Choosing a digital imaging upgrade over a system replacement

Recently, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Heart Institute (SLEH/THI) in Houston evaluated its capital equipment strategy and chose to retrofit nine of its eleven cardiac catheterization laboratories with a digital upgrade for less than two-thirds the cost of a single laboratory replacement. In order to take advantage of budgeted funds, the selection and purchase had to be finished in a seven-month period. A multidisciplinary team was formed to do the technology assessment that led to the choice to upgrade rather than replace. A team consensus was reached on which vendors to trial. Written surveys filled in by physician and technician users who trialed the equipment were tallied to make the final equipment choice. Materiel management played a crucial role in cutting the necessary red tape to meet the purchase deadline.