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Device Connectivity Is Key To Health Care IT Revolution

The ability to create and maintain a data stream of information that flows from medical devices into electronic health records (EHRs) is starting to become an important priority for some of the nation’s hospitals. The development is a natural outgrowth of the movement toward having a viable EHR for every patient, as well as the understanding that quality of care can be enhanced if those EHRs are fed the type of data that comes from devices such as ventilators, infusion pumps, anesthesia machines, and products that measure patient vital signs. That need is creating a new, niche market for companies that offer connectivity solutions, and at some point, these changes are predicted to alter the way hospitals choose which medical devices to purchase.

As health care information technology (HIT) continues to push its way through hospitals, physician offices and all other areas where medicine is practiced, the mantra of the tech revolution has quickly become “connectivity.” The goal of reducing costs and improving quality of care has been established, and virtually every project that is undertaken is designed to achieve that end by making sure every piece of data surrounding a patient has the ability to be funneled through, or into, all the major hospital operating systems, including the all important electronic health record (EHR). As a result, a niche market is growing around the companies that can connect medical devices to that data stream and help providers keep up with the escalating HIT compliance standards being tied to reimbursement.

The current focus is on patient care devices (PCDs), or point-of-care devices, which includes things such as infusion pumps, ventilators,...

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