Ten Technology Trends Facing Hospital Execs In 2013
The annual Top 10 C-Suite Watch List: Hospital Technology Issues for 2013 identifies technologies used in clinical care that could change care, workflow and/or operations in 2013 and beyond.
“New demands for information and clinical technology are top issues for executives and objective perspectives are critical,” said Jeffrey Lerner, President and Chief Executive Officer of ECRI Institute.
Some of the technology on the list represents significant capital investments, while others may greatly affect operations and care patterns, according to ECRI.
Healthcare Global outlines the top 10 technology issues facing hospital executives in 2013 >>>
#10. Lung Cancer Screenings
Early detection of lung cancer is very important and many facilities have begun offering lung cancer CT screening. However, the false-positive rate is very high, resulting in unnecessary follow-up procedures and escalating costs for both patients and payers.
#9. Radiation Dose Safety
The conversations regarding CT scanners are mostly about radiation dose and its harm. Since dose-reduction and dose-monitoring requirements are being propelled forward, healthcare facilities are looking at optimizing scanning parameters while safeguarding against excessive radiation.
#8. Supply Chain
Supply chain management rears its head once again as a top concern for healthcare execs. Considering the supply chain accounts for almost 50 percent of all hospital expenditures, it is worth developing a strategy to optimise them early on in the year.
#7. Bariatric Surgery
Clinicians have noticed that patients with type II diabetes had their disease resolved with bariatric surgery.
“Clinicians are asking whether an early surgical intervention in patients with moderate obesity and type II diabetes may prove to be more cost-effective in the long run compared with the normal care practice of pharmaceutical management and lifestyle changes,” according to the ECRI report.
#6. PET/MR
According to ECRI, combining positron emission tomography (PET) with MRI can possibly create better images and more accurate diagnoses of certain types of cancers.
#5. Imaging & Surgery
Advances in this area have shortened hospital stays, sped up patient recovery and reduced costs. The new trend is for full-scale imaging systems to be moved into the operating room.
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#4. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Last year, transcatheter health valve implantation (TAVI) was number five. In May 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said it would cover TAVI provided multiple conditions are met. As a result many hospitals are considering the best setting for minimally invasive heart valve programs.
#3. Alarm Integration Technology
For two years in a row alarms were ECRI’s top health technology hazard because excessive alarms can result in sensory overload and eventually blend into background noise.
#2. Mobile Health
The rise of new technologies has untethered doctors as much as the rest of the population, allowing them to change the way they collect, monitor and deliver health care information.
#1. EHRs
Eligible providers are racing to meet the criteria of Stage 2 requirements; however, ECRI warns that in the rush, patient safety could be compromised. Health information technology was one of ECRI’s top 10 health technology hazards since a number of issues can arise from inadequate data transfer to patient-data mismatches in the system.