Health care technology assessment and adoption: a case study

Today's progressive hospital and health care system managers look to new ways to retain or augment their market share and to position themselves in their service areas. Since diffusion of new technologies into health care is market driven, informed decisions on the adoption of certain emerging patient care technologies can place a health care organization in a favorable financial position. There is a compelling need for hospital management and the governing board to collaborate with their medical staff on the development of an acceptable process to quickly identify and implement appropriate new technologies into the patient care environment. This joint effort is vital to ensure the integration of sound clinical values and objectives with planned institutional business strategies. Mount Carmel Health, a multifaceted health care corporation in central Ohio, has met the challenge of managing patient needs, physician interests, and limited hospital resources by forming a unique entity within the organization for the effective assessment and adoption of the latest medical technology. The division, which is called the Advanced Treatment and Bionics Institute (ATBI), is charged with assessing the latest clinical technologies and managing a hospital's adoption of the most appropriate ones. It serves to organize and streamline the identification, acquisition, adoption, and implementation of innovative treatment technologies at Mount Carmel hospitals.