As hospitals look to integrate the most advanced technology that will help them reduce readmission rates and improve outcomes, there is a lot to consider. Buzzwords abound, like big data and coordinated care, but what those things actually mean vary largely from one place to the next.
In the immediate term, the ECRI Institute has a list of the top 10 technologies that it says all C-Suite execs will likely want to know about.
In addition to some well-known items like telemedicine and post admission efforts, some of the highlights include:
Disinfection Robots:
Hospital-acquired infections are a significant cost driver and determiner of outcomes, and with every hospital faced with reduced reimbursements, getting a handle on HAIs is a major goal of the system as a whole. Indeed, the CDC estimates that one in 25 hospital patients has at least one such infection on any given day and that 75,000 deaths per year result from an HAI.
There are two main types of technology when it comes to disinfection robots – ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide vaporization. But another is emerging, antimicrobial coatings that have shown promise is disinfecting surface areas/
Of course, there’s the matter of cost, but “there is a direct correlation to reducing infection risk for inpatients, cost for treating HAIs, and patients’ length of stay,” according to the institute. The machines may be expensive – to the tune of $125,000 for some – but CMS may not even reimburse an HAI at all in the near future.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The potential of 3-D printing in healthcare is increasingly vast, resulting in the FDA exploring the matter for potential regulatory issues and guidance. Such printers are being explored for three main areas within healthcare – making anatomic patient-specific models before complicated surgeries, fabricating custom implants, and creating human tissues and organs by layering cells.
In just a short time, researchers have used 3-D printing to make implants, models of the skull and jaw and even a model heart based on imaging that allowed surgeons to get a better view.
But without clear guidance, it’s difficult for hospitals to determine exactly how much to invest into machines that can range in price from tens of thousands of dollars to over a million dollars. Numerous companies are in the process of making large-scale machines, including HP, 3D Systems, and Stratasys.
What exactly is middleware? It’s the concept using personal communication devices (read: smartphone) and incorporating the data into the healthcare system. But one of the biggest challenges is managing alarms and alerts, and health IT experts have long questioned if and how such data can be used without over burdening already burdened EHR system and staff.
“Middleware has been described as software that allows for communication and data management between two different systems,” ECRI notes. “Used especially in IT networks, middleware provides messaging services so that different applications can communicate—it tries to glue everything together.”
It has the potential to automate clinical documentation, perform remote surveillance and data aggregation, but the question is how to incorporate it within alarm and notification management – so called alarm fatigue.
“To make sure you are getting the right system for your hospitals and their nursing care delivery models, it’s imperative to have a good design team in place,” the institute says. “A good multidisciplinary team should include not only members of the clinical staff, but also IT, facilities, and biomedical engineering.”
“Dead for consumers but maybe not for healthcare,” is how this one is posited, wondering if clinicians and patients will see any benefits from the device.
There is still some optimism in provider circles regarding Glass. Dignity Health, in a pilot with startup Augmedix, physicians using the device were able to increase the amount of time with patients from 35 percent to 70 percent, while decreasing daily time spent on EHR data entry from 33 percent to 9 percent.
“However, early feedback from clinician explorers (i.e., clinicians testing clinical use of the device in various settings) suggests that, although Google Glass has the potential to improve aspects of patient care, a new version designed specifically for healthcare applications would be required to fully realize its potential,” the report notes.
That’s in part because of privacy concerns, but also whether the device safely allows clinicians to substitute Glass for another conventional technology, and how its kept sterile between uses in operating rooms.
