ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on finding the best ways to improve patient care, has created a resource to help hospitals and healthcare executives find the latest and greatest healthcare technologies for 2014.
The 2014 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List offers technology recommendations to healthcare executives on which technologies to implement and how soon to do so. The list even discusses when not to use a particular technology.
“This is not a list of ‘must-haves,’ but rather a ‘must think carefully about’ list,” said ECRI Institute’s director of health technology assessment information service, Diane Robertson. “We don’t profess to have all the answers, but the unbiased evidence that we present about these 10 technologies and infrastructure issues will get healthcare leaders off to a steady start on their often rocky journey of acquiring new technologies or making system-wide changes in 2014 and beyond.”
Technologies including in this year’s list were big data; adaptive MRI radiation therapy in real-time; computer-assisted sedation systems; NanoKnife cancer-treating system; using catheters for renal denervation to treat previously untreatable hypertension; ultrasounds using guided magnetic resonance to help cancer pain; using copper services in ICUs to help prevent hospital-acquired infections; powered exoskeleton for paraplegic patients to wear for rehabilitation; intelligent pills to make it easier for people to adhere to their medications properly; and emergency services created specifically for elderly patients.
According to ECRI’s press release, over 45 years of health technology evaluation experience helped to create the list. Clinical researchers, engineers, technical researchers, healthcare consultants, risk management specialists and healthcare planners from ECRI’s staff used their collective judgment to identify the technologies.
“With this Watch List, healthcare leaders can learn more about potential game changers and use it as guidance when devising strategic growth plans for their facilities,” said Robert Maliff, ECRI’s director of applied solutions, in a press release.
To download the full list, fill out the form on the ECRI Institute’s website. There is no cost to download the document.
