GE Healthcare and interventional technology firm Medtronic have established an agreement to help customers meet the increasing needs and demand for care at hospital outpatient clinics.
Under the collaboration, customers opening Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) and Office Based Labs (OBLs) will be able to access extensive product portfolios, financial solutions, and exceptional service, company officials said.
"As our customers open centers outside of the hospital, they are looking for support beyond the devices used in medical procedures," said Adam King, Medtronic's senior director of U.S. enterprise accounts and ambulatory surgery centers, in a news release.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the movement of procedures into the outpatient environment while also driving disease rates higher, resulting in procedure growth in facilities outside traditional hospitals, and this growth trend is expected to continue for years to come, officials said.
In addition, since the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid approved payments for certain cardiovascular procedures in 2020, fixed c-arm imaging systems have been used more frequently in ASCs and OBLs for cardiac and peripheral vascular procedures.
While patient needs are increasing, there remain high costs and complexity associated with expanding an existing ASC or building a new one. GE Healthcare and Medtronic seek to help ASCs navigate these challenges, the companies said.
