Massachusetts facility. vision co-head of Olympus Corporation of used to create immersive environments in
The 150,000 square-foot location will the Americas, told HCB News. the Olympus OR Innovation Center show-
support the processes of a global medical TSD headquarters were also shifted from room for in-person and virtual integrated
technology enterprise, including capturing Tokyo to the U.S. to give the company better OR demonstrations. The location will also be
cost savings and generating growth for the access and opportunities. equipped to facilitate connections among
U.S. market for therapeutic medical devices Olympus Westborough is expected to global stakeholders and consumers through
used in endoscopic procedures — a strategic support partnerships with universities, col- enhanced technology and medical R&D in-
focus for the company. leges and technical schools in the greater novations.
The company kicked off the opening Boston area. In addition, Olympus plans to Employees formerly working at the
with a virtual celebration. expand its corporate social responsibility Southborough and Littleton facilities will
“Growth in the U.S. endoscopy market partnerships throughout the area. It will of- begin work at Olympus Westborough over
will be supported through our U.S. Sales and fer hands-on learning training through its the next several months. Manufacturing
Marketing Surgical Business Units, which will Olympus Continuum Training and Education operations for the Olympus Customer Solu-
continue to operate out of Westborough, Center, where top medical experts will teach tions Group will remain at Littleton. Olympus
along with other shared service functions. physicians, nurses, technicians and biomeds expects to add more jobs as the economy
Additionally Therapeutic Solutions Division how to use advanced equipment, both in improves and is now hiring for some special-
(TSD), focused on key areas of growth for person and virtually, through the MedPres- ized positioning.
Olympus such as GI-Endotherapy, Urology, ence telecollaboration platform, in a state- Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54495
Nanox single-source digital X- Ultrasound vibrations can

ray gets FDA 510(k) clearance damage COVID-19 virus
Posted online April 07, 2021 by John R. Fischer Posted online March 23, 2021 by John R. Fischer
Nano-X Imaging has received the nod from the FDA for its Vibrations generated from ultrasound may damage the phys-
single-source Nanox.Arc digital X-ray technology. ical structure of the COVID-19 virus.
The X-ray System is designed to produce 2D CT and tomography Researchers in MIT’s department of mechanical engineering found
scans with Nanox’s digital source, and is touted as a less expensive that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz caused the virus’
alternative to legacy X-ray machines. It expects the system to poten- spike-like proteins, which spread viral RNA by latching on to healthy
tially increase access for two-thirds of the world where imaging and cells, to collapse and rupture within a fraction of a millisecond.
screening are lacking, as well as decrease waiting times and help “We’ve proved that under ultrasound excitation the coronavirus
detect serious or chronic illnesses in early stages. shell and spikes will vibrate, and the amplitude of that vibration will
“Based on timing for obtaining regulatory and additional clear- be very large, producing strains that could break certain parts of the
ances, we’re on track to commence system shipments in the fourth virus, doing visible damage to the outer shell and possibly invisible
quarter of 2021 and into the first quarter of 2022 with the goal of damage to the RNA inside,” said Tomasz Wierzbicki, professor of
finalizing deployment of the initial 15,000 Nanox.ARC systems by the applied mechanics at MIT, in a statement.
end of 2024,” Ran Poliakine, chairman and chief executive officer of Wierzbicki and his colleagues observed this effect through com-
Nanox, told HCB News. puter simulations of the virus in air and water. The virus fractured
The company also expects to submit a 510(k) application to the faster at lower frequencies of 25 MHz and 50 MHz, both in simula-
FDA for its multi-source Nanox.Arc. The 3D Digital Tomosynthesis tions of air and of water.
whole body scanners include multiple single-source tubes, and can The findings were published in the Journal of the Mechanics and
be used for a variety of procedures. Physics of Solids.
Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54448 MIT did not respond for comment.

Hospitals record low-to-negative margins in
February: report
U.S. hospitals saw low-to-negative mar- The median Kaufman Hall hospital oper- room minutes below 6.9%. The largest de-
gins in February brought on by decreased ating margin index was -0.5% in February, clines were in ED visits at 26.8% YOY. EDs
inpatient volumes and continued low excluding CARES Act funding. The federal have seen double-digit declines every month
outpatient volumes as a result of the pan- aid brought it up to 0.4%. The median EBIT- since the start of the pandemic. The aver-
demic, according to Kaufman Hall’s latest DA margin was 4.1% without it and 5.4% age length of stay rose 7.3% compared to
National Hospital Flash Report. with it, while operating margin dropped February 2020.
“In the months ahead, hospitals and 30.8% year-over-year and operating EBITDA High costs associated with managing the
health systems will need to adjust their focus margin fell by 22.6%. virus continued to go up, with adjusted ex-
from acute to less acute patients, given that Gross operating revenue fell 4.6% YOY, penses still above prior-year levels. Among
continued low outpatient volumes will likely not including CARES aid, and inpatient rev- them were total expense per adjusted dis-
fail to offset decreasing inpatient volumes. enue dropped 4.4%. Outpatient revenue fell charge by 19.6%; labor expense per adjust-
The pandemic has significantly changed be- 5.5% compared to the same time last year, ed discharge by 18.8%; non-labor expense
haviors — with many patients continuing to falling below prior-year levels for a tenth per adjusted discharge by 20.7%; supply ex-
delay non-urgent care and rely more heavily time in the last 11 months. pense per adjusted discharge by 18%; drug
on telehealth services,” said said Jim Blake, a Volumes also dropped below February expense per adjusted discharge by 29.1%;
managing director at Kaufman Hall and pub- 2020 levels across most metrics, with ad- and purchased service expense per adjusted
lisher of the National Hospital Flash Report, justed discharges down 13.8%, adjusted discharge by 24.3%.
in a statement. patient days down 8.3%, and operating Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54360
FDA investigates deaths Coal miner chest X-ray

linked to potentially readings vulnerable to
contaminated endoscopes financial bias
Posted online April 07, 2021 by John R. Fischer Posted online March 29, 2021 by John R. Fischer
The FDA has opened an investigation into reports that repro- Chest X-ray diagnoses of pneumonoconiosis, or black lung
cessed urological endoscopes designed by Olympus Corpora- disease, for coal miners may be compromised due to financial
tion and Karl Storz were possibly contaminated and respon- bias on the part of the doctor reading the scan, according to
sible for patient infections that led to three deaths. researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Among the devices listed in the 450 medical device reports given The study found that physicians hired by the U.S. Department of
to the FDA were cystoscopes, ureteroscopes and cystourethroscopes Labor or a miner were found to be less likely to have biased assess-
— all of which are used to assess the urinary tract. ments, compared to those hired by a miner’s employer.
“We are very concerned about the three reported deaths, outside “Not only are those hired by an employer much more likely to
of the United States, associated with these infections, and we’re act- classify a chest X-ray as negative for black lung disease, but it is also
ing fast to communicate with health care providers and the public much more likely that an employer will have the resources to hire
about what we know and what is still an emerging issue. While some its own expert — at a much higher fee — in the first place,” senior
reports indicate the potential causes could be inadequate reprocess- author Dr. Robert Cohen, clinical professor of environmental and
ing or device maintenance issues, we’re also evaluating other possi- occupational health sciences and director of the Mining Education
bilities, including device design or the reprocessing instructions in the and Resource Center at UIC, said in a statement.
labeling,” said Dr. Jeff Shuren, director of FDA’s Center for Devices The findings, which raise questions about diagnostics across
and Radiological Health, in a statement. workers’ compensation systems, were published in the Annals of
The reports referred to post-procedure patient infections or other the American Thoracic Society.
possible contamination issues, and for each device, named Olympus Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54383
or Karl Storz as the manufacturer.

PA rural health model may help hospitals in high

risk communities
Posted online April 02, 2021 by Robin Lasky
Pennsylvania’s ongoing experiment The hope is that by making it more fea- Over the last several decades rural hos-
with a novel approach to healthcare sible for these hospitals to stay open, rural pitals have been under increasing financial
financing aims to lower costs while re- communities will be able to retain access to strain. The reasons a hospital may close its
ducing the rate of hospital closures in care, benefit from an improvement in qual- doors vary, but like other for-profit business-
more vulnerable rural areas. ity, and result in improved health outcomes es, it is not immune to the effects of local
The Rural Health Model aims to provide for rural communities. economic depression, which may lead to a
participating hospitals relief by reducing “Our intent was not only to change smaller, poorer service area population con-
costs and offering a more stable and pre- payment, but to transform what rural sisting of a larger percentage of Medicare
dictable revenue stream to allow these pro- hospitals look like and how they deliver and Medicaid recipients.
viders to budget more effectively. Unlike the care to their communities,” former PA Under the typical fee-for-service mod-
standard fee-for-service model, participating secretary of health, Karen Murphy said el, hospitals rely on reimbursements from
hospitals are reimbursed by Medicare, Med- in a comment about her role in the initial private commercial insurance carriers to
icaid, and participating commercial insur- planning process. “Our goal was to pro- offset the much lower payments received
ance carriers, in fixed monthly installments vide a mechanism where rural hospitals from Medicare and Medicaid. As a rural
as opposed to being based on the value of were not counting on heads in the beds area becomes more economically de-
claims received. The amount of the monthly for reimbursement. In a pay-for-service pressed, hospitals are forced to find ways
installment is calculated by examining total model, you are paid for what you do, not to make cuts.
reimbursement averages for prior years. how well you do it.” Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54430
Amazon launches Police search for men who

telemedicine program caused $114,000 dollars in
Posted online March 22, 2021 by John R. Fischer MR damage by tampering with
Amazon will soon offer its healthcare services to other chiller
private employers through the launch of its Amazon Care Posted online April 12, 2021 by John R. Fischer
telemedicine program.
The company currently offers the app to its employees in Australian police are on the lookout for two men caught on cam-
Washington State to allow them to connect with doctors, nurses era tampering with an MR chiller unit that led to an explosion
and nurse practitioners virtually over the phone, 24 hours a day. and over 150,000 Australian dollars (more than $114,000 USD) in
It now plans to expand the program to employers in Washington damage for a small radiology practice.
interested in the service for their employees and by the summer Around 1:00 a.m. on February 20, CCTV cameras captured a pair
to all Amazon workers and private employers across the country, of men turning off the switch for the MR chiller unit at the back of the
reports the Associated Press. Queensland Radiology Specialists clinic. This led the helium in the scan-
“Making this available to other employers is a big step,” ner to expand until it exploded, according to Queensland Police Service.
said Amazon Care director Kristen Helton in a phone interview “We have no idea why we were targeted or if they will come back,”
with the AP. “It’s an opportunity for other forward-thinking Patrick Bergin, the owner-director of the clinic told the Daily Mail Austra-
employers to offer a service that helps bring high-quality care, lia. “Perhaps it’s just a couple of drunks that were looking for something
convenience and peace of mind.” to do but we really don’t know. We are pretty baffled.”
Healthcare providers are supplied by Care Medical, a contrac- The explosion took place eight hours after the switch was turned off,
tor that works with Amazon on an exclusive contract. Users log when patients were inside the clinic. The ducted quench pipe, a built-in
in to the app, answer questions to triage the call, and are then safety mechanism, absorbed the explosion.
routed to an appropriate nurse, nurse practitioner or physician Queensland Radiology Specialists did not return HCB News’ request
in about 60 seconds or less. for comment.
Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54313 Read full story: dotmed.com/news/54493

Upcoming Events Due to ongoing pandemic, all events may be subject to change or cancellation
Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) Dates: June 11-15

2021 Annual Meeting Average attendance: 5,400 +
Location: VIRTUAL Who should attend: Imaging & nuclear medicine physicians,
Dates: May 24-27 radiologists, cardiologists, pharmacists, scientists, lab professionals
Years in Existence: 41 and technologists.
Average attendance: 1000+
Who should attend: Imaging specialties such as dermatology, The Association for Medical Imaging Management
pathology, cardiology, radiology, surgery, ER, imaging informatics (AHRA) 49th Annual Meeting and Exposition
professionals, researchers & scientists, vendors Location: Nashville, TN
Dates: August 1-4
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Years in Existence: 49
Instrumentation (AAMI) Exchange Average attendance: 1,000
Location: VIRTUAL Who should attend: Medical imaging leaders
Dates: June 7-11
Average attendance: 2,300+ (at live events) The Florida International Medical Expo (FIME),
Who should attend: HTM professionals, biomedical and clinical by Informa Markets
engineers, technicians, cyber security and sterilization experts, hos- Dates: August 1- October 1 (Online), September 1-3 (live)
pital admins and managers, industry service and solution providers Location: Miami Beach Convention Center, FL
Years in Existence: 31
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Average attendance: 17,000
Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting Who should attend: Medical device and equipment distributors
Location: VIRTUAL and manufacturers
ATTEND THE June 11-15

Virtual
REGISTER NOW FOR THE SNMMI 2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL
MEETING—THE MUST-ATTEND EVENT OF THE YEAR!
You’ll experience four-and-a-half-days of cutting-edge content, including more than 80 CE and
scientific sessions, 1,000+ scientific posters, pre-meeting categorical seminars, and industry-led
satellite symposia—all selected to enhance your knowledge on the latest research and clinical
applications in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. In addition, you can learn about
leading innovations in the field from 100+ exhibiting companies.
LOGIN AND LEARN: NO TRAVEL NEEDED!

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can catch up with the on-demand feature on your schedule.
REGISTER BY JUNE 10 AND SAVE $100!

NO PROMO CODE NEEDED!
WWW.SNMMI.ORG/AM2021
Hospital Spotlight: MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital & MultiCare Allenmore Hospital
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital & MultiCare Allenmore Hospital

Location: Tacoma, Washington (both) Noteworthy distinctions:
Year founded: Tacoma General in 1882, Allenmore in 1929 • Forbes named MultiCare one of “America’s Best Employers
Number of beds: 451 at Tacoma General, 130 at Allenmore by State,” ranking MultiCare in the top third of 36 Washing-
Number of employees: 3,271 at Tacoma General, 672 at Allenmore ton-based organizations across all sectors of industry.
President: Laureen Driscoll • MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital received the SightLife
Vision Award for exceptional performance as well as dem-
Recent developments: onstrated commitment to cornea donation and advocacy.
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital will move out of the building it shares • Pulse Heart Institute at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital was
with MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and into its own stand-alone named one of the top 50 cardiovascular hospitals in the United
building. Construction is underway this year. States by IBM Watson Health
Tacoma General’s Level IV NICU provides the highest level of care
for critically ill infants, serving those down to 22 weeks gestation. The MultiCare network
Tacoma General is the Neonatal Referral Center for Southwest Wash- MultiCare is a not-for-profit health care organization with more
ington. A recent new partnership with Airlift Northwest allows the than 18,000 team members, including employees, providers
Neonatal Transport Team to provide air (helicopter and fixed wing) and volunteers. MultiCare has been serving the community for
transport in addition to ground transport. well over a century, since the founding of Tacoma's first hospi-
tal, and today is the largest community-based, locally governed
Specialties: health system in the state of Washington.
• Cancer MultiCare's comprehensive system of health includes nu-
• Cardiology merous primary care, urgent care and specialty services — in-
• Obstetrics and Gynecology cluding MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care, Pulse Heart Institute and
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, the largest multispecialty clinic in
• Neurosciences the Inland Northwest region. In addition to Tacoma General
• Orthopedics Hospital and Allenmore Hospital, the MultiCare network in-
• Surgical Services cludes eight other hospitals.

2 3
1. The exterior of Tacoma General Hospital, showing the

outside entrance.
2. A skyway between two buildings above ground at

Tacoma General Hospital.
3. An emergency unit in action outside of Tacoma General

Hospital.
4. A skylight brings space and tranquility to a medical

imaging suite at Tacoma General Hospital.
5. Patients, families, and employees passing through one of

the main walkways at Tacoma General Hospital.

Hospital Spotlight
Q&A with
Laureen Driscoll
President of MultiCare’s Tacoma General &
Allenmore Hospitals
Embarking on a new leadership role
during the pandemic
By John W. Mitchell
Laureen Driscoll was appointed presi- He pointed out that the cables to the end General is a tertiary care referral center for
dent of Tacoma General and Allenmore tidal CO2 monitor were too short to reach trauma and higher acuity cases. Allenmore,
hospitals in May of last year. As she as- a patient who might be on the floor. This on the other hand, has been very impor-
sumed leadership during the COVID-19 pan- is the kind of problem an administrator tant in their community in taking care of
demic, we checked in with her about taking doesn’t know about unless they talk to patients during the peak of COVID-19 for
charge and the unique challenges during a staff on the floor. I always keep my eyes admissions who were of lower acuity, but
once-in-a-generation medical event. open, and it’s delightful to be out and still met medical criteria for inpatient care.
Driscoll joined MultiCare in 2016 as vice around to help solve a problem like that. Allenmore also provides a wide range of
president of operations, with the primary Of course, now when I go upon the floors, needed, scheduled community-based ser-
role as operational lead for MultiCare’s ac- I must wear appropriate PPE like a mask vices. These include orthopedics, gynecol-
quisition of Deaconess Hospital, Valley and shield if I am speaking with patients. ogy, urology, general surgery, bariatric sur-
Hospital, and the integration of Rockwood
Health System into MultiCare. Before joining
MultiCare, Driscoll served as chief operating
officer for Swedish Cherry Hill Campus in
In December, I volunteered as a nurse to give
Seattle and vice president of Swedish Heart
and Vascular Institute.
vaccines. I don’t often get to provide hands-on care
HCB News: Who or what inspired
and that was an absolute joy. MultiCare recently
you to follow a career in healthcare
from nurse to administrator?
completed our 100,000th vaccine. I’m really proud
Laureen Driscoll: Early on in my ca-
reer as a charge nurse, I would ask why
of our excellent work in meeting this milestone to
decisions were made because I wanted
to advocate for my patients. Eventually,
protect the community’s health.
I decided I wanted to lead the decision-
making to remove barriers for patient HCB News: You were appointed pres- gery. It also offers emergency care, as well
care at the bedside. We have what we ident of MultiCare’s Tacoma General and as heart and vascular services, for sudden
call the “Golden Hour,” the time of day Allenmore hospitals last year. Why does onset medical emergencies
we set aside to get out in the hospital to it make sense to have one president for
make rounds on the staff and patients. I both hospitals? HCB News: How are you serving pa-
was making rounds one day, and a nurse LD: Both hospitals have a lot in com- tient populations in your service area?
told me about a concern that he had with mon in terms of patient demographics. It LD: We have a very diverse population,
the carts we use when a patient codes gives me a unique perspective and twice and we keep our community needs assess-
(heart stops beating or not breathing). the opportunity to learn and grow. Tacoma ment up to date to make sure we’re best

serving our patients. With the switch from and that was an absolute joy. MultiCare patients, and they like it. We’re also investing
fee-for-service to value healthcare deliv- completed our 100,000th vaccine recently. in providing more care and services at home,
ery, our challenge is to be the lowest-cost I’m really proud of our excellent work in which goes hand in hand with telemedicine.
provider with the best outcomes. That re- meeting this milestone to protect the com-
quires MultiCare to act as a steward of our munity’s health. HCB News: How do you plan to move
resources and to reach out to form commu- MultiCare forward post-COVID-19 pan-
nity partnerships to deliver value care. One HCB News: Are there any initiatives demic?
example is our partnership that offers free or special projects you’re undertaking LD: Fortunately, cases are leveling off in
dental services in South King County for in- or planning to launch? Washington. As I noted, virtual care is here
dividuals on Medicaid, people experiencing LD: We’re working on updating a strate- to stay. And I think this is good for a couple
homelessness or those that are uninsured. gic campus master plan for Tacoma General of reasons. First, it lowers costs for the pa-
This kind of program removes barriers for now because we are building a new Mary tients. And second, we’ve always been inter-
underserved populations. Bridge Children’s Hospital across the street ested in serving more patients through tele-
Another example is if we can safely from our existing campus, with completion medicine, but people just haven’t been ready
move a patient out of the emergency room scheduled in 2024. This will allow us to ex- for it. But because of the pandemic, I think
(the most expensive point-of-entry into the pand into 92,000 square feet once the new our patients see the value now. Something
healthcare system) to an urgent care center children’s hospital moves out. It’s exciting that I haven’t seen in other health systems
or the home. That reduces the cost of care because we’ll be able to expand the care is our Code Lavender program for our em-
to our community. we provide throughout our patients’ entire ployees. It provides needed support for our
lifespans when these projects are finished. staff who may be experiencing stress from
HCB News: So far, what has surprised the realities of the hard work they do. Before
you or impressed you the most about HCB News: How are MultiCare hos- the pandemic, such support was a face-to-
your new position? pitals experiencing and responding to face experience, but now we have a virtual
LD: Taking on a new position in a pan- COVID-19, and in what way do you see network in place. I’ve heard a lot of positive
demic has been a challenge. I have enjoyed healthcare delivery changing perma- feedback about and appreciation for our
helping our leaders and our amazing staff nently? Code Lavender program. It’s very stressful
during the pandemic. Our organization fo- LD: With COVID-19, people don’t want for families not to be with their loved ones
cused on making sure our team has had the to come into the hospital or ER because of a who are ill so it’s been up to our staff to fill
proper protective equipment and support fear of exposure. So we’ve seen a significant in — and it’s hard. Code Lavender helps staff
to care for patients properly. In December, expansion in our telemedicine program, espe- feel appreciated, heard, and empowered to
I volunteered as a nurse to give vaccines. I cially in rural areas. Telemedicine reduces the make changes.
don’t often get to provide hands-on care travel burden, parking, and wayfinding for our Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54568

Imaging Department Manager
Achieving patient-centered
care in imaging
By Stefanie Manack and Judy Zakutny
Patient-centered care their own to help technologists hone these important skills.
involves much more Another consideration is the physical environment. Research
than a patient’s ex- shows that patients correlate a clean, aesthetically pleasing environ-
perience. In the im- ment with quality care. Mammography departments and pediatric
aging space, patient imaging departments have taken the idea of creating a patient-
experience/expecta- centered environment to great heights. From CT rooms for children
tions, patient access, that are outfitted like pirate ships to mammography departments
and operations all play that are more reminiscent of a spa than a clinical area, these touches
a crucial role under the larger umbrella of patient-centered care. are important to the overall impression a patient walks away with.
Think of it as a three-phase approach throughout the patient’s imag- Supply chain may not be the first thing that comes to mind when
ing journey — before the exam, at the exam, and after the exam. one thinks of patient-centered imaging, but this behind-the-scenes
Each of these phases involves many facets that must be taken into piece contributes greatly to patient-centered care. It helps to ensure
consideration to provide truly patient-centered care. that a wide range of supplies is available to accommodate all patient
types, such as appropriately sized adult gowns and pediatric-sized
Before the exam procedure supplies for very petite patients. Comfort pads for mam-
A patient’s first impression of your department begins with schedul- mography exams and gown warmers are other ways of supporting
ing their imaging exam. Difficulty reaching the scheduling depart- your goal of patient-centered care.
ment or waiting on hold to make an appointment are significant
sources of patient dissatisfaction. After the exam
Ensuring schedulers have the tools and training necessary to navi- Patient care does not end when the imaging exam is complete.
gate the complexities of scheduling imaging exams is imperative. The patients are still waiting for their results. This important part of
It’s much more complex than simply finding an open appointment. patient-centered imaging does not get enough attention. Efforts to
The interaction between the scheduler and the patient can include make results available to patients through online patient portals may,
exchange of such information as financial expectations, exam-spe- in come cases, do more harm than good. Radiology reports are com-
cific prep instructions, arrival time versus appointment time, modality plicated and are not designed for a layperson to understand easily.
screening procedures (such as MR safety sheets), medication instruc- The 2015 JACR article entitled “Patients Want to Meet with Imaging
tions, and management of multiple same-day procedures. The goal is Experts” showed 81% of respondents had an interest in reviewing
to ensure that patient expectations are clearly set; they have accurate imaging results with an expert and that 88% felt that expert interac-
information with which to prepare for the exam, and they know when tion would be beneficial. Facilitating direct communication between
and where to arrive, so their exam can be performed without delay. patients and radiologists provides this benefit.
At the exam Patient-centered imaging is so much more than what meets the eye.
The patient’s exam experience starts before they arrive in the depart- Building a patient’s trust in your department before the exam, during
ment. Patients expect easy parking, accommodations for inclement the exam, and after the exam is key. From the ease of reaching the
weather, and adequate signage clearly directing them to the imaging scheduling department to the comprehensibility of results, every step
department. Having these pieces in place may go unnoticed, but not in the patient journey is an opportunity for us to keep the patient at
having them will negatively impact the patient’s experience before the center of everything we do.
they even get to the department. About the Authors: Stefanie Manack (pictured left) has over 16 years
Once in the department,the technologist’s role in communicating of experience in imaging as a technologist, lead technologist and
with the patient is a vital part of the job. Strong interpersonal skills manager. She currently works as a performance partner with Accu-
must be part of every technologist’s skillset. In the fast-paced imaging men Inc. Judy Zakutny (pictured right) has over 35 years of experience
environment, technologists need the training and support to be able in the imaging and healthcare information technology industries. She
to communicate effectively, answer questions, and allay patient fears. currently works as a performance partner with Accumen Inc.
Organizations can use programs such as AIDET or design training of Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54570

Supply Chain Savvy
Can mobile apps help us reach

‘supply Nirvana’?
By Lauren Dubinsky
Mobile apps are the portal to reducing Wigington said that the health system’s “We were able to really flesh out pain
costs and increasing productivity in the Kanban works very well to help identify points and see where the standard process
supply chain world, according to Brent when a product needs to be ordered and wasn’t so standard,” said Shumway.
Wigington, director of operations inte- what the re-order point should be. By over- However, when Shumway’s team
gration at Intermountain Healthcare. laying this system with a mobile app, nurse’s brought this feedback to the technicians
He explained to a virtual room of supply order times are reduced to about 20 minutes whose job it was to develop the app,
chain providers at last year’s AHRMM annual per week, down from 5 hours per week. there was pushback. Many of the features
meeting that apps can do this by minimizing “Product overstock and outdates are that the end-users wanted were difficult
the total cost of ownership of ordering and also reduced to zero because the nurse to develop.
distributing products. only orders what they need to fill the bin “We took a field trip with the developers
“This includes things like labor, ex- and nothing more,” he added. “While the and had them shadow employees as they
pired products, excess inventory, counting, nurse is maintaining the integrity of the did their day-to-day work with our current
stocking and all the other things that are Kanban system, their frustration with sup- applications and current processes,” said
involved in that process,” he added. “By ply bingo is over and they’ve really reached Shumway. “There’s nothing like shadowing
the end of the presentation, we want you ‘supply Nirvana’.” to reinforce that your standard processes
to learn some additional tools to improve Cynthia Shumway, director of business may or may not be as standard.”
processes without expensive system pro- applications for supply chain and shared ser- The resulting product was a one-stop
gramming.” vices at the health system, was instrumental tool for supply chain caregivers to do their
One of the major sources of supply in getting this mobile app up and going. file maintenance, print the labels and scan
chain inefficiency is the lack of inventory The health system first implemented for reordering. Users no longer had to go
management training on the part of nurs- Kanban primarily in their acute care settings back and forth between the ERP system be-
es. Wigington referenced this love-hate as well as a few non-acute care settings with cause about 99 percent of that work is done
relationship between nurses and supplies supply chain personnel. The workflow re- on the mobile app.
— they need the supplies, but they have to quired them to go between the mobile apps In the non-acute care settings with-
spend valuable patient-facing time order- and their enterprise resource planning (ERP) out supply chain personnel, nursing can
ing them. system, which made it a “clunky” process use the app to scan their badge, which
“I have not yet worked with a nurse who and required a deep understanding of sup- identifies who they are, and then they
said that they were trained as a part-time ply chain terms. will scan the bin’s bar code. The app’s
inventory manager,” he quipped. “Nurses “I suspect everyone here is supply chain- algorithms identify what they should
just order supplies to make sure that they related, so you don’t realize that we speak order to fill the bin.
have something to treat their patients when a foreign language,” said Shumway. “But By combining the health system’s Kan-
they need it.” when you start to work with a clinician, they ban and their mobile app, Intermountain
Typically, nurses order more supplies don’t know what you’re talking about.” is able to reduce their ordering time by 85
than necessary because they don’t get into As Intermountain expanded to other percent.
trouble for excess stock, but they have big non-acute care settings, they knew they “[Now] we don’t have wrong products
consequences for not having enough. As a needed to design an app that simplifies being ordered, we don’t have wrong unit
result, the yearly overstock rate will be high- the process for those who don’t speak this measures being ordered, and we don’t order
er and many of those products will expire in “language.” big, unnecessary quantities just because it’s
the meantime. The first thing Shumway and her team simple to do that,” said Shumway.
Intermountain Healthcare has experi- did was include end-users in the design Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54577
mented with the use of Kanban as a solu- process by asking for feedback. They want-
tion, which is a supply chain optimization ed to know what aspects of the system
tool that replenishes supplies on a visual, bothered the users and what would make
predefined, pull basis. their job easier.

Purchasing Insights
HTM and the changing face of

technology
By James Laskaris
Tr a d i t i o n a l B i o - With varying needs and markets, few censes and upgrades have become the
Med/Clinical En- industries have the luxury of access to one- norm, thus adding to the cost of ownership.
gineering depart- size-fits-all technologies. Unique markets Hospital profit margins over the last
ments have had to have motivated hospitals to develop their 10 years hover in the 4–6% range, but as
evolve to address own technological environment designed to many as a quarter of facilities operate in
the changing de- provide care relative to their patient mix. This the red. This has led to a focus on service
mands of health- requires a combination of multiple technolo- as a way to lower costs. A hospital must
care. Reflect- gies and vendors, thus making the goal of generate $20 in revenue for every dollar in
ing their increased responsibilities, “plug and play” difficult at best. costs. Fortunately, multiple service options
departments have transitioned to To address this, Bio-Med and IT depart- are available to control costs without com-
Healthcare Technology Management ments have begun to work closely with each promising outcomes. These include mul-
(HTM) programs. The Bio-Med disci- other and with vendors to manage the net- tiple vendors, hospital-wide, third-party,
pline first gained the spotlight in the early work. When individual service contracts are and in-house service options. Each has its
1970s when Ralph Nader reported that required, clearly defined services, rights, and own benefits and drawbacks; risks must be
hospitalized patients faced an increased responsibilities of each party should be indi- balanced with savings.
risk from electrocution and operating cated. Still, the bottom line is the network One key method of controlling costs
room fires. Technology has since rapidly and its ability to assist in delivering health- is to “think ahead before the purchase”.
evolved with computers, networking, and care, which remains the responsibility of the A comprehensive HTM program includes
patient safety playing an increasing role in hospital. To facilitate this, a manager within evaluation of new technology and its service
medical device design. This has led to IT the facility should be identified to take re- options. Part of the capital budget process
and safety concerns playing a much big- sponsibility for the hospital’s network func- should involve sign-off by the department
ger role in direct patient care than even tions and upkeep. director and Bio-Med staff on their recom-
a few years ago, as directed by “Pay for Service is still an important issue when mendations for maintaining the technology.
Performance” initiatives. technology is involved. Along with the initial This allows department and material man-
HTM departments will always have a pri- expense of acquiring technology, service can agers to have clear goals when negotiating
mary focus on equipment maintenance, but be a significant factor in its overall cost of service on the technology.
now they have a larger role in cost control, ownership. Each year the U.S. healthcare in- Considering service over the life of a
networking, life cycle planning, cyberse- dustry will spend over $18 billion to provide technology in addition to capital costs al-
curity, and recall management and safety service on medical technology. This accounts lows negotiators to get a true picture for
committee coordination. Devices and de- for 3 – 6% of what the original technology cost comparison of vendors and models. It is
partments such as X-ray equipment, CT, costs per year (IT accounts for up to 20% at this point that the vendor is most flexible
lab technology, or even medical records per year). Still, it’s a small amount compared with pricing and service options. After the
— previously stand-alone systems — are to a facility’s overall costs for labor (50%) or sale, the vendor has all the leverage. The key
now networked to save costs and improve consumables (15–20%). is to have a plan well before the warranty ex-
efficiencies and safety. It is an evolving pro- Service can also be an important revenue pires. Among the multiple tools available are
cess that brings technology, physicians, and stream for vendors, accounting for up to FDA recalls and the FDA MAUDE database.
patients together and is commonly referred 40% of total revenue. This is especially true These will give potential buyers an indication
to as “Medical Home”. The downside: it’s a with high-end technology providers (robot- of a technology’s general service history.
complicated practice in which technology ics, imaging, lab, IT) or systems with a long About the author: James Laskaris, EE, BME is
has evolved beyond the “box”. The result life cycle (sterilizers, beds, lights). Profit mar- a clinical expert at TractManager, now a part
is a new dimension in the service market by gins on vendor service plans can reach 50%. of symplr.
adding software, wireless, internet, and net- This has become especially evident for new Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54574
working concerns. IT-focused technologies where software li-

People on the Move
People on the Move are the healthcare innovators and thought leaders bringing outstanding reputations with them as
they take on new challenges in their careers. We spotlight a different person every day at: dotmed.com/news/on-the-move
Crystal Denlinger Rhonda Abbott Dr. James Moses
National Comprehensive Cancer Memorial Hermann appoints senior Spectrum Health hires senior vice
Network hires chief scientific officer vice president and CEO of TIRR president of quality, safety and
Memorial Hermann patient experience
Chuck Stevens Bryan Beckedahl Don Bisbee
REAL Radiology, LLC appoints new CEO Prairie Lakes Healthcare System ValueHealth names CEO
appoints director of radiology
Nestor Jaramillo, Jr. Dr. Mary Beth Cunnane Mark Erceg
CHF Solutions appoints president Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass Gener- Cerner names chief financial officer
and CEO al Brigham, appoints new chief of radiology
Do you know someone on the move? Email us at news@dotmed.com

Achieving Automation
Q&A with
Polina Braunstein
CEO of Quake Global
RTLS and beyond:

Toward full hospital automation
By Gus Iversen
Real-time location systems are an im- HCB News: Can you give an example men process optimization — all of these
portant tool for hospitals. But full hospital of a typical hospital process you think data streams and more exist. Implementing
automation depends on integrating RTLS needs improving? a system may take a month or two, thereaf-
with the hospital’s other data points and sys- PB: Room rotation is a huge factor. It’s im- ter process improvement opportunities are
tems. While full automation and its benefits possible for hospitals to generate the proper truly endless for any hospital.
may seem like a distant possibility, it may be rotation of patients, staff, surgical teams, and
in reach for most hospitals today. sanitation services without understanding HCB News: What are the financial
which rooms are open in real time. And not implications of this type of automation?
HCB News: How should healthcare just which rooms are open, but their exact PB: For any hospital use case ROI can be
providers think about the potential of status. Was there a COVID-19 patient in the realized in six to 12 months, while also dra-
RTLS? room? If so, disinfection standards are higher matically improving the patient experience,
Polina Braunstein: RTLS is critical for impacting rotation speed. staff satisfaction, and reorientation around
putting the right asset in the right place at It’s no stretch to say hospitals experience continual improvement.
the right time. But in many ways it is unde- an hour loss per operating room change-
HCB News: How exactly is that re-
rutilized in healthcare today. Too often RTLS over. Preventing a day’s worth of losses can
turn achieved?
is used as a closed system, feeding a single enable an additional surgery per day.
PB: It depends on where the hospital
stream of data points into a dashboard. Most of those logistics are currently han-
starts the automation — in the ICU? The
True, RTLS can help minimize the time dled verbally—but automating that process
operating room? Wherever you implement
nurses spend looking for an infusion pump or can significantly streamline operations.
such a system, visibility, efficiency and com-
a wheelchair — and those hours do add up.
HCB News: Do you have another ex- munication are immediately improved across
But can RTLS assure temperature monitor-
ample? all hospital functions leading to greater, ac-
ing for a sensitive COVID vaccine? Or alert a
PB: Yes, the patient checkout process. It tionable insights.
pre-op team when a room is not only empty
often takes a hospital hours to check out a pa- One area shown to yield immediate and
but also clean? Can it integrate with systems
tient — but so much of that time is unnecessary sizeable savings is in specimen tracking. Mayo
necessary to make a surgery successful, in-
delay. It should take between 30–45 minutes published its automated specimen tracking re-
cluding room preparation, staging the right
for check out and to clean the room with RTLS sults, which recouped $2 million in labor costs
instrumentation and anesthesia, while con-
orchestrating synchronized communications in the first year. This is an important example
necting to pharmacy and discerning patient
between everyone in the workflow chain. too, because it touches on the risk of not auto-
location — and alert everyone in that chain if
mating. When medical personnel dispense the
a patient is delayed or there is a problem with
HCB News: What does this take in wrong medication to the patient, or mistakenly
the room? The answer is yes to this and more.
terms of technology? lose or even destroy specimen evidence — all
When RTLS is integrated across all ex-
PB: Many of these systems are already up of this has patient life-or-death consequences
isting systems within a hospital — security
and running so it’s not as difficult to connect and massive liability for the organization.
cameras, communication systems, specimen
them as people might think. From security RTLS offers important insights, it’s true.
refrigerators, registration and billing systems
footage to asset tracking, and staff alloca- But genuine operational efficiency is contin-
— then a hospital meets the need for wide-
tion to billable events related to milestones gent on having access to the total picture.
scale process improvement.
in terms of patient flow, to pathology speci- Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54607

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AAMI
Q&A with
Steve Campbell
AAMI acting president and CEO
Discussing the state of HTM and
upcoming AAMI Exchange
By Sean Ruck
With the safety of attendees in mind, HCB News: How did your previous HCB News: Did you hear anything
the Association for the Advancement of career in journalism help prepare you unexpected during your listening
Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has an- for this? tour or was there any confirmation of
nounced that the 2021 AAMI Exchange SC: On the surface, you might not think thoughts you had regarding challenges
will be held as a fully virtual event, from there is a lot in common between journalism or opportunities?
June 7-11. The decision was made after and AAMI. But in looking back, my experience SC: I would say there were some com-
consulting with sponsors, exhibitors, speak- in journalism helped a great deal. As a journal- mon themes that emerged. One would be
ers, and attendees; and after reviewing data ist, you need to grasp issues quickly, understand that AAMI members place high value on
about the COVID pandemic nationally and in all sides of an issue, adapt to all different types and appreciate AAMI staff, the quality of our
the host city of Charlotte, NC. While circum- of people, respond to situations quickly, multi- programming, conference center, the work
stances related to the pandemic are improv- task, and know how to grab the attention of we did on the pandemic, and our relation-
ing, significant health risks remain. your audience. I use all of those traits at AAMI ships with external organizations including
Recently, HealthCare Business News every day. Journalists, for the most part, are also the FDA, the Joint Commission, and other
reached out to AAMI’s acting president and practical, and that’s important at AAMI. Our organizations. Those were all reaffirming
CEO, Steve Campbell, to talk more about members depend on us to develop practical, attributes to the organization.
the news and how AAMI is preparing for the quality guidance so it’s been a good fit. In terms of areas where we could im-
event, and what attendees should expect. prove, I heard several comments about
In addition, Campbell discussed the unique HCB News: You stepped into the role improving our IT — website and IT tools
times and issues facing healthcare technol- of acting president in December, how to streamline the use of member benefits
ogy and the priorities of AAMI and the field. has that experience been so far? through our online platforms, which we are
SC: The transition has been very smooth. working on. In a way, that too was reaffirm-
HCB News: Tell us a bit about your Of course, we miss Rob Jensen. Thankfully, ing, to know current projects are important
background in healthcare and with AAMI? AAMI has a great staff leadership team and to members.
Steve Campbell: To be candid, I got into board of directors, and a strategic plan that The conversations sparked a lot of ideas
the field by accident. Although I earned my is guiding our work. about how to promote different programs
degree in business administration, I fell in Since I became acting president and and initiatives to consider pursuing. Our
love with journalism early in my career. Over CEO, I have been on a listening tour to leadership team has gone through notes
time, I became a journalist in Washington, evaluate everything we do and where we from those conversations to develop action
D.C. covering healthcare and other issues. could improve. I have interviewed staff and items to pursue.
Then, in 2000, I was ready for a change and leadership, other organizations, the FDA,
landed a job at AAMI as editor of our journal, and our corporate and hospital members. HCB News: Were the improvements
BI&T. Over the years, I worked my way up at During these discussions, I always stress that to online platforms being worked on
AAMI to director to vice president, senior vice I value candor. That’s really important to me. prior to the pandemic or was the pan-
president, and then COO — a position I held If someone has a concern about AAMI or demic a catalyst for moving that work
over the last six years. In December, when an idea, they just need to be upfront and onto the list?
Rob Jensen retired as AAMI’s president, the candid. Candor helps us solve problems and SC: These were things being worked on
leaders of the AAMI board of directors asked strengthens the organization and field. pre-pandemic. AAMI members had a lot of
me to serve as acting president and CEO.

great things to say about our virtual experi- HCB News: Can you share some of HCB News: Two of the big topics in
ence during the pandemic — our meetings, the key initiatives AAMI will be focusing healthcare in recent years are AI and big
trainings and other events. It’s been a very on over the next year? data. Have either of those areas result-
smooth transition. SC: We have several major initiatives that ed in big discussions for AAMI?
What I was referring to is that we under- will be launched this year. For example, the SC: Our vice president of innovation is
went a major change in our database in 2019, U.S. Department of Labor has approved a new tackling both those topics. Discussions about
as well as our website and other platforms. AAMI apprenticeship program designed to machine learning, AI in medical devices, and
Whenever you make significant changes, help hospitals standardize and elevate the level big data all feed into our standards pro-
there are sometimes bumps in the road and of training of entry-level of biomedical equip- gram’s newly formed AAMI AI Committee,
those are the issues that we are resolving now. ment technicians (BMETs). Of course, many our conference planning, and our webinars.
BMETs are trained at some great schools. Oth- We’re also looking at it from a strategic
HCB News: Something like going ers are trained on the job, and this apprentice- standpoint to determine how those tech-
online to look up continuing education ship program is designed to help the latter. nologies will affect our field and what we
units and that type of thing since the Another major HTM project this year is can do to address them.
database isn’t linked up the way it was an overhaul of our HTM Levels Guide, which
in the past? will be offered for the first time as an online, HCB News: Tell us about the decision
SC: Right. Another example is that our interactive resource. It’s also an effort to help to turn the AAMI Exchange into a vir-
corporate members want the ability to main- strengthen and elevate the field. tual conference this year.
tain their roster of employees who are AAMI In September, we will also host the 4th SC: It was a tough decision. We all see
members, and there were some hiccups International Clinical Engineering and Health progress relative to the pandemic and vac-
with that process. We want to give them Technology Management Congress in Flori- cine rollout. That said, we just aren’t there
what they want: to be empowered to make da. We organized this event with the Clinical yet in terms of safety. Many of our speakers
their own changes. Engineering Division of IFMBE; and it will and attendees are facing travel bans with
We have two primary goals with IT: to focus on clinical engineering through an in- their employer, and the conference center
make them streamlined and easy to use for ternational lens, bringing together leading has very tight limitations on the use of space.
members and customers, and to help us experts from across the globe. Bottom line: it all came down to whether we
grow as an organization. could have a viable conference that would
HCB News: Other than the pandemic, ensure the safety of our attendees. Though
HCB News: In what ways has AAMI what key challenges do AAMI members we would have liked to have come together
switched gears to support its members face? in person, we are enthusiastic about the
during the pandemic? SC: The AAMI membership is quite di- unique opportunities of a virtual Exchange.
SC: Before answering that, I want to verse, so the challenges really depend on the
thank everyone in healthcare for everything member. For our manufacturers, regulatory HCB News: What are you most look-
they have done during the pandemic. We issues and global harmonization are always ing forward to at the conference?
on the AAMI team are proud to represent very important. They are also very interested in SC: I do not want this to be just another
them — from the manufacturers of technol- making sure AAMI’s standards development virtual event. We’ve had enough of those af-
ogy to the hospital workers, who have been process is efficient. In the HTM area, AAMI ter one year of the pandemic! So, our energy
truly heroic. continues to step up our efforts to promote and the incredible support of our community
Just after the pandemic hit a year ago, the field as a career option and strengthen the is now focused on making an innovative,
the AAMI leadership team began meeting recognition of the field to clinicians and the practical, and special event. We’re working
early each morning to coordinate our re- C-suite and make resources available to all. hard with our presenters, exhibitors, spon-
sponse. The question was always: “what sors, main stage speakers, and AAMI staff to
can we do to help?” HCB News: Who should consider create five days of programming, featuring
In response, we created a central area membership in AAMI? live broadcasts from AAMI headquarters and
of the AAMI website where we house all SC: One of AAMI’s strengths is our diversi- around the country. We’ll be presenting live
resources designed to help in the pandemic. ty of members. That’s essential to everything interviews with HTM thought leaders, prod-
We made relevant helpful standards free. we do — developing standards and educa- uct demos, audience Q&A, and much more.
We created new standards specifically de- tional events and facilitating network events I am also looking forward to connecting
signed to help during the pandemic. We and information sharing. So anyone engaged with our community and hearing what they
organized and hosted several webinars to in healthcare technology — from research- think of this format. The Exchange has al-
share best practices and experiences. We ers, manufacturers, and regulators to clini- ways been about networking and the sharing
shared educational content with local edu- cians, engineers, technicians and students of great ideas and that will continue online.
cators who were forced to teach virtually. — should be part of the AAMI community. Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54564

AAMI
DOTmed advertiser special section
Leading Companies in HTM

BETA Biomed Services, Inc. ISS
BETA Biomed Services, Inc. specializes in high-quality, cost-effective, At ISS, we’re fully committed to providing our clients with tailored
repair or replacement of patient cables. While we specialize in PULSE services and solutions that deliver enhanced performance and ROI,
OX SENSOR CABLES, we also repair, or replace FETAL MONITORING even in an environment of dwindling resources and increasing chal-
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cians to work with you to achieve the desired results. Support and Parts Identification, Training, Depot repair with robust
We are an FDA registered device manufacturer as well as ISO loaner inventory, Injector Sales and extended imaging services (com-
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the globe. Additionally, Canon Medical is the industry leader in creat- array of parts for almost all laboratory centrifuges. Included are new &
ing partnerships through service, education, and financial solutions remanufactured motors, new and remanufactured circuit boards, new
that strive to improve the quality of life for all people. and remanufactured latches as well as other parts, from the feet to the
lid and from the hinges to the touch panel. We provide a wide variety
EQ2 of new centrifuges as well as remanufactured units from a wide variety
Let the ultramodern EQ2 HEMS® CMMS transform your team’s abil- of manufacturers. We provide depot repair for units and flat rate repair
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tion on demand; powerful mobile app accessible even when discon- Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improv-
nected from the network; interoperability; complete equipment ing people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health
lifecycle management; numerous integrations. continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treat-
We are “dedicated entirely to healthcare” and offer both cloud- ment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and
based SaaS or in-house server options. deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions.
philips.com/healthcare
Fukuda Denshi USA, Inc.
Fukuda is a global healthcare technology company dedicated to Richardson Healthcare
delivering the highest quality products. For over 80 years, Fukuda Richardson Healthcare is A Better Choice for high-quality products
has improved people's health worldwide through the development and cost-effective solutions for imaging service. We support a
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Fukuda focuses on physiological monitoring solutions that gather pa- tubes - all backed by 24/7 technical support and hands-on service
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Connexus, our health information exchange platform, integrates the how we can partner together to make your team stronger and
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Tenacore is an ISO certified healthcare tech-
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WE ARE
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USOC Medical is a biomedical equipment Lower Costs and Maximize
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+ With 24/7 technical support and next-flight-out shipments
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AAMI
HTM Company Newsbriefs

Updates from top health technology companies
Canon Medical Parts ordered online are eligible for reduced states Marina Sun, service programs man-
Canon Medical is pleased to present our rates of 15 percent off the listed price. ager. "We are excited to offer a solution that
new e-commerce parts logistics solution "Canon continuously strives to improve our provides improved cost savings, increased
Medical Marketplace. Medical Marketplace service solutions to better serve our custom- efficiencies, and enhanced productivity."
provides an online shopping experience ers. Medical Marketplace makes it easy to For more information and to experience
where customers can explore Canon Medi- find OEM parts at a reduced price and helps Canon's new parts ordering platform, visit
cal's parts inventory at their convenience. maximize efficiencies through 24/7 access," marketplace.us.medical.canon.
DOTmed.com, Inc. introduces

Hosted Auction service
DOTmed.com, the leading online medi-
cal equipment marketplace, has been the
number one healthcare technology auction
platform for over 20 years. As of Novem-
ber 2020, they are empowering vendors
to host their own live auction events on
location, with buyers placing bids online
around the world.
Over the past six months, DOTmed has
hosted 39 such events for five vendors.
Through those auctions, 4,835 lots of medi-
We are... cal equipment have been sold to over 287
unique buyers located in 23 different coun-
tries. The success of those auctions has led
• ISO 13485:2016 certified
to increased interest in the new Hosted
• 99.4% parts success rate Auction service, with 22 events already
scheduled to take place in May and June.
• 24/7/365 technical support
Hosted Auctions are an innovative new
• 80+ field service engineers way to connect your on-site surplus assets
with the global medical equipment mar-
• Present in all 50 states
ket. Contact DOTmed today to learn more
• 60+ loaners about Hosted Auctions and what they
could do for you.
• Level 2 training
• Part of the family
Fortuneline Business Consulting
Fortuneline Business Consulting (FBC)
delivers a webinar on “ISO 13485:2016
We are and its relevance to HTM Professionals
for Georgia Biomedical Instrumenta-
Your comprehensive injector solution tion Society (GBIS)”
Driving awareness of Quality Management
Standards in Healthcare.
To learn more visit WeAreISS.com or call 888.667.1062 Roswell, GA

On April 06, 2021, Fortuneline Business results from the following eight health- About Vizzia Technologies
Consulting delivered a webinar on “ISO care systems: Wake Forest Baptist Health; Vizzia is a software and managed service
13485:2016 and its relevance to HTM Pro- Adventist Health White Memorial; Tex- provider of real-time location systems
fessionals for the Georgia Biomedical In- as Health Presbyterian Dallas Hospital; (RTLS) and advanced process improvement
strumentation Society”. The Webinar was CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital; Oregon solutions for healthcare organizations. Its
part of GBIS mission to drive awareness Medical Group; Mission Hospital; Pied- award-winning software platform provides
on emerging trends in healthcare to their mont Healthcare; and Emory Decatur real-time, actionable data and process vis-
participating members. The webinar was Hospital. This objective, industry presen- ibility to improve enterprise efficiencies and
well attended and received rave reviews tation will focus on clinical use cases and patient care for leading health systems,
from participants. biomedical results. The presenter is Dave hospitals, and clinics.
Wiedman, CCO of Vizzia Technologies
Quality Management System (QMS) Imple- and a Board Director of the Georgia Bio-
mentations medical Instrumentation Society (GBIS), a
ISO 13485:2016 Certification is an Inter- state affiliate of AAMI.
national Standard built around the FDA’s
Quality Systems Regulations. “Implement-
ing an ISO 13485: 2016 Certification,”
is a grueling process for OEM’s and Inde-
pendent Service Organizations said Leovi SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR
COMPLEX DEVICES
Curso, Sales & Project Manager at FBC. It is
best to partner with an external consulting
firm when implementing a Quality Man-
agement System. Since arduous efforts
are put in by suppliers, it is equally impor-
tant for HTM professionals to understand
the relevance of the certification in their
day-to-day jobs and align the principles of
Quality Management to their respective
Healthcare organization.
Founded in 2007, FBC is a leader in
driving world class management solu-
tions for small and medium health care
enterprise business through a broad
portfolio of Technology Implementation,
Operations Improvement, and Business
Development services. QMS Implemen- Check out our new website usocmedical.com
tations are part of Fortuneline Business
Consulting portfolio. Contact Us Today for All Your Device Needs!
For more information on Fortuneline
Business Consulting and Quality Manage-
ment Implementations visit: SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR
www.fortunelinebc.com PATIENT MONITORING

PARTS • PATIENT CABLES
Vizzia Technologies Presents at MANUFACTURERS
AAMI Exchange 2021 PHILIPS • GE • COROMETRICS

SPACELABS • MINDRAY • DATEX-OHMEDA
Real–Time Location Systems (RTLS) of
WELCH ALLYN • MASIMO • NELLCOR
Devices & Improved Patient Outcomes
CARE FUSION • SECHRIST
20 MORGAN • IRVINE, CA 92618
(Thursday June 9, 2021 from 2–3pm).
CALL: 1.855.888.8762 VISIT: USOCMEDICAL.COM
Join this session for an explanation of
clinical applications and multiple success ISO 9001:2015 Certified
stories. Learn from RTLS deployments and

NEW
HTM
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
The following are just some of the products and services that will be on display during the virtual
2021 AAMI Exchange.To view these products online, or to share with colleagues, visit dotmed.
com and enter the code DM 54606 in the search window, or enter the address www.dotmed.com/
PRODUCT
news/54606 in your browser.
SHOWCASE
ALTA750®
Richardson Healthcare
The ALTA750® is a form, fit and function replacement for the Toshiba/Canon
Medical Systems CXB-750D/4A CT tube. It is certified on OEM platforms, in-
cluding the Aquilion 4- through 64-slice and the PRIME (Gen. 1). The ALTA750
is CE approved and is available with a 12-month warranty (certain restrictions
apply). Stocked in 6 locations around the world and ready to ship today!
Medical Marketplace
Canon Medical
Canon Medical's new e-commerce parts logistics solution, Medical Mar-
ketplace, provides an online shopping experience where customers can
explore the Canon Medical parts inventory at their convenience 24/7.
Parts ordered online are eligible for reduced rates of 15 percent off the
listed price. This online tool offers a solution that provides improved cost
savings, increased efficiencies, and enhanced productivity to all custom-
ers. For more information, visit marketplace.us.medical.canon.
Cybersecurity Service Gateway*

Canon Medical
Canon Cybersecurity Service Gateway* bundles industry- RapidCHECK™ Software
leading cybersecurity solutions for unparalleled defense with Advanced Electron Density Phantom
Sun Nuclear
against malicious attacks. We secure patient information
CT-to-electron density calibration is a key step to achieving high-
using a multilayered, proactive approach protecting against
quality delivery of radiation therapy. Sun Nuclear’s Advanced Electron
unauthorized access, meeting highest levels of security and
Density Phantom accurately mimics tissue per ICRU-44 standards.
customer privacy expectations while guarding against down-
Plus, it contains patented rod markers that automatically identify
time and excessive security and maintenance costs. Gateway
materials during a CT scan when used with RapidCHECK™ software
Gold includes a secure firewall, VPN and PHI/PII protection,
– minimizing risks from rod misplacement, phantom rotation, or
and remote system diagnosis. Our Gateway Platinum solu-
incorrect selection of ROIs. RapidCHECK software then automatically
tion** is OEM agnostic* and provides a NextGen firewall, SHOWCASE generates physical density and electron density tables for export.
advanced intrusion prevention, a secure VPN, and customiz-
Together, RapidCHECK and the Advanced Electron Density Phan-
able reports and alerts to keep customer IT teams and Canon
PRODUCT tom automate tedious, repetitive, and error-prone tasks for more
Risk Management notified on malicious activity and network
efficient, precise treatment planning system calibration.
traffic. *select systems/service agreement ** additional cost
Learn more at sunnuclear.com/products/rapidcheck-software
36 HealthCare Business News I may 2021

NEW www.dotmed.com/news
WEN
TCUDORP
ESACWOHS
InfoView Asset Management
Philips
With Philips InfoView, you can manage the lifecycle of
all your clinical assets through standardized data, guided
service work-orders, and automated reporting. New
features and service solutions include inventory auditing, Digiflow 2000
parts procurement, equipment distribution and built-in Netech Corporation
IT data to help you assess cybersecurity risks. Our scal-
Netech Corporation has launched a new line of improved
able, cloud-based solution helps you manage your data
gas flow meters. The Digiflow 2000 is an unparalleled
driven insights with ease, efficiency and savings.
device providing its users with remarkable value. This micro-
controller-based, mass-flow meter has been thoughtfully
designed for precision measurements of multiple gases
including Air, N2, O2, CO2, N2O and Arg. It measures true
gas flow that is independent of temperature and pressure
changes. The Digiflow 2000 is now available in five differ-
ent flow ranges: 1 LPM, 5 LPM, 10 LPM, 15 LPM and 20
LPM. Learn more at netechcorp.us
T.Care
Tenacore
T.Care is Tenacore's in-hospital preventative maintenance and minor repair
support solution for infusion pumps and oxygen blenders. More significant
repairs identified during these projects are sent to a regional depot location
to go through a comprehensive, quality service and repair process. This so-
lution offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative to utilizing multiple
vendors, decreases turnaround time, minimizes disruption, and creates
streamlined regulatory tracking and reporting. For more information, please
call 800.297.2241 or email info@tenacore.com.
Bayer CV Injector Upgrade Exclusively

Philips Multi-Vendor Services
Upgrade your CV Suite with the MEDRAD® Mark 7 Arterion Injection System. Exclusively
through Philips Multi-Vendor Services, you can replace your MEDRAD® Mark IV/V or ProVis
injectors with a New Arterion injector configuration of your choice via a comprehensive
service agreement program backed by Bayer. Capital expenses are simply funded through
the full-service program. Save money by funding your capital replacement through your
service contract, and get great service from two trusted Advisors; Philips and Bayer.
Contact Philips Multi-Vendor Services for more information, www.philips.com/mvs.

Help Wanted
Training the HTM workforce

of tomorrow
By John R. Fischer
Last year, Danielle McGeary saw nine training programs for

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
biomedical engineering technicians (BMETs) close at universi-
predicts nearly 3,000 new BMET
ties across the U.S. This, she says, has become common due to positions will be available by 2029.
lack of enrollment, with some programs only recruiting two or three
people a year. “Academic institutions have to make revenue off their
programs and if people aren’t enrolling in them, they aren’t going to
stay,” McGeary, vice president of health technology management for
AAMI, told HCB News.
As a result, a deficit of trained BMETs is creating challenges
for clinical engineering departments at many hospitals. This has
elicited concerns for the profession as over 60% of the workforce
is beyond 50 and inching closer to retirement in the next 10-15
years. To prevent an even wider deficit, AAMI has teamed up with
the U.S. Department of Labor to establish the national BMET ap-
prenticeship program, designed to recruit entry-level professionals
into the roles of BMETs.
Ending the deficit

The national BMET apprenticeship program is the brainchild of
biomed Margaret (“Maggie”) Berkey. For years, Berkey noticed
a lack of individuals studying to become BMETs as well as a lack of
“vital encounters” among those who were training for the profes- The U.S. Department of Labor will audit the program to ensure
sion. “The number one problem that we’ve been facing for longer it is running smoothly and has listed it in its national apprenticeship
than I’ve been in the field is that nobody knows about biomeds, database. AAMI will jumpstart recruitment by connecting with high
healthcare technology management,” she said. “This is the best kept school guidance counselors across the country, especially those in
secret in the world.” STEM, Magnet and Charter schools. But McGeary says BMET em-
She presented her idea at the AAMI annual conference in 2019 ployer participation is key. “If there are no participating employers,
before the HTM shark tank — an AAMI version of the popular TV there will be no apprentices.”
show — and connected the association with the U.S. Department of In addition to hands-on experience, apprentices are required
Labor. Together, the two organizations came up with a structure for to achieve three forms of certification, including the Certified Bio-
the apprenticeship and submitted it for regulatory approval, which it medical Equipment Technician candidate status. The other two are
obtained in March of this year. a certification in IT fundamentals; and AAMI’s new CABT (Certified
Under the program, trainees will receive 4,000 to 6,000 hours of Associate of Biomedical Technology) certification. CBET certification
paid, on-the-job training in safety, electronics, anatomy, and infor- can boost recognition of a BMET’s skills and be obtained by those
mation technology. BMET employers interested in participating can who hold a two-year degree and two years work experience; or if
enroll with AAMI and begin posting apprenticeship positions and hir- they have no degree, four years of work experience. Those who lack
ing apprentices. Those interested in becoming an apprentice simply the experience can still take the test and be placed in a candidate
apply to the open positions posted and once hired, are trained on a status if they pass. They officially become certified upon obtaining
curriculum developed by AAMI and vetted by over 100 HTM profes- the years of hands-on experience they need.
sionals. Overseeing them are senior BMETs who provide hands-on The CABT is especially important for recruitment according to Mc-
opportunities to get them ready for the real world upon completion Geary, as it is an entry level certification that can be obtained by those
of their apprenticeship. with only a high school diploma or a GED. “These emerging HTM

professionals can obtain that certification
and it’s good for five years. After five years, The national BMET apprenticeship pro-
they’re now eligible to become a CBET.” She gram offers people interested in the field
the chance to be trained by experienced
adds that AAMI has seen a “huge correla-
BMETs in safety, electronics, anatomy,
tion” among professionals who become information technology and more.
certified early in their career and those who
are most likely to maintain their certification
throughout it.
A mass exodus
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts
nearly 3,000 new BMET positions will be
available by 2029. To expand the number
of BMETs, recruitment at the high school
and college levels is essential, according to
Ken Ottenberg, head of operations for
HSS, which provides managed security and
HTM services for healthcare organizations.
“I think a lot of us who got into the industry
fell into it by accident versus it being our pri-
mary focus. Most of us never knew about it
when we looked at higher education. I think A future for HTM professionals fessionals compared to smaller, critical ac-
there’s the opportunity to let people know While the program is expected to help cess hospitals where the HTM department is
HTM is out there. Knowing there is a viable, bridge the deficit of BMETs entering the only one or two people. “How do we make
long-term career, and it offers flexibility and field, HTM professionals, departments and sure those people are trained to a minimum
growth is great for our profession.” college programs can take additional steps standard? When it’s just one or two people
Not all who enter the profession go to address the issue. The first, according to taking care of all the equipment they don’t
through a two-year or four-year BMET pro- Ottenberg, is getting the word out about have as much time to be mentoring or train-
gram in school. Many come from IT or some what a BMET does and the role they play in ing a new employee.”
type of electronics background and are hospitals and healthcare systems. Mackeil says another helpful idea is to
trained by HTM departments and hospitals “We at HSS have done some really good help the BMET candidate through the on-
on their own. As a result, more experienced things with our high schools and junior boarding process. “Many hospitals have
BMETs are concerned that entry-level ones high, and through our partnership with massive bureaucracy. It may take days or
do not possess the same hands-on training CABMET (Colorado Association of Biomedi- weeks for HR to churn through what they
they received. cal Equipment Technicians),” he said. “We do. I would assign a member of the de-
“I grew up building model planes, work- have tried to embrace the belief that if we partment to be a mentor to the person
ing on cars and bikes and computers. In high can bring the industry to people it will foster coming onboard while they’re waiting
school, I took four years of science and shop their curiosity.” to be accepted, someone should keep in
class with wood, metal, machine tools, and Ottenberg believes its takes “an overall touch with them and make sure every-
electronics. These skills have served me in- broad and rounded skill set” to be a com- thing is on track.”
credibly well, along with the benefit of being petent BMET with assets such as a “good Maggie Berkey says skills outside of the
mentored by the owner of a bike shop as a knowledge of anatomy, physiology; theory technical expertise of the BMET workload
teenager, and the lead engineer of the medi- of operation, to understand different tech- are also essential. “Customer interaction
cal electronics company that I got my first tech nology clinical aptitude, communication, and service is a huge part of being a good
job with,” said Scot Mackeil, senior anes- the ability to know your limits and when to biomed. Schools aren’t all set up to have
thesia biomedical technician at an academic get help.” All, he says, are necessary to pre- customer encounters or make the soft skills
medical center in Boston. “Every day my skill vent equipment failure and address mainte- part of the training, or grading based on soft
set was built and evolved because someone nance challenges. skills. What you can and cannot grade on
took an interest in making sure I was going to McGeary says training also differs in larg- influences those soft skills.”
be good at my job that day and in the future.” er healthcare systems of 30 or 40 HTM pro- Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54565

Device Diagnostics
Testing equipment gets user

friendly
By Lisa Chamoff
More and more, testing devices are resembling consumer elec-

tronics, with touch screen displays, smart automation and scal-
ability. Phantoms used to test imaging equipment are helping to assess
image quality and radiation dose, two important factors in the space.
Here’s a look at some of the latest testing equipment on the
market.
BC Group International
Over the last year, BC Group International has released their new
FSX-1101 SPO2 simulator, a handheld, battery or line-powered de-
vice. It has a bright, 2.4-inch color touchscreen that, coupled with an
intuitive menu structure, allows easy access and viewing of all setup Datrend vPad-IV 6
and function parameters. Channel Perspective
“The FSX-1101 is at the top of its class in performance and speci-
fications,” said Ken O’Day, vice president of sales and marketing
for BC Group International. “The SPO2 parameter, in percentage, is individual channels to minimize down time.”
selectable from six values with 2% accuracy. Heart rate, in beats per Similar to other vPad products released in the past few years,
minute, is selectable from 10 values with 1% accuracy.” this infusion pump analyzer runs on an Android tablet. Features
The FSX-1101 comes with factory presets for testing devices from include user-configured test criteria for automatic passing or failing
the most popular manufactures. If a biomed needs to do a more specific of tests, channel-linking of multi-channel pumps, automatic recall
evaluation, there is a manual mode that allows individual control over of preventive maintenance procedures based on inventory control
each parameter, only limited by the specific values that are available. numbers and real-time test graphs, such as trumpet curve analysis.
“The FSX-1101’s unique design, allows it to be connected to Last year, Datrend also released the vPad-CO2, an end-tidal CO2
any BC Biomedical patient or NIBP simulator,” O’Day said. “When (EtCO2) breath simulator for testing of mainstream and sidestream
connected to one of the simulators, the SPO2 signal is synchronized capnometers or patient monitors with capnography functions. The
with the other wave forms and parameters being generated by device can run as its own stand-alone simulator or be integrated with
the simulator. It also has a unique feature allowing the end user to the vPad-A1, a modular, all-in-one, multi-parameter patient simulator.
customize the output to improve the accuracy of the simulation. No The company plans to continue its focus on adding more features
other comparable product offers this ability or flexibility.” to their vPad Apps, so that existing customers can receive new fea-
O’Day added that the FSX-1101 is the only SPO2 simulator on the tures even if they purchased the devices a few years ago, Liu said.
market with a lifetime warranty.
Fluke Biomedical
Datrend Systems Inc. Last year, Fluke Biomedical released OneQA, a cloud-based test and
Datrend Systems has just released vPad-IV, the company’s latest- workflow automation software.
generation infusion pump analyzer. The software automates the test process for electrical safety test-
The modular, expandable device can be configured between one ing and testing of defibrillators and ventilators, from starting the
to six channels, with the device’s footprint based on the number of test to capturing and storing results, said Kiran Jagilinki, software
channels installed. Depending on the number of channels available, product manager for Fluke Biomedical. It also has customized report-
the analyzer can conduct up to six preventive maintenance inspec- ing features.
tions on different infusion devices at the same time. “We pitch OneQA as a true friend to a biomed,” Jagilinki said. “It
“Users can start with a single channel today and slowly add works with the biomed through the biomed’s day.”
more channels as demand increases,” said Owen Liu, director of The software can link with work orders from the computerized
business development for Datrend Systems. “And when the time maintenance management system to make the maintenance process
comes for service, customers can send in their entire system or seamless.

IMT Analytics IMT Analytics
CITREX H5 2
Over the last year, IMT Analytics has made upgrades to its CITREX H5
gas flow and pressure analyzer. It can now be used together with the
company’s OR-703 MultiGasAnalyser.
“The biomed can go through the hospital testing ventilators and
anesthesia machines,” said Kerwin Sanger, business development
director for IMT Analytics. “They share data. When you make a re-
port, you can include information from both.”
IMT Analytics devices are especially important due to the CO-
VID-19 pandemic, because a large number of ventilators were built
and sold as a result.
“Maintaining the huge number of medical devices is going to be
a challenge because they’ll need to be tested at least once a year,”
Sanger said. “Our devices are needed to make sure they’re still work- Zitting said the device is easy to use, so even the least experienced
ing to the manufacturer’s specifications. There may not be enough biomed can perform preventive maintenance on respiratory gas
biomeds and test equipment to keep up with the increased demand monitors.
for service. Our devices help biomeds to be more efficient in their The SmartTank has a touchscreen user interface and can run for
testing and reporting.” eight hours on a single battery charge. It automatically generates a
The company has been working with ventilator manufacturers report as a text file, without the need for software to read or down-
to create new applications using their testing parameters for the load the reports.
CITREX H5.
This year, IMT Analytics has also released the capability for any The Phantom Lab
biomed to create their own test sequences using their FlowLab software. In the last year, The Phantom Lab has released its Smári Automated
“They can now use our FlowLab software to create, save, and Image Analysis software to analyze CT and digital breast tomosyn-
share tests that follow manufacturer’s requirements and completely thesis images.
customize the reports with their company’s logo and the customer’s Each phantom has a set of test objects to provide results on
specific information,” Sanger said. manually set criteria, such as geometric distortion on MR, as well as
image uniformity and noise. Users upload phantom images and the
Life Spark Medical software provides a report on some of the test objects.
Life Spark Medical is currently planning the release of its SmartTank “For many years, the process to assess image quality was to look
capnometer and anesthesia gas monitor tester. at images,” said Ariel Dickson, head of project management and
The device automates testing of respiratory gas monitors to the regulatory affairs for The Phantom Lab. “Post-processing makes this
manufacturer’s specifications, with all the needed test modalities in a more complicated. This removes the objectivity of human analysis.”
single unit, said Darryl Zitting, co-founder of Life Spark Medical. It The majority of The Phantom Lab’s phantoms include two years
can also simulate patient breath with a realistic capnogram. of access to the software.
“With SmartTank, you pick the model you are testing and it walks Also new from the company is the Magphan S162 head phantom,
you through the manufacturer’s test procedure,” Zitting said. “This an integrated MR QA system for MR-guided surgery and radiotherapy.
takes the place of multiple tools needed to do the performance
verification. Instead of carrying a bag of tools you can simply pull out
The Phantom Lab
the SmartTank.” Magphan S162
SmartTank

Device Diagnostics
Radcal DAPcheck Plus is a big demand, particularly from the big X-ray manufacturers,
because there are very few probes available in a true 100-square-
centimeter size.”
The probe enables measurement of scatter and leakage both at
long and short distance, fixed, or in a sweeping pattern, depending
on the required application. It also has a rugged and robust construc-
tion compared to ion chambers.
The company has released the RTI Scatter Probe along with the
new generation of its Ocean software, called Ocean Next. The X-ray
Radcal quality assurance software is designed to be faster and with a better
Last May, Radcal released a new ionization chamber for testing cone user interface.
beam CT dental machines. Its 10X6-60DAP chamber now measures
DAP and DAP Rate on CBCT systems.
Sun Nuclear RapidCHECK
“The international community currently measures DAP for dental
and we are also seeing interest here in the U.S.,” said Melodie Eb-
erhart, co-director of global sales at Radcal.
The company’s new DAPcheck Plus sensor displays DAP for fluo-
roscopy and radiography scanners.
The base meters are modular and they can add new sensors,
Eberhart said. They can be added on to any Accu-Gold+ Digitizer or
Accu-Gold Touch meter system
Radcal also updated its Accu-Gold 2.0 software and Touch me-
ter firmware, adding wave form depiction and new measurement
capabilities.
RTI Group
Last November, at the RSNA 2020 Annual Meeting, RTI Group re-
leased its RTI Scatter Probe, a 100-square-centimeter solid state
detector for leakage and scatter detection in X-ray environments.
This probe is typically used to quality-assure X-ray systems during
manufacturing, regular service appointments and after replacement
of certain parts. Sun Nuclear
“The unique design provides two detector sizes in one probe, 10 Last year, Sun Nuclear Corporation, formerly Gammex, released its
square centimeters and 100 square centimeters, which ensures full RapidCHECK software, which enables automatic analysis of infor-
compliance with U.S. standards, 21CFR1020.30 to 21CFR1020.39, mation from Sun Nuclear’s Advanced Electron Density Phantom.
and IEC standard, 60601-2-3, 60601-2-54, and 60601-1-3,” said RapidCHECK automatically finds and analyzes the rod codes from a
Fredrik Brorson, vice president of Solutions for RTI Group. “There CT scan and then outputs the calibration curves.
“The steps that clinicians face would normally be tedious,”
said Ken Ruchala, product manager for Sun Nuclear. “All that
is now just a one-click computer operation. It saves time and can
RTI Scatter Probe reduce errors, leading to more efficient, precise treatment planning
calibration.”
The automated software can also do some error checking and lets
you do a retrospective analysis, with all records incorporated into the
data set, Ruchala said.
The company also released a combination kit for its Multi-Energy
CT Phantom, which provides a base and set of rods for both diagnos-
tic and radiation therapy testing.
Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54578

IFU Standardization
Seeking clarity on medical

device instructions for use
By Lauren Dubinsky
Medical device reprocessing instructions can be difficult to clean because of their that are especially challenging to clean, that
for use (IFUs) have historically been a moving parts and lumens. would require more testing to validate clean-
point of confusion for the healthcare “A related issue is the sheer diversity of ing instructions.
industry due to variability in how they devices, in many cases, requiring unique A separate document, ANSI/AAMI/ISO
are written. The FDA provided information steps for cleaning,” said Basile. “It is a huge 17664, was also published in 2017 to estab-
on what should be included in an IFU, such challenge, therefore, for sterile processing lish requirements for reprocessing instruc-
as cleaning and sterilizing instructions, but departments to train staff, to have the right tions. It outlines what information needs to
there was no rigor around how to format equipment on hand, and to design a repro- be provided to healthcare facilities in terms
it. As a result, similar medical devices from cessing system that is productive.” of instructions for pre-treatment, cleaning,
different companies often came with very Also, when manufacturers create and disinfection, drying, inspection, maintenance
different IFUs. validate IFUs, they work in silos. This leads to a and functionality testing, and packaging.
Recently, AAMI had a group of medical situation where devices of similar construction It also described that validation testing
device manufacturers, regulators and health and design can vary quite a bit in the specific that is required to ensure that each of the
technology management experts convene steps called out in the IFU, explained Basile. processes are suitable for the devices.
to solve this problem. The group’s solution is To make things worse, sterile processing “With updates to these two documents,
an updated technical information report (TIR) managers and device manufacturers have TIR12 was recast from being a quasi-stan-
called TIR12 that standardizes the way to ref- been working to solve this problem from dif- dard, with much in the way of recommen-
erence the tools, terminology and expecta- ferent directions. In an effort to streamline, dations related to cleaning, to acting as a
tions of device users and regulators in IFUs. the managers have developed their own guidance document for [manufacturers] as
“Following the IFU could be confusing ways of categorizing medical devices so that to how to comply with 17664 and the FDA
because up until now, there was kind of the devices in each category undergo the document,” said Basile.
a hodgepodge of different ways of writ- same reprocessing steps. This TIR12 was a major update to a 2010
ing them,” said Damien Berg, co-chair “Coincidentally, at about the same time, version of the document. It now tells manu-
of this AAMI working group and manager many of the largest medical device manufacturers what information needs to be in
of sterile processing at the University of facturers, in reviewing their vast portfolio IFUs as well as how to properly provide that
Colorado Health. of instruments, sought to categorize their information.
Berg considers TIRs a “lite” version of a devices by the required steps of cleaning in “When we did the revision of it, we fo-
standard, which means that it offers guid- an effort to standardize and streamline their cused on certain things that were maybe
ance and recommendations, but it’s not a IFUs,” said Basile. lacking in the previous version, such as
requirement. cleaning the medical device,” said Berg. “If
Berg's job is to “enlighten manufacturers The new and improved TIR12 we can’t clean the medical device, then we
who may have missed the mark on previ- In 2015, the FDA published an update to its can’t sterilize or disinfect it because it’s got
ous editions of IFUs.” He’s had manufactur- guidelines for medical device reprocessing, to be clean first.”
ers revalidate their IFUs and resubmit them which included much more attention and He emphasized that it’s important for
through the FDA after reviewing a TIR. detail related to cleaning. manufacturers to design devices that can be
“This document, which tells manufactur- properly cleaned.
Sterile processing ers the information they need to supply to “You can have the best surgeon in the
There are many reasons why IFUs can be healthcare facilities, and what testing they world doing great stuff with really cool tech-
confusing, but according to Ralph Basile, need to do to validate those instructions, nology and devices, but if my technicians
vice president of marketing and regula- was significantly beefed up from the docu- can’t clean it, then it becomes a really big
tory affairs for Healthmark Industries Inc., ment it replaced,” said Basile. problem,” he said. “That’s an exciting thing
it all boils down to device complexity. For The FDA made another revision to the we [focused on] this time.”
instance, minimally invasive surgical devices document in 2017 to identify device designs Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54569

Risk Management
Infusion pumps — a challenging

technology or a technology
challenge?
By Juuso Leinonen
Infusion pumps are among the most nu- nothing new, however. Issues with design, could instead be a sign of a responsive manu-
merous medical devices found in any usability, durability, and construction have facturer — one that reports problems consci-
healthcare facility, and they are directly plagued a number of different pump ven- entiously and actively addresses issues that
involved in the care of many patients. dors and models in the past. arise. To get a feel for what type of customer
That’s why safety issues related to these That’s not ideal, but it’s also not entirely service you could expect from a supplier, look
devices warrant careful attention. Learning avoidable. As new products are introduced to at their recommendations in alerts and recalls.
about past problems with a device and be- the market, it can take years before the major- Offers of on-site training or service, loaner
coming familiar with common errors of use ity of issues are uncovered. While it is impera- units, training and competency aides, or other
are essential technology management active for manufacturers to design products that enticements can reduce the headaches of
tivities, both when assessing infusion pump eliminate as many of the known sources of er- responding to a device issue. A responsive
models for purchase and when managing
the models already in inventory.
Most facilities manage a fleet of hun-
dreds to thousands of infusion pumps, often
With about a million infusion pumps used in the U.S.
including a range of manufacturers, mod-
els, and pump types. The inventory may in-
every day, even a “one-in-a-million” problem can
clude large-volume infusion pumps, syringe
pumps, patient-controlled analgesic (PCA)
be expected several times a week.
pumps, and ambulatory pumps for home
use, with each pump type intended for differ- ror as possible prior to go-to-market, the real- manufacturer can make all the difference to
ent clinical use cases. A pump may be used ity is that some issues may not materialize until the continuity of your clinical care.
for something as basic as providing hydration the device is used in large numbers for the
fluids to an adult in a low-acuity care unit, varied infusion pump use cases. With about a Common infusion pump
to something as complex as being used in million infusion pumps used in the U.S. every problems
conjunction with a dozen other pumps to day, even a “one-in-a-million” problem can ECRI, a nonprofit research organization com-
provide life-sustaining therapy in an ICU. be expected several times a week. Regardless mitted to identifying and addressing patient
Factor in the many issues that have of which infusion pumps you are using, it is safety challenges, has a 50-year history of
prompted device recalls or that otherwise possible, and even likely, that issues will arise investigating infusion pump-related safety
can impact infusion pump safety, and it’s not during their life cycle. problems and providing recommendations
hard to see why managing an infusion pump Nevertheless, a healthcare facility can for reducing the risks. Several of those in-
fleet has become a continuously evolving learn a lot by examining a device’s recall his- vestigations have led to recalls, and several
challenge for many organizations. tory. For instance, a spate of recalls could have been highlighted in editions of ECRI’s
indicate a history of underlying design issues. annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards
Infusion pump recalls on the rise With the clinical demand for infusion pumps list. (ECRI issues its Top 10 list each year to
Recent years have seen a cyclical uptick in remaining high, especially in the midst of help healthcare facilities identify and remedi-
infusion pump recalls, leading to some mod- the ongoing global pandemic, an unreliable ate key technology safety challenges.)
els being pulled off the market completely, pump model may prevent the facility from Following are five common types of
while others are only available with a cer- addressing its patients’ clinical needs. pump issues that ECRI has encountered,
tificate of medical necessity to existing cus- But be careful about how you interpret along with an overview of the organiza-
tomers. Infusion pump recalls are definitely this information. A substantial recall history tion’s recommendations. Awareness of the
44 HealthCare Business News I april 2021 www.dotmed.com/news

potential sources of error like these can aid Premature battery failures instance represents a unique relationship
with managing a current pump fleet, and Infusion pumps are frequently operated on between the consumable and the pump-
can inform future pump purchases. battery power. This is primarily for temporary ing mechanism. Over the past several
use, intended to accommodate patient trans- years, recalls and issues of use related to
Plastics cracking — a cosmetic fers and facilitate ambulatory patients. Most infusion pump administration sets have
crack or a significant pump instructions for use state that the pump impacted several pump models. Issues re-
performance issue should be connected to an electrical outlet to lated to manufacturing quality, as well as
ECRI has frequently received reports about ensure battery longevity. This has proved to be instances of users incorrectly loading an
the cracking of various plastic infusion pump difficult to achieve routinely in clinical practice, administration set into a pump, have di-
components, such as the door or chassis. resulting in earlier-than-expected battery dete- rectly impacted medication delivery and
While at a glance a minor crack may not rioration. ECRI has received reports of battery- resulted in under- and over-infusions with
seem like a huge deal, a crack in a sensitive related errors due to the inability of the battery some models.
location, even just a minor crack, can cause to hold a sufficient charge, or a pump’s failing For any infusion pump under purchase
a significant performance issue with an infu- to alarm for a low-battery alarm condition. consideration, ECRI recommends review-
sion pump. Specifically, cracking of an infu- In some instances this has led to unexpected ing infusion pump administration set re-
sion pump door hinge can result in a failure cessation of infusion therapy. calls and their scope, as the sets should
condition where fluid flow is uncontrolled. ECRI recommends that facilities consider be treated as integral to the device itself.
While not all cracks will impact the oper- establishing a periodic battery replacement Also consider a review of any published
ation of the device itself, it can be difficult, if interval based on the facility’s experience, misuse scenarios that impact medication
not impossible, to determine whether a par- rather than relying on the manufacturer- delivery through an incorrect loading of
ticular crack is just cosmetic or will create a provided estimate. Educating clinical users an administration set.
significant performance-altering hazard. The about the importance of plugging pumps
infection control risks related to any cracked into power outlets is also merited. In summary
components should also be assessed. Conducting a thorough review of the recall
ECRI recommends that facilities replace A pump software update — and safety issues up front can help ensure
any cracked components as early as practi- a resource-intensive that your organization is selecting the best
cable. In certain cases — for example, if door remediation project pump to meet your needs. While it is impor-
hinge cracking is identified — the pump Infusion pump software/firmware updates tant to review the recall information for each
should be tagged as faulty and taken out are often conducted to provide additional pump, this information should not be treat-
of clinical use. pump functionality, revise software glitches, ed as a sole indicator of product quality, but
or implement a security patch. Most infusion rather as a component of a thorough pump
External connectors are pumps currently do not support wireless soft- assessment. An awareness of the historical
often prone to damage ware/firmware updates; thus, every instance problem areas with infusion pumps can also
Several infusion pumps employ an electri- of a software update or patch is usually a aid in proactive mitigation with the current
cal connector that is used for connecting significant undertaking. Updating the en- pump fleet and can inform the selection of
pump modules, battery charging, or data tire pump fleet requires locating all units and your next pump platform.
communication. These types of connectors manually conducting the update. This can be It is still important to remember that with
appear to be prone to damage, especially particularly challenging with security updates all their challenges, infusion pumps of vari-
if exposed to incompatible cleaning chemi- that may merit expeditious implementation. ous models and types continue to be used
cals or methods. Damaged connectors have ECRI recommends establishing a method safely in hundreds of thousands of infusions
resulted in infusion system shutdown and to track updated devices, as well as request- on a daily basis. Infusion pump safety fea-
delays in infusion therapy. ing manufacturer resources to help imple- tures continue to help clinicians deliver high-
ECRI recommends that facilities inspect ment an update. For future pump purchases, quality care, while minimizing the risk for
any external connectors for damage dur- give preference to pumps that support wire- infusion-related errors. Infusions are safer
ing a periodic performance verification. It is less software/firmware updates. with a pump.
also important to follow the manufacturer- About the author: Juuso Leinonen is a senior
provided cleaning guidance to avoid deterio- Consumables — an integral project engineer at ECRI.
ration. Especially with repeated external con- part of any infusion pump Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54572
nector failures, it is worthwhile to consider Infusion pump administration sets are an
establishing a proactive replacement plan to integral component of infusion pumps .
avoid large-scale fleet issues. Each administration set and pump-loading

Clinical Insight
Patient monitors evolve

during pandemic
By Lisa Chamoff
Getinge Torin
Hospitals relied heavily on patient monitors during the CO-

VID-19 pandemic. The recent product releases in this sector have
responded to the needs brought to light over the course of 2020
and focus closely on flexible deployment of monitoring equipment,
seamless data transfer and telehealth capabilities.
Here’s a look at what’s new from several manufacturers.
GE Healthcare
Last May, GE Healthcare saw the U.S. release of its CARESCAPE ONE
acquisition device and transport monitor. The device, which had been
released globally in 2019, acquires patient signals when both docked
into the core monitoring platform and during patient transport. GE Healthcare CARESTATION ONE
The monitor includes the company’s FlexAcuity solution, which
allows for flexibility and data continuity across multiple care areas.
This was especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Neal Getinge
Sandy, general manager for monitoring solutions at GE Healthcare. In April 2020, Getinge released its Torin OR management solution.
“Traditionally, patients are monitored based on their location in Using what’s called Torin OptimalQ technology, the solution connects
hospital, not their condition,” Sandy said. “Acquisition capabilities were to the EMR. As changes happen, Torin lets other systems — including
preconfigured to a monitor or a transport device as opposed to being the sterile processing and billing departments, as well as referring
configurable to a patient. There was no room in the ICU, but patients physicians — know about them.
needed ICU-type care. Our solution allowed our customers to flex up.” “All of these things tie together,” said Todd Brigance, director of

“Using the BeneVision N1 monitor/module, this patient moni-
toring solution can deliver the same level of care on transport as
provided at the bedside with no cable, setting or screen changes
necessary,” said Beth Aquaviva, senior marketing manager for
Mindray BeneVision N-Series Patient Monitoring and Life Support at Mindray.
“The BeneVision N1 Monitor/Module provides gap-free monitor-
ing and collects patient data at the point of care, which is sent to
the EMR wirelessly, or it can be downloaded to the bedside monitor
upon return from transport, with no loss of data on transport,”
Aquaviva said.
The BeneVision N-Series monitors have been widely accepted
since launch and have surpassed those of the system’s predecessors,
the Passport 12m/17m and T1 transport monitor. N-Series adapts
sales and operations for integrated workflow solutions at Getinge. to a hospital’s environment, allowing choice of acuity level and the
“It’s the link that connects all of these systems.” ability to disperse the BeneVision monitors throughout the hospital.
The solution has helped hospitals and surgery centers manage the The BeneVision platform provides the flexibility needed to meet a
surgical backlog due to COVID-19, Brigance said. hospital’s ever-changing patient care needs, especially during the
“This is a very important piece for hospitals today,” Brigance said. COVID-19 pandemic, Aquaviva said.
It provides real-time data across system, so hospitals can do more “The N-Series eases clinical workflow at bedside and during pa-
with less and eliminate data silos.” tient transport by providing a comprehensive monitoring platform
that is easy to use and delivers patient data where and when it’s
Infinium Medical needed,” Aquaviva said. “This is highly valued by both the hospital
Infinium Medical is awaiting FDA approval on its Cleo Plus, a vital signs and the clinical team.”
monitor designed for physician’s offices, with telehealth capabilities.
The device does spot-check monitoring of blood pressure, SpO2,
glucose, weight, temperature spirometry, and EKG, and connects to
a cloud server.
“It allows the physician to do a complete diagnostic check of the
patient with a single device, said Suleyman Bilgutay, managing
partner at Infinium Medical. “Normally they’d have to use five or six
different tools for that.”
Bilgutay said that that the doctor could also send the monitor home
with the patient, and could also bill insurance for the spot checks.
The company has had the product in development for the last five
years, the COVID-19 pandemic has advanced telehealth and remote MRI & CT Services MRI & CT Parts
patient monitoring.
“COVID-19 has somewhat accelerated the remote care industry,
but we’ve had this in development for four or five years now,” Bil-
gutay said.
Mindray North America

In April 2019, Mindray released its BeneVision N-Series multi-param-
eter monitors for hospital-wide monitoring use.
The product provides electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, pulse
oximetry, invasive and noninvasive blood pressure, temperature and
Knowledge. Experience. Integrity.
respiration monitoring at the bedside and during transport, with the
ability for other parameters, such as CO2, cardiac output or continu- keimedicalimaging.com
ous cardiac output, to be added as needed. Tel: 512.477.1500 Email: info@keimedicalimaging.com
The system offers a 5.5-inch touchscreen monitor/module; other
bedside monitor sizes include 12-inch, 15-inch and 18.5-inch, as well Member of IAMERs
as 19-inch and 22-inch flat-panel monitors.

Clinical Insight
Philips acute
care patient
monitoring
solution
Nihon
Kohden
Wireless
Surge
Nihon Kohden The IntelliVue Patient Monitors MX750/MX850 and IntelliVue

Last September, Nihon Kohden responded to the COVID-19 surge Active Displays AD75/AD85 offer advanced functionality and clini-
at hospitals with a new solution called NK-HealthProtect Wireless cal decision support capabilities, such as Philips’ IntelliVue Horizon
Surge Solution. Trends information view, which shows deviations in vital signs, such
The product, which comes with eight Life Scope G3 (GZ-140) as CO2 and heart rate, allowing timely intervention. The MX750 and
battery-operated, wearable monitors and a laptop loaded with the MX850 also include enhancements to monitor and assess clinical
company’s Prefense Early Detection and Notification System, was and network device performance and additional functionalities to
designed to be deployed quickly — within two weeks — and allow strengthen cybersecurity.
hospitals of any size to scale up monitoring capabilities more easily. Also last year, Philips released the wireless Avalon CL Fetal and
“The market needed a solution that was easy to deploy and quick Maternal Pod and Patch, an obstetrics monitoring solution to support
to set up, Nihon Kohden met this need with a Wireless Surge Solu- pregnant patients during the pandemic.
tion, which can be deployed in a matter of days, as opposed to the Similarly, the company received emergency use authorization in
usually a 90-day-plus process” to set up a monitoring system, said Europe for its Healthdot wearable sensor, which allows patients to be
Elias Bitar, director of patient monitoring marketing and business monitored outside of the hospital. The device was tested on 50 Dutch
Development for Nihon Kohden. patients when hospitals were at capacity. By using the Healthdot,
Previously, in March 2020, the company released the NK-HiQ they found that 45 patients could stay at home, preventing 90% of
Waveform Server Extension. It provides output of the raw waveforms hospital admissions.
— vital signs and alarms — that the system generates and gives the “This lets hospitals admit only the patients that need to be ad-
hospitals more flexibility, allowing them to send the information to mitted,” Dr. Ziese said. “It can also help with discharge. I think it’s
any endpoint and enable remote monitoring. something that’s going to stay after the pandemic.”
“Hospitals are looking for easy and cost-effective ways to get Earlier this year, Philips announced that it was acquiring Capsule
access and use patient monitoring data and the NK-HiQ Waveform Technologies Inc., which provides medical device integration and
Server Extension enables this,” Bitar said. data technologies for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Cap-
This past January, Nihon Kohden released its ViTrac remote view- sule’s Medical Device Information Platform, which is composed of
ing application on Windows 10. ViTrac allows facilities to visualize device integration, vital signs monitoring and clinical surveillance
the information from patient monitoring systems, enabling different services, connects almost all existing medical devices and EMRs in
tele-monitoring applications hospitals through a vendor-neutral approach, according to Philips.
“Caregivers have far more actionable insights,” Ziese said. ““For
Philips example, if oxygen saturation is dropping, they can see if there’s a
Last June, Philips received Emergency Use Authorization from the disconnection of the ventilator. In 99% of cases, you have the cause.
FDA for use of its IntelliVue Patient Monitors MX750/MX850, Intel- This integration of real-time information will help improve therapy
liVue 4-Slot Module Rack FMX-4 and IntelliVue Active Displays AD75/ and patient safety.”
AD85 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also this year, Philips completed the acquisition of BioTelemetry
The solutions allowed for critical information on hospitalized Inc., which provides remote cardiac diagnostics and monitoring. Dr.
COVID-19 patients to be sent remotely to minimize staff exposure to Ziese said the acquisition complements Philips’ existing leading in-
the virus and save on the use of PPE. hospital monitoring portfolio with an out-of-hospital offering.
Dr. Peter Ziese, business leader for Monitoring and Analytics at Phil- Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54573
ips, said the devices provided a “safety net” to overcrowded hospitals.

Leveraging Data
RTLS data across the

healthcare enterprise
By Christopher Thompson
In the ongoing quest to enhance health- ment to ensure assets are available and clean when and where they
care operations and patient outcomes, are needed and to prevent overspending on unnecessary equipment.
healthcare organizations are prioritizing Key to the management of equipment is the establishment and man-
efforts to improve how they collect and agement of unit-based PAR levels.
leverage data. Comprehensive and accurate Often hospitals and other healthcare facilities rely on staff to
data acquisition is a key foundational com- manually maintain PAR levels for mobile medical equipment and
ponent of data analytics, which can lead to essential supplies. Manual PAR level management, however, often
better decision-making and help reduce costs involves using intuition or current stock levels to make ordering deci-
and improve operational efficiencies as well as the patient, staff, and sions. It is prone to human error and uses significant staff time that
visitor experience. could be better leveraged somewhere else.
Real-time location systems (RTLS) provide an effective method for
automating the collection of location-based data. Automated data
collection reduces human error and frees up staff time to be spent
on more valuable and complex tasks, such as patient care. In addi-
Often hospitals rely on staff to manually
tion, most RTLS platforms support automated reporting, which can
streamline compliance documentation.
maintain PAR levels for mobile medical
Leveraging data for RTLS analytics
equipment and essential supplies. Manual
The value of an RTLS installation extends beyond automated data
collection; it also offers meaningful analytics to inform a wide variety
PAR level management, however, often in-
of improvements. When integrated with other data sources, such
as electronic health records or enterprise resource planning systems,
volves using intuition or current stock levels
aggregate data provides a comprehensive view of activities across the
entire healthcare enterprise. This allows administrators to spot trends
to make ordering decisions. It is prone to
and uncover actionable insights.
A recent example of the power of aggregate data: many health-
human error and uses significant staff time.
care organizations have combined their RTLS data with other infor-
mation to support their fight against COVID-19. Several organiza- On the other hand, by incorporating RTLS solutions into PAR level
tions have been able to implement contact tracing programs that processes, healthcare systems gain access to invaluable usage data
use historical location data to create on-demand, near real-time that provides a more accurate account of current and future needs.
interaction reports detailing patients, staff, visitors, and even equip- Automated PAR level inventory management solutions generate re-
ment that has come in contact with a person infected with the virus ports that show which assets are needed at what locations and how
— and for how long. often, along with asset movement and history.
Healthcare organizations are also leveraging integrated RTLS This provides administrators with better insights into equipment
automated monitoring solutions to comply with state and federal utilization, which improves ordering accuracy, supports better plan-
vaccine storage requirements. Real-time environmental monitor- ning, and reduces costs. For example, Wake Forest Baptist Health
ing sensors can be configured to trigger immediate alerts when saves more than $5 million per year using asset management solu-
temperatures fall outside of set parameters, prompting the closest tions to streamline inventory and avoid purchasing or renting redun-
appropriate staff members to take action to avoid unnecessary loss. dant equipment.
In addition, these systems can alert staff if the minimum quantity
Asset tracking and PAR-level management of a given asset is reached, triggering a request to restock. This en-
One of the most popular uses of RTLS in healthcare settings is asset sures that medical devices critical to patient care are readily available
tracking. Utilizing RTLS smart tags, facilities can better manage equip- when and where they are needed. It also reduces the likelihood of

over- or under-ordering equipment, thus helping to avoid the costs such as focusing on retraining where it is needed most, and meet
associated with rush orders and unnecessary procurement. audit and documentation requirements. Some electronic hand
hygiene systems can also provide a gentle, real-time reminder to
Hand hygiene monitoring for compliance staff members who have missed a compliance event before their
Over the last year, COVID-19 has increased interest in RTLS applica- interaction with a patient.
tions related to infection control, as they had already been shown Not only do hand hygiene monitoring systems help instill best
to effectively reduce the number of healthcare-associated infections practices in staff, improving compliance rates mitigates one of the
(HAIs). Prior to the pandemic, infection preventionists (IPs) and other most common sources of costly HAIs — poor hand hygiene. Prior
healthcare leaders around the world were using RTLS to monitor dif- to the pandemic, Denver Health implemented the technology and
ferential air pressure in ORs and isolation units and improve rates of improved adherence with hand hygiene policies by more than 70%.
hand hygiene compliance. Another independent study conducted by three healthcare sys-
Electronic hand hygiene solutions automates the monitoring of tems found that using electronic hand hygiene monitoring solutions
handwashing events using sensors attached to dispensers, canisters, helped improve their collective compliance rates, on average, by
pumps, and sinks. These sensors identify opportunities when a hand more than 80%.
hygiene event should occur and then record staff compliance with the These results are possible because automated systems provide
organization’s infection prevention protocols. Hand hygiene compli- impartial information for healthcare administrators and IPs, which
ance rules are customizable to capture specific hand hygiene events, can be used to accurately identify strengths and weaknesses related
such as when a staff member enters and exists the patient room. to hand hygiene compliance, and strategies for addressing noncom-
The most sophisticated solutions only record handwashing pliance. Implementing this technology also provides facilities with
events when a dispenser is used in the presence of a staff badge, robust reporting that can help meet or exceed expectations during
protecting the integrity of the handwashing data. The data is then accreditation visits, such as those conducted by the Joint Commission
compiled into reports to help develop improvement strategies, or State Department of Health.
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Leveraging Data
Clinical workflow optimization benefits, the system must be carefully designed, installed, and evalu-
Another valuable application of RTLS data is the ability to track and ated to drive meaningful change.
optimize clinical workflows. The information generated by monitor- RTLS adoption should begin with an assessment period that uses
ing and analyzing clinical workflows can inform operational improve- lean methodologies for process analysis and improvement and de-
ments, reducing the burden placed on staff while enabling clinicians fines exactly how location data will be used to augment or enhance
to lower patient wait times, increase bed turnover, and more. Oregon workflows. This period will lay the foundation for developing an
Medical Group’s outpatient facility transformed their patient experi- effective implementation strategy (including the selection of location
ence using RTLS, reducing patient wait times by 75% and increasing technologies, such as infrared, BLE, or WiFi) and establishing key
time spent with medical staff by 50%. performance indicators (KPIs) that align with the strategic initiatives
RTLS automates the collection and documentation of patient of the organization.
and staff activities to provide an unparalleled level of real-time situ-
ational awareness. The resulting aggregate data can be used to track
and report key metrics, like patient throughput, and identify trends RTLS automates the collection and
and bottlenecks impacting the delivery of patient care. For example,
historical data can help predict future staffing needs to optimize the documentation of patient and staff
use of a facility’s workforce and ensure the facility is properly staffed
in relation to anticipated patient volume. activities to provide an unparalleled
Managing risk and measuring change level of real-time situational awareness.
RTLS is a strategic investment, one that requires the buy-in and coor-
dination of multiple departments. Not only should healthcare leaders In addition to measuring the realized impact of an RTLS imple-
have access to training and support to take full advantage of RTLS mentation, KPIs provide a sense of transparency and objectivity,
while regular, ongoing review periods will help reinforce account-
ability and drive a culture of continuous improvement throughout
the organization. Experienced partners can help project leaders
ASK YOURSELF:
execute this sort of approach to ensure the greatest possible return
on investment.
Looking ahead: The future of RTLS

The healthcare industry’s use of RTLS technology is expanding quickly,
and yet, we are just scratching the surface of what RTLS can do. Arti-
ficial intelligence (AI) is expected to enhance analytics capabilities and
expand the impact of RTLS healthcare solutions in the coming years.
Soon we will be able to combine RTLS solutions with predictive ana-
lytics algorithms to provide real-time, automated recommendations.
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Cost Containment Corner
The digitization of healthcare

— what about the back office?
By Vijay Ramnathan
The push to digitize Another organization, an outpatient turn away opportunities to save and make
healthcare — in the treatment facility, found that automating the money through early payment discounts and
form of telehealth, invoice receipt and payment process allowed virtual card rebates. Virtual payment cards
remote access, and its accounting team to increase their pro- are unique 16-digit numbers created solely
new patient care ductivity significantly by spending less time for a single-use transaction. Payments can
platforms — ramped on invoice QA checks and chasing down be made from anywhere and they are highly
up dramatically approvals. AP automation solutions enable secure for both payer and payee. Compared
during COVID-19, healthcare providers to capture any invoice to the 74% of finance professionals refer-
and likely has fundamentally changed in digital form and check for duplicates in enced above that reported check fraud, just
the model for patient care for the fu- the system, saving time and manual effort 3% reported fraud related to virtual cards.
ture. Meanwhile, modernizing and digitiz- and eliminating entry errors and other un- Aside from the security benefits, virtual
ing payments in the back office of healthcare necessary headaches. cards have also become widely accepted,
organizations continues to take a backseat. making them as convenient as any other
This is especially prevalent in small/medi- Audit pain relief payment form. And businesses that use the
um sized healthcare organizations. Take sup- Audits can be a messy situation for even the cards can take advantage of valuable rebates
plier payments for example. Nearly 90% of best finance teams. Auditors need copies of to generate extra cash. In the words of one
these types of healthcare entities still receive invoices, checks, reports, and other informa- controller, “We’re making these payments
paper invoices and utilize manual invoice tion, which can be especially cumbersome anyway, so the fact that virtual cards help us
data entry according to a 2019 report from when they are in paper form. The ability to generate a new revenue stream from them
Level Research. Most account payable (AP) digitize and centralize that information makes is a huge win. It’s been great for the account-
departments know that asking for funding the audit process much simpler and cleaner ing team to show that we’re not just a cost
for digital solutions for paying invoices will for all involved. Auditors get easy access to ev- center — now we’re able to contribute to
probably not be seen as a high priority, but erything they need, and finance teams spend the organization’s finances too.”
the reality is smaller healthcare organizations minimal time and effort around the audit. Across the healthcare industry, digital
have a whole lot to gain by digitizing back- has taken on a new sense of urgency to
office functions. Goodbye paper checks and fraud improve and streamline the delivery of pa-
exposure tient care. That same thinking needs to be
Streamlined invoice capture and COVID and remote work requirements put on back office financial operations as
approvals exposed the gross inefficiencies of paper well. Automating foundational processes
Without AP automation tools, capturing an in- checks. Even without the pandemic, paper like accounts payable can deliver dramatic
voice is a manual process which involves open- checks are problematic. They are the lead- benefits to healthcare providers, especially
ing mail, scanning, and/or keying information ing payment method associated with fraud, small and mid-size entities that have lim-
into the accounting system. For providers that according to the 2020 AFP Payments Fraud ited staff and budgets.
order large quantities of medical supplies and and Control Survey. 74% of finance pro- Finance teams are requesting digital tools
other goods, this can mean copying lines and fessionals report that their check payments to help them work more efficiently and ef-
lines of information from multi-page invoic- were targets of attempted and/or actual fectively, and AP automation presents a low-
es. Then, on top of that, invoices are often payments fraud. AP automation and elec- hanging opportunity to do just that.
collated and emailed to department heads tronic payments can minimize the chances About the author: Vijay Ramnathan is
for approval — a process that is even more of invoice fraud and phishing attacks. the president of MineralTree, a company
challenging for healthcare organizations with specializing in AP and payment automa-
multiple locations or entities. For one oncology Hello virtual card payments and tion for middle-market and enterprise-level
practice that receives 1,000 invoices a month, rebates companies.
this manual process previously took two AP With constant cost pressures and thin mar- Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54454
clerks each 5-6 hours every day. gins, healthcare providers can’t afford to

SIIM
Q&A with
Dr. Christopher
Roth
SIIM annual meeting committee chair
Getting prepared for the biggest event
in imaging informatics
By Sean Ruck
The Society for Imaging Informatics pedic surgery because that’s what they’re HCB News: How long have you been
in Medicine (SIIM) annual meeting is familiar with from all their injuries, but I a member of SIIM?
coming up on its second anniversary took an interest in my own brain since I CR: Since around 2013 or 2014. In 2013
of navigating a worldwide pandemic. didn’t play my senior year of football at we went live with our electronic health re-
The timing of shutdowns last time meant Michigan because of concussions. After cord. I dabbled a little bit getting to know
the organization was one of the earlier key getting my last concussion and they knew the society in 2012, but really in earnest try-
societies to have to figure things out. One I was going to medical school, they said I ing to get myself involved in learning about
year later, the pandemic is still with us but was done. They took my equipment away the space in 2013 and 2014.
SIIM has had a year to plan and evolve its from me.
offerings. HealthCare Business News spoke HCB News: And what attracted you
with Dr. Christopher Roth, associate pro- HCB News: How many concussions to the society?
fessor of radiology, vice chair Information did you end up with? CR: It was a few things. Healthcare is
Technology and Clinical Informatics, direc- CR: It’s hard to know because people a big world. Best practice sharing is a big
tor of Imaging Informatics Strategy at Duke didn’t really track that stuff back then. It was part of what I try to do and what I have
Health and SIIM annual meeting committee a different era. Knowing what I know now, to rely on to provide the best care for
chair to learn more about his background, it’s at least five. Some worse than others. The my patients. You get that through the
the latest on the society and what to expect second to last one, I was actually biking from annual meeting, through the publica-
at this year’s meeting. practice to an organic chemistry exam and tions, through the webinars. I remember
got hit on my bike — not wearing a helmet going through my electronic healthcare
HCB News: What inspired you to go of course — by one of our academic advisors records rollout and I was pretty adamant
into a career in healthcare? who was driving an F150. about trying to get information about
Dr. Christopher Roth: I was fortunate The result of all of those injuries is that how university X was doing it, because I
to play football in college and was on some I wound up seeing not just a bunch of ra- knew they were doing a good job from
really terrific football teams. I played at the diographic fractures, but my own brain on what I was reading. Obviously the EHRs
University of Michigan. I had all the best MR and CT. I chose radiology because of the and imaging companies couldn’t tell
healthcare available to me. We won the fascination I had with the imaging. me much because of IP reasons… and
national championship in 1997, had two The choice was beneficial because I got it’s not great to steal everyone’s secret
Big 10 championships — it was awesome, to see lots of patients at once and I felt like I sauce, but I wanted to learn and provide
absolutely awesome. But I had a series of could help lots of patients in a smaller period the best for my patients so I was pretty
injuries — actually, my personal statement of time. I went into informatics because if I insistent. So SIIM was about the com-
for radiology residency listed all my injuries was trying to help as many people as I could, munity of people sharing, “here’s how
— and I wound up seeing lots of my own I realized quality improvement needed data. we do this,” and letting me hear what’s
imaging. Now, if you play football and go And data requires understanding to do good working to bring those ideas back to
into healthcare, most players go into ortho- things with it. best take care of my patients.

HCB News: Who should consider understand just enough to be able to drive that it will be a four day meeting, May 24th
joining the society? strategy and implementation of their space. to the 27th. The theme for the meeting is
CR: I mentioned healthcare is a big space. “Connecting without Boundaries.” Day
Imaging and informatics are big, complicat- HCB News: When we spoke in 2019, two will be unique. One thing I’ve learned
ed, messy parts of that big space. the people you described some of the fundamental over my years with SIIM is that the industry
who should consider joining are those in- hurdles preventing interoperability be- partners we have can be terrific sources of
volved in imaging informatics in any form: tween imaging and EHRs. Has there been best practices and innovation. It will be users
clinical, industry, hospital system support, re- any meaningful progress on that front? and industry innovating together. It’s going
search and scientists. There are a few groups CR: The answer to that is yes — but it’s to be connecting the user community with
who we in SIIM believe should especially been heterogeneous. The EHRs are good non-salesy, curated industry education, the
consider joining. Imaging subspecialties who at what they do, but they need to account latest technologies, people who can help the
aren’t as familiar with best practices of imag- for all different kinds of people asking for frontline folks like myself solve the problems
ing — so dermatology, GI, ophthalmology, things. So the way the EHRs do it is that they they are facing. It’s going to be very heavily
pathology, others — those are the specialties get a bunch of thought leadership together, devoted toward industry partnerships and
that I believe can learn a lot from the progress they ask us to prioritize, ask what the most bringing the network of SIIM into the really
that’s been made and will find themselves in important things are we should be working rich educational world of industry.
a community of people where we’re all trying with and why that is, and really try to under-
to understand how to best care for patients. stand. There has been quite a bit of progress HCB News: Are there any sessions
Electronic health records being ubiquitous over the last year in telehealth and providing you’re particularly excited about?
and such a large part of day-to-day activities patients their information because of the CR: With the four day meeting we will
across those societies now, we would like to 21st Century Cures Act. At my site and some have four keynotes, once each day. I’m espe-
see more participation from the EHRs. There others we’ve had our images available in cially excited about the day four Dwyer Lec-
is a large imaging community outside North the EHR portal for about two years and pa- ture which will be Adam Flanders. Adam is a
America who can connect with us more eas- tients are starting to engage in it. Are there legend in the imaging community and a very
ily now than ever before. For me, the people still some major hurdles? Of course. There engaging speaker. On day two, we’re going
I would like to reach out to are those imaging are still big disconnects in integrating visible to have a keynote session by Jonathan Roth-
informatics professionals, those physicians, light imaging and video in the EHR especially. berg who is an entrepreneur, a tech and im-
industry inventor product partners who can There’s always more interest than there is aging founder and also an engaging speaker
move the needle. the ability to make things happen. It takes who comes from Yale. He’s going to have
a while to develop things and deploy them. really a lot of great things to lead us off on
HCB News: Would you say there’s a day when we’re trying to bring together
value for C-suite executives to be mem- HCB News: The annual meeting will clinicians and hospital imaging informatics
bers? be all virtual this year? professionals to connect with industry. Hal
CR: Whether anyone likes it or not, im- CR: It will be. One of SIIM’s important Wolf, the CEO of HIMSS, will speak to us on
aging is a big driver of the bottom line of strategic planning efforts is around global- day three. HIMSS has been a terrific partner
the hospital in a fee-for-service positive way izing. One of the things people will see this for SIIM through the HIMSS-SIIM Enterprise
now. And as population-based payment year is a SIIM Global Track. It will be thought Imaging Community. Our day one kickoff
capitation gains traction, if we’re all looking leadership in six different locations from keynote is Kimberly Manning, who serves as
at number of covered lives in a catchment around the world bringing leadership from an associate professor of Medicine as well as
area as a part of our bottom line, imaging their geographic area into SIIM to lecture. the associate vice chair of Diversity, Equity,
might be a negative pressure on the bottom There will probably be four sessions in the and Inclusion for the Department of Medi-
line. So those people who are in healthcare morning before SIIM “starts” and two after. cine at Emory University School of Medicine
leadership positions can really understand The areas are South America, Europe, Africa, in Atlanta. Finally I’d like to plug SIIM’s new
that big component of the bottom line Middle East, Australia and Asia. We have AI Call for Models effort. SIIM is looking to
when they are involved and they see some started collaborating with expert leads in take in AI models, vet them and solve the
of the 30,000-feet things we’re doing. That those areas to identify the right content, the problem of reproducibility of data between
this is to say nothing about the clear value of right presenters and we believe it will really sites. Ultimately data sharing and AI model
diagnostic and documentary imaging in the extend the great network and culture that sharing between institutions remains a chal-
care of those patients. If nothing else, they SIIM has to bring people together around lenge and SIIM is looking to host the conver-
would recognize the importance of it. They imaging informatics. sation and sharing of those best practices.
may not get into the weeds, but they may The second big thing you should know is Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54576

Beyond Silos
Building new workflows with

imaging informatics
By John R. Fischer
Children’s Hospital. “Just like we wouldn’t

expect a pathologist to tell a radiologist how
to do their work, a radiologist shouldn’t tell
another specialist how to do their work.”
Driving this collaboration is the shift to-
ward enterprise imaging, with providers
turning in their traditional PACS systems for
Dr. Suresh Dr. Cheryl
Petersilge VNAs that allow multiple specialties to ac-
Kuppuswamy
cess, store, manage and share images in one
place. “Things like point-of-care ultrasound
have spread throughout our organizations.
Imaging informatics creates workflows that
Dr. Alexander
enable us to bring those point-of-care ultra-
Towbin
sound images, as well as photographs and
other nontraditional imaging types, into our
archives,” said Towbin.
Dr. Rasu The other driver is the development of
Shrestha
AI algorithms for reading scans, triaging
cases and automating other tasks to help
physicians manage heavy workloads and
use their time more efficiently. With imaging
informatics, clinicians can create metadata
Once an isolated subspecialty of radi- volved must understand one another’s needs standards that label different types of images
ology, imaging informatics has trans- and how together they can forge an imaging with information that makes the data con-
formed in the last few years into an informatics dynamic that in the long term tained in them shareable, understood and
enterprise asset that encompasses pa- translates to more efficient patient care. accessible among different specialties for AI
thology, cardiology, dermatology, oph- development and research. This metadata
thalmology, critical care and more. This Creating better workflows information can be incorporated into algo-
evolution calls for new forms of coordination The focus of imaging informatics is to create rithms such as radiomics and radiogenomics
and new strategies to succeed. better imaging workflows by improving how that can be used to more accurately diag-
“How do we make sure we have the medical images are collected, assessed and nose conditions, with clinicians then able to
right players around the table that bring in exchanged. The overall goal is to form ones create personalized treatment plans.
the right perspective around fully capitalizing that ensure more timely and cost-efficient “What type of scanner, what sequences
on this enterprise asset,” Dr. Rasu Shres- care that results in more optimal outcomes. were used, will feed into algorithms. All of
tha, executive vice president and chief strat- “It’s going to build workflows for peo- that comes from the metadata that’s stored
egy and transformation officer for Atrium ple. As imaging informaticists, we need in an imaging file,” said Dr. Cheryl Pe-
Health, told HCB News. “The conversation to be able to collaborate with the special- tersilge, founder and CEO of Vidagos, an
has to always be focused on what’s the ben- ists who do the work, and understand the enterprise imaging consulting firm. “As we
efit, overall, for the entire enterprise versus workflow that they want,” said Dr. Alexan- move beyond DICOM to things like digital
what are the specific challenges for one de- der Towbin, associate chief in the depart- photos, we have to ensure those photos are
partment or division.” ment of radiology and the Neil D. Johnson also labeled with the same metadata so they
For this to happen, each specialty in- Chair of Radiology Informatics at Cincinnati can be just as valuable in AI.”

Working as a team result, some may lack the necessary infra- and manipulation, as well as features such as
The first question Petersilge asks people structure or resources to set up and main- autopopulation of measurements and other
when they ask about setting up an enter- tain an imaging informatics system. While technologies that help eliminate errors of
prise imaging system is what is the “driv- mergers and acquisitions can improve mar- human data entry.
ing force” behind their decision. This gives gins and unite operating systems and re- “AI in imaging informatics can have the
a clear indication of not only what they are sources, they can also give rise to multiple potential to substantially change a radiolo-
seeking to gain but also what their imaging different imaging systems that are rarely gist’s day to day work and a lot of tasks can
informatics plan will be. interoperable. be automated,” said Petersilge. “Eventually
“The first thing they have to know is “Although many suppliers claim their so- we may get to the point where AI can iden-
what is the current state of their organiza- lutions to be vendor agnostic, interoperabil- tify a normal X-ray or CT with sufficient ac-
tion,” said Petersilge. “They need to do a ity issues persist even today. Migration from curacy that we feel comfortable not having
deep dive. An organization may think it has one vendor’s solution to another presents a human eye laid on that study. Eliminating
a good knowledge of its imaging activities. significant challenges,” said Dr. Suresh these tasks will free the radiologists up to en-
But when you start talking to people, lots of Kuppuswamy, industry principal at Frost gage in higher levels of thinking and become
things come out of the woodwork.” & Sullivan. more integrated into the clinical care team.”
This beckons the need for collabora-
The focus of imaging informatics is to create better

tions with both medical and non-medical
professionals, all of whom contribute to a
imaging workflows by improving how medical images are

successful imaging informatics strategy. The
COVID-19 pandemic illustrated this over
collected, assessed and exchanged. The overall goal is

the last year by forcing clinicians to work
from home. “We had to make sure we had
to form ones that ensure more timely and cost-efficient

workflows that could work from home, that
workstations and monitors were there,” said
care that results in more optimal outcomes.

Towbin. “Having ways to do that really fell
on IT staff. People with good IT staff saw
value in that, and people with limited IT staff
saw where that caused them problems.” A more patient-centric world Technologies like the cloud will also play
Such workflows must accommodate for With lots of different players moving into a role in the imaging informatics game
hospitals of any size in any scenario, he says, enterprise imaging, imaging sharing requires and help practices in developing countries
as “you have hospitals that send us tons of coordination among them. The end goal is overcome the limitations they face. “In
images a day, while others only one image to create a streamlined workflow for all. One developed nations, migration from a well-
ever,” and that having a radiologist or other that ensures patients receive timely and af- established, secure on-premises server to
professional who specializes in imaging in- fordable care that guarantees the most op- the cloud could raise questions about data
formatics “is critical because that person can timal outcomes with superior experiences. loss, privacy, and security. But in less de-
then drive workflow efficiency.” At the same time, these improved and auto- veloped countries, this could be an oppor-
Imaging informatics plans should also mated workflows give clinicians more time to tunity to leapfrog, as they do not need to
keep in mind limitations that various hospi- spend with their patients directly — and for deal with the issues of legacy servers, com-
tals face. For instance, in nearly two-thirds radiologists, clinicians and even patients to munication systems and human expertise,”
of the world, a large segment of radiology collaborate more intently and more effectively. said Kuppuswamy.
facilities still relies on analog equipment and “With imaging informatics leading the Towbin says that by creating one source
does not have access to digital imaging. In charge, we’re moving from a reality that for images, imaging informatics forms a
addition, the installation of a VNA is often- we’ve been stuck in, in the last couple of de- “holistic” electronic health record from an
times for either the radiology or cardiology cades, said Shrestha. “This is a transforma- imaging perspective, that enables various
department but not at an enterprise level, tional change for our industry, where we’re specialties to access and use each other’s
where important figures such as the chief moving from an image-centric practice to images to better assess patients and form
information officer can learn about and un- more of a patient-centric approach to care.” more precise and personalized care plans.
derstand its advantages for operations. The incorporation of metadata standards “Just like the electronic medical record did
Declining growth in reimbursement has is expected to help further develop many dif- for all the text data, the enterprise imaging
also made hospitals and health systems in ferent types of AI algorithms, including those archive will do that for all the imaging data.”
various countries financially stressed. As a for deep learning and image reconstruction Share this story: dotmed.com/news/54571

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ADVERTISER INDEX
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Aegys Nationwide Imaging Services

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Altima Diagnostic Imaging Solutions Philips

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Ampronix Reliable Healthcare Imaging Technology,

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www.rhit.com 11
Canon
us.medical.canon Back Cover Richardson Healthcare
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IDN Summit & Reverse Expo
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Image Technology Consulting
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iSS
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Kei Medical
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The Future of Healthcare
The future of equipment

maintenance
By Dominic Smith
The ability to offer medical technology Meeting change with innovation vendor-neutral and provide multiple layers of
with the latest advancements is a clear Today, healthcare providers are seeking service protection. In many ways, this approach to
advantage when it comes to customer partners who can provide customized agree- preventing cyberattacks will align with greater
loyalty. However, it’s not the only one. Ex- ments and real-time remote monitoring. Both efforts to enhance interoperability throughout
ceptional service is key to making the dif- of these elements can result in early detection the medical equipment ecosystem.
ference. In fact, according to the Salesforce of equipment issues to prevent costly down- Taken as a whole, greater access to ana-
report “State of the Connected Customer”, times. As the needs of hospitals get more lytics and greater cyber security will usher
91% of customers say they’re more likely complex, it’s essential that service keep pace in an era of better outcomes and better ef-
to make another purchase after a great ser- and provide peace of mind that systems are ficiency in healthcare.
vice experience. When outstanding technol- up and running properly and efficiently, with
The human touch
ogy and excellent service are combined, this the parts they need, and that the systems, net-
Excellent customer service is more than add-
creates a winning formula for customers to works, and patient information are secure.
ing additional online support or self-service
first choose a brand, and then stay with that Unplanned downtime and suboptimal
opportunities. Instead, companies must take
brand for the long term. performance of diagnostic imaging systems
a multifaceted approach that combines mod-
can create significant challenges to provider
ern digital services while also providing a hu-
Beyond break/fix finances, but the introduction of AI is giv-
man touch. This means maintaining a low
In the past, service quality was measured by ing them an edge. Through dashboards and
ratio of customers to engineers, and having
uptime and repair time, and the expectation reports from across facilities, vital usage in-
an extensive network of parts depots to en-
was that it would be the same for every cus- sights are becoming more accessible than
sure fast response times customers expect
tomer. Today, service has evolved from fixing ever. I think that trend will continue into the
and deserve. As healthcare evolves, providers
what is broken to a more nuanced approach future, with proactive maintenance alerts
need access to a certified engineer within
requiring both customization and the ability playing a bigger role in service decisions.
minutes, and have someone on site quickly.
to anticipate — then meet — those needs. This data could even facilitate benchmark-
The future of service has arrived. By
In our technological and customer-ori- ing against other organizations to identify
evolving with the times, embracing technol-
ented world, customers have come to ex- opportunities for greater efficiency.
ogy, and retaining the human connection,
pect an all-encompassing, enjoyable, and When discussing equipment maintenance
medical equipment servicers will succeed in
easy experience. This is intensified by the and service, cybersecurity must be addressed.
meeting the unique needs of their provider
ever-increasing emphasis on output and Threats and attacks from hackers have sky-
partners and help usher in a smarter, more
cost, leaving customers all too aware that rocketed in recent years, shining a light on
sustainable era for healthcare.
anticipating and resolving problems before healthcare’s vulnerability. At the same time,
they happen can help avoid the expense and many facilities struggle to support equip- About the author: Dominic Smith is the vice
headaches associated with system and ma- ment from various vendors, which means president for field and sales service at Canon
chine downtime. an effective cyber security strategy must be Medical Systems, USA.

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2. A skyway between two buildings above ground at

3. An emergency unit in action outside of Tacoma General

4. A skylight brings space and tranquility to a medical

5. Patients, families, and employees passing through one of