GE HealthCare and University Hospitals (UH) announced a 10-year strategic collaboration to bring GE HealthCare technologies to UH across its radiology practice and UH Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, providing contemporary equipment and digital solutions.

The agreement includes hundreds of new systems, including AI-enabled technologies, across nuclear medicine, X-Ray, vascular and cardiovascular ultrasound, regional CT, fluoroscopy, surgery, and bone densitometry for which GE HealthCare will be the sole provider. The collaboration is focused on implementing enterprise-wide technology to optimize workflows and help improve clinical decision-making.

“Driven by a mission to heal, to teach, and to discover, University Hospitals offers access to quality care for everyone in Northeast Ohio,” said Paul Hinchey, MD, MBA, UH chief operating officer. “GE HealthCare’s solutions across the diagnostic spectrum and ongoing pursuit of system optimization and patient care efficiencies will help us improve the patient experience and their overall health.”

The collaboration between GE HealthCare and UH includes:

  • An AI and machine learning enabled technology fleet to help provide high image quality and to help enable faster scan times, clinical versatility, and enhanced diagnostics capabilities for healthcare professionals. 
  • Updating technology over the course of the agreement with GE HealthCare’s Smart Subscription which updates software to help extend the life of the imaging fleet 
  • Standardization and automated protocols across CT devices to help improve workflow, increase utilization and reduce the downtime associated with managing the fleet. 
  • Ongoing education and training for technologists, students, and physicians.
  • A digital Command Center solution that leverages technology and insights at the enterprise-level through a cloud-based digital hub for UH’s radiology department. The solution is intended to streamline daily management across network hospitals to create visibility into scheduling and authentication issues, improve inpatient coordination, decrease downtime associated with fleet maintenance, and reduce radiology-related patient excess days in the hospital. 

“As hospital systems look for opportunities to increase clinical and operational efficiencies while improving quality of care and patient outcomes, advanced technologies and digital solutions are key enablers,” said Catherine Estrampes, president and CEO, GE HealthCare in the U.S. and Canada. “GE HealthCare is uniquely positioned to partner with University Hospitals to advance the scope, quality, and efficiency of patient care and clinician workflows in northern Ohio as they use their scale to focus on providing the highest quality of care in every facility in their community, aligned with their local mindset.”