Photo: Ivan Samkov/Pexels
Oracle Health has introduced a new three-tier validation framework for medical devices that it says standardizes approaches to validating connectivity, functionality and workflow alignment and will enable reliable and secure integration of medical devices within healthcare organizations.
WHY IT MATTERS
Medical devices are subject to unreliable or inconsistent device data, which can disrupt clinical workflows, create operational inefficiencies and limit the adoption of innovative care models, the company said in the announcement.
The new partner validation program relies on an EHR-agnostic architecture, enabling healthcare technology customers to simplify integration so they can evaluate device connectivity, support nomenclature alignment and streamline workflow integration on any records system.
"Oracle Health Device Validation provides the assurance hospitals need to choose our technology," said Michael Hawn, senior vice president of data services and cloud hosting at Bio IntelliSense, in a statement.
The program currently supports validation for the following categories of medical devices:
- Bedside medical device integration
- Event management
- Maternal and fetal monitoring, milk management
- Infusion suite
- Laboratory medical device integration
- Mobile vitals collection
The framework could reduce IT staff burdens and accelerate the adoption of new devices, Oracle said, noting that ongoing validation supports data transmission security and compliance with interoperability standards across EHRs.
The scope of validation covers:
- Discrete data
- Continuous monitoring
- Spot check monitoring
- Alarms
- Waveforms
- Laboratory
- Infusion management
- Smart pump programming
- Real-time location services
The validation framework is building trust with device vendors, the company said in the announcement.
"Our collaboration with Oracle has helped us drive meaningful and agile progress in our technology integration," said Peter Richardson, associate director of connected care at Baxter, a maker of patient care devices used in hospitals, at home and in alternate care sites.
THE LARGER TREND
The 2020s are seeing the rise of hospital-at-home and other care-at-home programs, and with them, commensurate growth in connected devices and remote patient monitoring technologies.
Just a few years ago, Baxter acquired medical device maker Hillrom to deliver patient care beyond hospital settings. Their combined portfolio included devices for therapeutic delivery and monitoring, blood purification, diagnostics, communications and more.
"Patients increasingly want to receive their care at home or nearby, while hospitals and other care providers are increasingly using digital health technologies to expand access, improve quality and lower costs," said José Almeida, Baxter’s retired chair, president and CEO, in a statement at the time.
With the extension of pandemic-era Acute Hospital Care at Home waivers through Sept. 30, 2030, as part of a larger government funding package earlier this month, the growing need for seamless and reliable connected devices is expected to continue.
"There's a big opportunity for developing higher accuracy and reliability of device data, reducing noise and generating more meaningful and actionable insights," Dr. Caroline Yang, a Mass General Brigham Healthcare at Home provider, told Healthcare IT News.
"Building clear alarm and escalation protocols and seamless integration with third-party technologies – whether it's software or other hardware – will also continue to evolve," she explained in a recent Q&A on what it will take to make hospital-at-home a successful care delivery model.
ON THE RECORD
"Through this validation program, we're building trusted relationships with device vendors, streamlining interoperability, and opening the door for continued collaboration and innovation that gives our customers confidence and improves patient care," said Seema Verma, general manager of Oracle Health and Life Sciences, in a statement.
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
