Hospitals and health care systems are on the hunt to acquire the latest technology to enhance services and better serve existing and new patients.
Moffitt Cancer Center
Thanks to a new FDA-approved device, Moffitt will become the first cancer center in Florida to utilize a technological solution to collect blood from patients without using a needle.
The technology is called PIVO, and it was created by vascular access California-based medical technology company Velano Vascular. It attaches to a patient's peripheral IV catheter, avoiding the need to stick a patient with a needle.
Moffitt first piloted the technology late last year and received praise from nurses and patients.
"I've been a nurse for a very long time, and you would think this is a simple concept, but it took a while and now we have it," said Shelia Ferrall, the senior director of nursing practice, education and clinical effectiveness at Moffitt. "It's another way of avoiding unnecessary pain and we save hundreds of needles."
She said it could save roughly 3,200 needle sticks annually.
"This is now going to become our new standard of patient care," she said. "We are training all nurses on how to use this. We wouldn't want a situation where one does it and another doesn't."
The technology will also be used at Moffitt's new $400 million hospital now under construction.
Largo Medical Center
The Largo Medical Center is the first in Pinellas County to adopt a new device described as a game-changer for those with heart disease.
It's the same approach as lithotripsy, which has been used for decades to break up kidney stones safely.
"Our goal is to offer the best comprehensive cardiac services and have every weapon to fight this disease," CEO Adam Rudd told the Business Journal. "We have a high-risk population, and there wasn't anything on the market like this. It will open the door for many patients."
The device received federal approval in February.
