ECRI Publishes Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
The report reveals which technological advances to watch in the coming year.
In a free evidence-based report, ECRI Institute provides hospitals the opportunity to “peek behind the curtain” at the top 10 technological advances predicted for healthcare for 2016. Included are miniature pacemakers, cybersecurity innovations, robotic surgery, and infection prevention. ECRI Institution is an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care.
ECRI Institute’s 2016 Top Hospital C-Suite Watch List is available for download as a free public service and highlights innovations and developments in drugs, devices, procedures, and care processes that are designed to provider new ways to deliver safer and cost-effective patient care.
“Taking an evidence-based ‘just the facts’ approach to assessing new healthcare innovations — from gadgets to drugs to infrastructure issues — that have been on our radar for the last year, we present hospital leaders with unbiased guidance to support informed decision making and help them understand how new innovations will affect care delivery,” explained Diane C. Robertson, director, health technology assessment, ECRI Institute.
The 2016 list addressed 10 specific topics poised to impact care delivery over the next 12-18 months, including:
- Mobile Stroke Units: Are They More than a Concierge Ambulance Ride?
- Medical Device Cybersecurity: When Will Your Pacemaker be Hacked?
- Wireless Wearable Sensors: Data Sense or Data Chaos?
- Miniature Leadless Pacemakers: Will Potential Benefits Make a Difference?
- Blue-violet LED Light Fixtures: Can the Flip of a Switch Help Prevent Healthcare-acquired Infections?
- New High-cost Cardiovascular Drugs: Will They Help Your Readmission Rates?
- Changing Landscape of Robotic Surgery: Is a Mainframe to Tablet-type Paradigm Change Coming?
- Spectral Computed Tomography: What’s the New Hype About?
- Injected Bioabsorbable Hydrogel (SpaceOAR®): An End to Some Radiation Therapy Complications?
- Warm Donor Organ Perfusion Systems: Will they Ease the Organ Supply Shortage?
ECRI Institute has also created a LinkedIn Group, Emerging Healthcare Technologies in Patient Care, which professionals are encouraged to join to further discussion of these topics.
As pressure grows on hospital leaders to engage new technologies and care processes that produce higher value, better outcomes, and lower costs to their organizations, this report helps them sift through the latest healthcare innovations on the healthcare landscape for 2016 in order to determine what course might be best for them. “Hospital leaders have to deal with a lot of new technology issues—and demands from different departments in their facilities —so this list is intended to assist them in their efforts to update or implement their strategic technology plans,” says Robert P. Maliff, director, applied solutions group, ECRI Institute.