Relieving the pressure

Pressure on healthcare providers to cut costs can be relieved by the take up of innovative technologies such as RFID, argues Andrea Fischer

Demand from nearly 500 million people in Europe for the best possible healthcare provision poses new challenges for European healthcare systems. That is why national healthcare systems are increasingly being caught between the desire to meet every medical need for healthcare services and the economic restrictions imposed upon them by governments. But there is a way out of this dilemma. Given the cost pressures on healthcare, the advantages offered by new innovation in medical technology should be given greater consideration than they have in the past.

Hospitals are a particular drain on national healthcare budgets, which means that they are increasingly confronted with the need to make savings at the same time as improving the quality of the service they offer, as demanded by patients. Innovative technologies such as RFID (radio frequency identification) are not only possible solutions to the challenges facing hospitals; they are also growth drivers in the sector of the future, namely healthcare economics.  RFID guarantees contact-free radio transmission of data in real time and opens up new ways of improving efficiency and quality. More efficient bed management, seamless tracking of medicines or traceable documentation of blood transportation are just a few of the advantages offered by the use of RFID in hospitals. In addition, employing RFID could greatly reduce bureaucratic expense while at the same time ensuring that the data used by medical staff is always fully up-to-date. The need to fill in patient records and forms could be considerably reduced. In practice, patients could conceivably be issued with an RFID armband on which all their relevant data could be stored. RFID would enable hospital staff to spend more time on their patients and less time on meeting bureaucratic requirements.

Cost savings in hospitals are not confined, however, to technical innovations such as RFID. Experiences from Germany have shown that the reprocessing of highly complex medical devices is another way of reducing hospital costs. It is not uncommon for hospitals to incur purchasing costs of several thousand euros per item for high-value medical devices, such as endoscopic equipment or instruments used in minimally invasive surgery, ophthalmology, joint surgery, laser medicine, urology or cardiology. Hospitals also have to meet additional costs when disposing of the used medical devices.

An economically and ecologically sensible solution would, therefore, be to reprocess these medical devices. Reprocessing means the professional cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation of used medical devices by validated methods. In specialist reprocessing, highly complex medical devices are checked not only for sterility, but also for their material condition and functionality. In the case of Germany, the law demands that reprocessing service-providers submit validated and standardised reprocessing methods so that a high degree of patient protection is guaranteed. Significant savings potential could be released by specialist reprocessing, while the quality and functionality of the products would be maintained.

According to the European association of medical device manufacturers (EUCOMED), the medical devices market in Europe is worth just under €63.6bn annually (in 2005). According to estimates from the European association for medical device reprocessing – EAMDR – professional reprocessing could save up to €8bn annually. Not only could environmental resources be conserved, but it would enable hospitals to continue buying cost-intensive but essential medical technology while at the same time saving money.

However, innovative medical technologies should not merely be regarded as potential cost savings. The healthcare market itself ought to be seen more as a growth market than it has been in the past, a sector that can provide real growth and good quality jobs in Europe. Nevertheless, the use of new, innovative technologies in the healthcare sector is not an option that automatically sells itself. The differing interests of the various organisations involved in healthcare can create barriers to innovation. At the same time, scepticism among users and patients alike concerning the use of innovative technologies in the healthcare sector is not uncommon.

Fear of rationalisation or excessive transparency of processes and costs often stands in the way of technologies such as RFID or medical device reprocessing being implemented. Policies need to oppose these barriers to innovation, if the intention is to fully develop the growth potential of the European healthcare market. A general policy framework that encourages a European structure of innovation is urgently needed. Through stronger collaboration between member states, and with more financial support for projects, the EU should be able not only to promote acceptance but also the use of innovative technologies in the healthcare sector.