Health Technology
Beyond Clean | September 07, 2023
Two prominent entities in the sterile processing industry, Crothall Healthcare and Beyond Clean, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop an innovative educational curriculum specially designed for sterile processing professionals serving in hospitals throughout the United States.
This partnership leverages both organizations' collective wealth of knowledge and extensive experience to empower sterile processing professionals with state-of-the-art expertise, enhance patient safety, and elevate the overall benchmarks for sterile processing industry-wide.
Afif Escheik, BA, CHL, CER, CIS, CRCST, CST, Regional Director of Operations at Crothall Healthcare, expressed that this partnership will enhance the company's capacity to provide sterile processing professionals with the educational tools necessary to meet and exceed industry standards, reduce errors, and optimize productivity.
Crothall's track record of achievement in the field of sterile processing has been founded upon its stringent, data-centric methodologies, which have led to a remarkable enhancement in audit compliance of nearly 90%, a substantial reduction in process errors of up to 50%, and significant productivity gains of up to 62%. Through this collaboration, Crothall intends to incorporate these invaluable insights into developing the forthcoming curriculum.
Hank Balch, Founder and President of Beyond Clean, remarked that this partnership will help elevate the standard of sterile processing in the United States, significantly impacting patient safety and quality of service.
The collaborative curriculum is adaptable for various care settings, promoting sustainable, high-value care, enhancing patient safety, and reducing errors across the healthcare organization. This partnership signifies a significant step towards a safer and more efficient future in surgical services.
About Crothall Healthcare
With more than three decades of experience in the healthcare sector, Crothall Healthcare is the foremost provider of patient-centered support services, offering comprehensive solutions tailored to diverse care settings. Its sterile processing services integrate extensive healthcare expertise, clinical rigor, and industry best practices to deliver efficient and highly effective services.
About Beyond Clean
Beyond Clean is a global expert in sterilizing educational content. The company's unwavering commitment to sterile processing motivates it to empower frontline professionals with essential knowledge, education, and steadfast assistance. It also enables them to uphold impeccable standards and ensure the continuous cleanliness of all instruments.
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Montage Health | September 22, 2023
Montage Health Connected Care has launched an advanced service to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare for patients. This home-based patient monitoring service, supported by Cadence, is designed to offer proactive healthcare to individuals managing chronic medical conditions.
Dr. Mark Carvalho, Chief Executive Officer of Montage Medical Group, explained that the program lessens the need for emergency department visits by extending care directly to patients' homes. He emphasized that this approach offers mutual advantages for patients and healthcare providers.
Patients can gain access to an expanded care team from the comfort of their homes. At the same time, he added that clinicians will benefit from improved insights into disease progression and receive support from a nurse-practitioner-led care team, ultimately enhancing patient safety.
Montage Health's advanced remote care initiative represents a significant progression in its dedication to providing exceptional, personalized, value-based healthcare tailored to individual needs and objectives.
This program combines cutting-edge remote monitoring technology with a clinical care team under the direction of nurse practitioners to enable real-time collection, analysis, and response to patients' vital signs. It will support patients with medication management, laboratory assessments, and coaching to ensure outstanding healthcare and promote optimal well-being.
The process involves the daily use of smart devices for remote vital sign monitoring and remote care telephone consultations involving a diverse healthcare team.
Chris Altchek, CEO and Founder of Cadence said,
Montage Health exemplifies best-in-class preventative, restorative, and coordinated care with their strong track record of innovative programs and collaborative partnerships.
[Source – Business Wire]
Medicare beneficiaries will gain access to this offering at Montage Medical Group locations, resulting in reduced healthcare costs. This will also empower healthcare professionals to provide patients with better, more effective care.
About Montage Health
Montage Health is a local non-profit organization that delivers exceptional healthcare and promotes optimal health. The company strives to provide coordinated care that meets individual needs through its subsidiaries and partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations. Its entities include Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Medical Group, Montage Health Foundation, Montage Wellness Center, Aspire Health, and MoGo Urgent Care.
About Cadence
Cadence is a healthcare technology firm that assists the most patient-focused healthcare systems in consistently delivering proactive healthcare. The company's remote patient intervention solution blends technology and clinical expertise to deliver a tailored and precise standard of care that extends beyond the hospital's physical boundaries.
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Aspect Imaging | September 25, 2023
Aspect Imaging, a global leader in MRI systems for neonatal patients, has been awarded an Innovative Technology contract by Vizient, the nation's largest provider -driven healthcare performance improvement company. This contract recognizes the unique qualities of Aspect Imaging's Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System and its potential to bring improvements to the healthcare industry. The Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System is designed specifically for the imaging needs of prematureand newborn infants, making it a critical tool in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
The Embrace is the world's first FDA-cleared and CE-approved MRI system for neonatal patients. It is designed to be placed directly within NICUs, overcoming the size and risk limitations associated with adult MRI scanners. The system includes features such as a temperature-controlled patient bed and a Whisper Quiet sound profile to meet the specific care needs of neonatal patients. This technology enables safer and more accessible MRI imaging for fragile neonatal patients and provides critical information to the clinical care team.
Chief Commercial Officer at Aspect Imaging, Wendy Slatery, stated,
It is an honor to have the Embrace recognized by the clinical experts at Vizient, as an Innovative Technology, and an exciting opportunity to bring valuable solutions to Vizient customers. We are looking forward to working with Vizient members seeking to expand and elevate neurocritical care of the smallest patients while reducing patient risks and staff time associated with transporting newborns to a traditional MRI. The Embrace MRI gives the neonatal medical team access to information from the life’s first hours and throughout the patient’s time in the NICU, on which critical care decisions will be based.
[Source: Business Wire]
Vizient's provider customer-led councils recommended the Embrace system for an Innovative Technology contract after evaluating its potential to enhance clinical care, patient safety, and healthcare worker safety, or improve business operations in healthcare organizations. The recognition and award of this contract highlight the potential of the Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System to improve neurocritical care for the smallest patients while reducing risks associated with transporting newborns to traditional MRI facilities.
About Aspect Imaging
Aspect Imaging, a pioneering force in the field, stands as the global frontrunner in crafting and advancing compact MR imaging systems tailored for both research and clinical use. Their groundbreaking technology centers on compact, high-performance permanent magnets, introducing transformative MRI solutions to tackle unmet requirements in research and medical contexts. These innovations ensure the delivery of the finest quality images, whether at the benchtop or in point-of-care scenarios.
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Healthcare Analytics
Xenex | September 11, 2023
United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has issued a De Novo authorization to Xenex Disinfection Services, Inc. (Xenex) for its LightStrikeTM+ device, an advanced high-intensity, broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) light robot.
The LightStrike+ devices are designed for microbial reduction on non-critical medical device surfaces in healthcare environments, following manual cleaning and disinfection practices. They are authorized for use in various healthcare settings, including unoccupied operating rooms and hospital rooms. These devices have an impressive track record, with over 1,200 healthcare facilities worldwide employing LightStrike robots for over 37 million cycles.
The new LightStrike+ device, capable of microbial reduction in as little as 2 minutes, represents the culmination of over a decade of knowledge accumulation from healthcare facilities' best practices, supported by 45 peer-reviewed studies demonstrating its safety and effectiveness, a portfolio of 193 patents, and unparalleled technical and epidemiological expertise.
Dr. Mark 'Tuck' Stibich, Xenex's Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, emphasized the long-standing collaboration with healthcare partners spanning more than a decade to enhance patient safety and public health.
As an infectious diseases epidemiologist, Dr. Stibich expressed concern about antibiotic resistance within hospital environments and the potential for FDA authorization to facilitate the broader adoption of the LightStrike+ tool in combating pathogens.
Perilous pathogens persist on surfaces within healthcare facilities, notwithstanding diligent manual cleaning endeavors. The LightStrike+ robot employs a xenon lamp to generate high-intensity pulsed UV light, which effectively diminishes the presence of these pathogens on surfaces and plays a pivotal role in interrupting the transmission chain from one patient or healthcare worker to another. Xenex's FDA authorization is substantiated by comprehensive testing conducted on more than 10,000 samples of vegetative bacteria and Clostridiodes difficile (C. diff) spores.
This authorization establishes a novel medical device product classification, with the LightStrike+ robot being its inaugural and sole product. It is a landmark in the FDA's regulatory framework for UV robots designed to diminish pathogens on non-porous, frequently touched surfaces within healthcare settings.
Furthermore, Xenex's Chief Executive Officer, Morris Miller, acknowledged the challenges hospitals face when evaluating UV technologies, citing the prevalence of unverified and exaggerated claims by some manufacturers. He underscored the significance of FDA authorization in instilling confidence among hospital decision-makers, assuring them of the accuracy and validation of Xenex's claims regarding the LightStrike+ device.
Numerous world-renowned hospitals, such as HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ochsner Health System, Stanford Health Care, and Texas Health Resources, have integrated LightStrike robots into their comprehensive disinfection strategies.
About Xenex
Xenex is a global leader in pioneering strategies and solutions grounded in UV technology. Its fundamental mission revolves around enabling its partners to safeguard lives and reduce human suffering by eliminating the dangerous microorganisms that cause infections. The company benefits from substantial support from renowned investors, including EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Sandler, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II, Tectonic Ventures, and RK Ventures.
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