Vanderbilt University Medical Center and medical devicemaker Philips teamed up to reduce the Nashville, Tenn.-based system's carbon footprint.
The collaboration will focus on Vanderbilt's radiology department, such as the "energy consumption of VUMC's diagnostic imaging devices including MR, CT, ultrasound and X-ray," according to a May 22 news release from Philips.
The healthcare industry accounts for 7.6 percent of CO2 emissions in the U.S., and radiology is a "significant contributor" to this percentage, according to Philips. The two companies said they will compile equipment life-cycle data, analyze workflow efficiency, build computational models and pilot solutions to reduce the radiology department's carbon footprint.
After testing the decarbonizing strategies, Philips and Vanderbilt said they will publish their findings to help other healthcare organizations "enhance their environmental strategies."
"Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn't just an opportunity; it's also a responsibility," Reed Omary, MD, the chair of radiology at Vanderbilt, said in the release. "The future of radiology requires us to be cognizant, aware and proactive about addressing this issue which directly affects the communities we live in and the patients we treat."