STRATEGIC SOURCING & LOGISITICS
team evaluated its testing with regards to regulatory compliance, quality and costs. They found their approach has reduced inspection citations from 3.17 per testing site to 0.27 citations, with a $1.89 aver- age test cost.7 The Mayo Clinic has successfully lever- aged remote patient monitoring (RPM) to reduce hospitalizations in cancer patients with COVID-19. Use of in-home technol- ogy to assess symptoms and physiologic data, with centralized nursing and phy- sician oversight, reduced the hospital admission rate by 78%. As the research- ers noted, even when patients in the RPM group were hospitalized, they “experi- enced a shorter length of stay and fewer prolonged hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths.”8 The Johns Hopkins Center for Point-of- Care Technologies Research for Sexually Transmitted Diseases has been leading development of accurate, acceptable and optimal implementation of POC tests for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in diverse care delivery contexts. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reviewed the performance and time to result of POC assays for STIs in the last 10 years.
Their research, which was published in the August 2021 Sexually Transmitted Diseases journal, found diagnostic technol- ogy for POC assays for STIs has achieved high sensitivity and specificity () using recent molecular advances in past decade. At the time of the journal article’s publication, the FDA had approved three tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea, two for trichomonas and two for syphilis.9
In
2022, The Johns Hopkins Center offered funds toward the development of POCTs that meet or exceed the current clinically accepted STD POCT assays through its participation in the NIH POCTRN.10
Emerging trends and technologies
As the UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Lowell researchers noted in their published article, COVID-19: a gray swan’s impact on the adoption of novel medical technologies, “the technologi- cal trajectory and potential usefulness of POCTs is still in its infancy.”11
Here is
a sampling of advanced technologies that have been developed to satisfy the need and desire for POC diagnostics and treatment.
Ultrasound anywhere
Use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has expanded significantly in the past two decades, beyond emergency and critical
“This compact, mobile, open-bore device is poised to revolutionize global initia- tives to democratize access to diagnostic imaging,” said Xoran CEO Misha Rakic. “TRON is uniquely suited to provide safe, ultra-high-resolution, low dose imaging in traditional settings such as the operat- ing room, surgery center, and critical care unit where space is limited and hospital budgets are stretched thin.”
GE Healthcare Venue POC ultrasound solutions
care medicine to many other subspecial- ties.12
Recent research has shown its proven
success in supporting hospital at home (HAH) programs to “help providers assess, diagnose, and monitor a range of conditions.”13
“Ultrasound has a large impact helping
medical professionals keep up with grow- ing demand, particularly at the point of care,” said Dietmar Seifriedsberger, General Manager, Point of Care & Handheld Ultrasound, GE Healthcare. “One of the most exciting trends in POCUS is the power of AI. Given a substantial number of POCUS users are new to ultrasound, -based tools help increase exam effi- ciency and user consistency. These AI tools can help these users learn and adopt ultrasound more quickly.
“Since POCUS can be performed any- where, from the chaotic trauma bay of a hospital to the side-lines of a football field, it is important that the user select a system that is designed for these set- tings…easy to move, probes that are eas- ily accessible, and battery power that can last for the duration of several exams,” Seifriedsberger added. “It’s also very important to select a system that is easy to learn and use. Moreover, these systems should be easy to clean with smooth and seamless surfaces to control infection.”
Imaging throughout the care continuum Computed tomography or CT scanners are critical tools in diagnostics, enabling clinicians to visualize organs, soft tissue, blood vessels, and bones. They can range from fixed scanners positioned in an imag- ing suite, to mobile scanners that can be moved from room to room.
The next evolution is bringing CT scan- ning to patients in their communities, which is what Xoran Technologies is in position to do with its TRON mobile, full- body fluoroscopy, CT -ray system. The company was granted FDA 510(k) clear- ance for the device in August 2022.
“TRON’s compact size and weight make it truly nimble without any need for bulky motors and batteries,” Rakic continued. “Because TRON scans take less than a min- ute, and the system is easy-to-use, it can be further mobilized by placing it in small vans, lending TRON to low-dose screening brought to patients and not the other way around. This means that Xoran’s Vehicle- Based Solutions can be used for community health initiatives and in ambulance and military front-line scenarios.”
Xoran CEO Misha Rakic with the TRON mobile, full-body fluoroscopy, CT X-ray system
Remote patient monitoring advancements According to Kathryn Gray, Sr. Manager, Corporate Strategy & Business Develop- ment, McKesson Medical-Surgical, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) has experienced a quick rise over the past couple of years because of a variety of factors: it helps reduce emergency room (ER) visits and hospital readmissions; helps support reim- bursement for physicians in areas such as remote therapeutic monitoring; provides availability of affordable and easy to use technology; an increase of patients with chronic conditions; and the onset and con- tinuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. “A couple bigger headwinds are patient
access to the internet and provider staff- ing,” Gray commented. “We are starting to see more equipment options that are cellular enabled allowing for transmissions where the patient does not have internet
hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • November 2022 11
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