Medical Device Link.

Originally Published MX May/June 2005

BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

For medical device manufacturers whose primary products involve an installed instrument base, uptime is everything. Few occurrences are more likely to undermine customer loyalty than having a vital piece of equipment stop functioning just when it is needed most. Fortunately, the adoption of advanced information technologies is making it possible for many medical device manufacturers to improve reliability while also keeping maintenance costs within reach.

The Trilogy system by Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA) is the first image-guided radiation therapy system optimized for both conventional and stereotactic approaches to treating cancer. The system can be used to deliver 3-D conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy, and intensity-modulated radiosurgery for cancer and neurosurgical treatment. The system incorporates Axeda's DRM software to permit remote monitoring of instrument performance. (click to enlarge)

To cope with the difficulties of managing an installed instrument base, a variety of medical device manufacturers have fortified their products with DRM 3 diagnostic software by Axeda Corp. (Mansfield, MA). The software enables both the user and the manufacturer to monitor the instrument for potential failures and to diagnose problems remotely. Any troubles can be communicated directly to the manufacturer or the healthcare institution’s service department, which may also be able to directly transmit software-related repairs.

Brian Anderson

Walt Rossi

Incorporating such remote diagnostics software reduces the healthcare provider's need to spend time diagnosing the problem and summoning a technician—and improves the reliability of the manufacturer's products. "Some of our customers are experiencing a 30% increase in the utilization of their medical instruments due to the effectiveness of our diagnostic software," says Brian Anderson, Axeda's vice president of marketing. Axeda's clients include such companies as Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA), a manufacturer and distributor of cancer therapy systems.
Questra Corp. (Redwood City, CA) is another firm that has established a strong presence in the field of remote diagnostics software for medical devices. "The value proposition in our product is being able to remotely monitor hospital equipment and not only identify a problem as it arises, but fix it before the hospital knows there's a problem," says Walt Rossi, Questra's vice president of marketing. "A repair that once took 12 hours can now be performed in five. This can have a big revenue or cost impact on a hospital, because they perform more tests and therefore gain more revenue."

The Immulite 2000 automated immunoassay system by Diagnostic Products Corp. (DPC; Los Angeles) incorporates remote diagnostics software by Questra Corp. (Redwood City, CA). The system provides a variety of on-screen displays that clinical laboratory personnel can use to monitor quality control calibration and instrument performance over time. Automated reporting of system performance to DPC enables the company to anticipate system problems and help laboratories keep their instruments running. (click to enlarge)

Questra's software is embedded in several product lines of Diagnostic Products Corp. (DPC; Los Angeles). Among them are hospital laboratory products that conduct testing for fertility, cancer, and infectious disease.

Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA) has installed Axeda DRM to monitor, diagnose, and repair the complex apertures on its Millennium family of multileaf collimators, used in conjunction with Varian’s Clinac linear accelerator. (click to enlarge)

"Our clients benefit in many ways," says Linda Tucci, vice president of service at DPC. "Through daily service dumps of data from our products, our technical people spot issues before the customer does. We can now call a customer with answers rather than questions. A lot of instrument servicing can be conducted remotely. Or, if a call needs to be scheduled, we can schedule around downtime for the particular instrument. This saves on travel, and allows for the appropriate parts-ordering to occur."

"We can also spot potential operator issues, such as customers' technicians not using reagents appropriately," adds Tucci. “This helps improve their productivity."

Copyright ©2005 MX