From the May 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

AEDs have become commonplace and an expectation in public venues such as sports arenas, airports and even on airplanes. First approved by the FDA in the 1990s, AED training became a part of the American Red Cross basic CPR course in 1999.

Latest innovations in patient monitoring
The latest trends in patient monitoring could be categorized in the areas of function and communication.
In the past, each patient care area would have specific patient monitoring parameters, and with that came a specific physical monitor. Today’s trend is for one physical monitor to be able to perform in a variety of patient care areas and even “follow” the patient throughout the hospital stay. In order to do this, patient monitoring manufacturers are being challenged to create the appropriate software for the monitor, and the physical configuration of the monitor must now come into play. The large, heavy, stationary monitor so often associated with the high-acuity patient care area, such as the ED, OR or ICU, must now be streamlined to also work as monitors in the sub-acute or medical/surgical patient care areas. These monitors are also expected to now perform as a transport monitor, and move with the patient between physical locations of care. This has motivated the leading manufacturers to streamline their products in both dimensions, weight and functionality.

As one patient monitor now becomes able to perform numerous functions, communicating this information to a central source, and eventually to the EMR, is essential. Real-time data transfer of patient information is essential in the ability of the health care team to access the information and plan care accordingly. As mobile devices become a more integral part of a care team’s ability to communicate with each other, the monitor must be able to obtain, store and accurately transfer data to a variety of devices.

Testing equipment
Biomedical test equipment represents a considerable investment. Costs can range from a couple of hundred dollars for simple volt meters to $10,000 to $20,000 or more for X-ray and laser test equipment. This does not even include the calibration costs that occur every year.

But as with any capital outlay question is what are you getting for your investment. Though the cost of test equipment has risen considerably in recent years, users have seen key advancements. These have translated to speed and cost savings.

Each year the U.S. health care industry will spend more than $14 billion for providing service on medical technology. This accounts for 3 to 7 percent of the original price per year (IT accounts for up to 20 percent per year). Although small in comparison to a facility’s overall labor costs (50 percent) or even what a hospital spends on consumables (15 to 20 percent), service on medical technology adds millions to running a hospital. With margins being squeezed harder than ever, providers are always looking for ways to improve care and lower costs.

May 2017 Magazine

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