NESCE: Healthcare Technology Management within the VA
As the second largest federal agency, employing approximately 314,000 people and running a budget of $126 billion, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs maintains the largest healthcare system in the U.S., explained Kurt Finke, director, Office of Healthcare Technology Management, Veteran’s Health Administration, during a keynote speech at the Northeastern Healthcare Technology Symposium Thursday Nov. 3, in Groton, Conn.
VA healthcare includes 152 hospitals, 804 outpatient clinics, 136 nursing homes, 280 veterans centers and 21 veterans integrated service networks (VISNs), noted Finke, and they're aiming to lead the way in healthcare technology management. Within the system are eight million enrolled veterans and more than $5.5 billion worth of medical equipment in 650,000 discrete devices—nearly $1 billion of which was added in the last few years. The system employs more than 1,000 healthcare technology managers, which include clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians, as well as equipment planners, IT specialists and application specialists.
“My office changed our name to Healthcare Technology Management two years ago now,” said Finke to a crowded conference hall Thursday afternoon. “We focus on safety, asset management and inventory, and training and education of our clinical staff.”
In tracking the amount of money saved by using their team, Finke estimated that the VA saves $150 million annually by maintaining their medical equipment internally as opposed to using outside contractors. The growing prevalence of intelligent medical devices that interface with each other is a phenomenon that they’re keenly aware of. “It’s rare that we buy a medical device that doesn’t plug into a system,” he said.
Asked by an audience member about the increasingly blurry line between IT and clinical engineering as device integration becomes more pervasive, Finke noted the importance of collaboration between the departments.
“Fundamentally, we’ve had to work hard to work together with IT, but what it has done was provide an avenue for healthcare technology management to fill the gap there. We’re actively supporting many medical IT systems, and we have many systems where clinical engineering and IT work very closely together,” he said. “Every day, we’re adding IT skill sets to the clinical engineering responsibility.”
Finke noted many instances in which the VA was at the forefront of healthcare technology. Among them were advanced 3D visualization, speech recognition, hybrid imaging, telehealth, hospital automation, simulation, medical device interoperability and health informatics. They aim to continue advancing the field, Finke said, by utilizing technologies such as real-time location systems.
“We will continue to set the bar of excellence in healthcare technology management,” said Finke.
VA healthcare includes 152 hospitals, 804 outpatient clinics, 136 nursing homes, 280 veterans centers and 21 veterans integrated service networks (VISNs), noted Finke, and they're aiming to lead the way in healthcare technology management. Within the system are eight million enrolled veterans and more than $5.5 billion worth of medical equipment in 650,000 discrete devices—nearly $1 billion of which was added in the last few years. The system employs more than 1,000 healthcare technology managers, which include clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians, as well as equipment planners, IT specialists and application specialists.
“My office changed our name to Healthcare Technology Management two years ago now,” said Finke to a crowded conference hall Thursday afternoon. “We focus on safety, asset management and inventory, and training and education of our clinical staff.”
In tracking the amount of money saved by using their team, Finke estimated that the VA saves $150 million annually by maintaining their medical equipment internally as opposed to using outside contractors. The growing prevalence of intelligent medical devices that interface with each other is a phenomenon that they’re keenly aware of. “It’s rare that we buy a medical device that doesn’t plug into a system,” he said.
Asked by an audience member about the increasingly blurry line between IT and clinical engineering as device integration becomes more pervasive, Finke noted the importance of collaboration between the departments.
“Fundamentally, we’ve had to work hard to work together with IT, but what it has done was provide an avenue for healthcare technology management to fill the gap there. We’re actively supporting many medical IT systems, and we have many systems where clinical engineering and IT work very closely together,” he said. “Every day, we’re adding IT skill sets to the clinical engineering responsibility.”
Finke noted many instances in which the VA was at the forefront of healthcare technology. Among them were advanced 3D visualization, speech recognition, hybrid imaging, telehealth, hospital automation, simulation, medical device interoperability and health informatics. They aim to continue advancing the field, Finke said, by utilizing technologies such as real-time location systems.
“We will continue to set the bar of excellence in healthcare technology management,” said Finke.