What technologies should the hospital C-suite keep up with in 2018? ECRI Institute curated a list of 10 technologies leaders should be aware of, ranging from new telehealth approaches to painless ways of drawing blood for its 2018 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List.
Here are 10 things on the hospital C-suite watch list.
1. Apps for addiction. Digital therapeutics could improve treatment adherence for opioid users. Healthcare leaders should consider teaming up substance abuse clinical staff with IT personnel to evaluate potential software or products.
2. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing. As personal genetic tests grow in popularity, leaders should be aware of their implications for patient interaction and care from hospitals. "Unexpected test results that generate anxiety may increase demand for follow-up services," according to the report.
3. Acuity-adaptable rooms. A more patient-centric care model reduces risk and eliminates the holding costs associated with keeping patients in an intensive care unit. Acuity-adaptable rooms could improve workflows, enhance care continuity, improve patient safety, decrease length of stay and drive down costs.
4. Insertable cardiac monitor. While nearly 6 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation, monitors like Confirm Rx could allow patients to view heart data directly on their smartphones.
5. Virtual reality for pediatrics. Virtual reality technologies could help reduce pain and anxiety during procedures for children.
6. Alzheimer's disease. A noninvasive device, like NeuroAD Therapy System, supposedly "delivers sustained cognitive improvement by combining noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation with computer-based cognitive training, added to existing pharmacologic therapy" the report reads. However, this device is not yet FDA approved.
7. (Nearly) pain-free blood draw. Microneedles, in combination with a single-use device and a small vacuum, could improve the blood drawing process by reducing pain associated with it.
8. A neonatal MRI system. An MRI system placed in the NICU would reduce potential risk of transport issues and help staff quickly perform emergency care.
9. GammaTile Cesium-131 v. brain tumors. Intraoperative brachytherapy, like Cesium-131, involves delivery of a patient's radiation dose to the target tissue more quickly and directly than other forms of therapy.
10. Microhospitals. These are neither urgent care nor full-service hospitals, but rather another way to meet patients' needs besides the high-cost of acute facilities. "Microhospitals are a way to distribute care throughout a system's service region, to brand the health system, and to capture covered lives by positioning [them] in fast-growing suburban areas," according to the report.
Click here to view the complete report.