Public health system manages to obviate a predicted $18 million capital expenditure over the course of ten years.
In a collaborative effort between ECRI and a major health system consisting of 14 hospitals, a Predictive Replacement Plan (PRP) and vendor standardization project was initiated for their imaging services. The health system, which initially employed 17 different imaging vendors for nearly 700 devices across the system, aimed to optimise their imaging services and reduce costs.
The project, focused on the provision of imaging services within the health system, was designed to bring about several key benefits. By using predictive analytics to anticipate when imaging devices would require replacement or maintenance, hospitals can prevent unexpected equipment failures, maintaining continuous patient care.
Predictive replacement data allows healthcare organisations to plan capital expenditures more accurately and avoid emergency purchases, supporting better allocation of financial resources. The strategy, which involved streamlining purchasing and consolidating vendors for imaging services, was expected to improve the efficiency of the health system's imaging services.
Improved equipment lifecycle management across vendors was another anticipated benefit. Since hospitals often operate imaging equipment from multiple manufacturers, ECRI’s service helps unify replacement planning, ensuring all devices are assessed systematically despite vendor diversity.
The project was beneficial for systems without a system director or vice president overseeing department directors with large capital assets, as well as for systems that have recently undergone a merger. It was also advantageous for hospitals with multiple vendors being represented within a single modality or department.
The strategy was expected to enhance the quality of indwelling urinary catheter care within the health system, a goal that was also pursued during the project. The current state of the health system's imaging equipment was confirmed by conducting on-site meetings with pertinent stakeholders.
The Predictive Replacement Plan (PRP) was performed and detailed a recommended replacement strategy to be implemented over the next 10 years. The recommended strategy, agreed upon by stakeholders and the project sponsor, the senior vice-president of supply chain, aimed to save $18 million in capital equipment costs over 10 years.
At the conclusion of the six-month project, the number of imaging vendors for major capital devices was decreased to 5. Reductions in maintenance costs and enhancements in operational efficiencies were also expected. The project, by implementing ECRI's Predictive Replacement Planning services, offers a strategic balance between cost, quality, and service availability, which is particularly valuable in complex environments with multiple equipment vendors.
[1] ECRI. (2021). ECRI's Predictive Replacement Plan (PRP) for Imaging Services. Retrieved from https://www.ecri.org/services/predictive-replacement-plan-prp-for-imaging-services/
- The Predictive Replacement Plan (PRP), initiated by ECRI for a major health system, aims to optimize health-and-wellness by enhancing imaging services, reducing costs, and preventing unexpected equipment failures.
- By utilizing predictive analytics, this plan offers a strategic balance that considers cost, quality, and service availability, making it particularly valuable in complex environments with multiple equipment vendors.
- Science and systems work together in the PRP project, as predictive replacement data allows healthcare organizations to plan capital expenditures more accurately and systems with various imaging vendors to improve lifecycle management.
- The health-and-wellness goal extends beyond imaging devices, as the PRP is also expected to improve the quality of indwelling urinary catheter care within the system.
