Medtronic and GE Healthcare to Collaborate on Outpatient Care

April 28, 2022—GE Healthcare and Medtronic announced a collaboration focused on the unique needs and demand for care at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and office-based labs (OBLs). Under this new collaboration, ASC and OBL customers can access extensive product portfolios, financial solutions, and services.

According to the companies, 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. This growth trend is expected to continue for years to come, noted the companies.

Also, they noted that after CMS approved payments for certain cardiovascular procedures in 2020, fixed C-arm imaging systems have been used more and 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.

As noted in the press release, GE Healthcare and Medtronic seek to help ASCs navigate these challenges, bringing the best of each company to deliver high-quality and cost-effective advanced technology, financial solutions, and personal service.

For GE Healthcare, this includes consultative planning; construction; a comprehensive suite of equipment (including imaging, monitoring, and ultrasound); and exceptional service and digital solutions. These solutions include the Edison-powered AutoRight artificial intelligence-based interventional imaging chain, which can help clinicians provide the right image at the right dose automatically for each patient.

For Medtronic, this includes providing an extensive portfolio of products for a diverse range of service lines in the ASC and OBL, from cardiac rhythm to pain management, peripheral vascular to kyphoplasty. In addition to products, Medtronic will continue to offer the service that customers have come to expect from their field experts as well as reimbursement support, remote solutions, and more.

Jim Rapp, Vice President of Interventional Imaging at GE Healthcare, commented in the press release, “GE Healthcare Interventional Imaging solutions are built to help our customers deliver care at a higher level for patients. With a predicted increase in outpatient cardiology and peripheral vascular procedures over the coming years, industry leaders like GE Healthcare need to understand and meet the unique needs of ASCs and OBLs. Our collaboration with Medtronic is one aspect of our efforts to strengthen efficiency, workflow, and clinical outcomes for ASCs and OBLs who work with GE Healthcare.”

Adam King, Senior Director of United States Enterprise Accounts and Ambulatory Surgery Centers at Medtronic, stated in the press release, “As our customers open centers outside of the hospital, they are looking for support beyond the devices used in medical procedures. From products and devices to equipment and services, we provide a full range of technologies and solutions. Our collaboration with GE Healthcare was formed to better serve the growth of our ASC and OBL customers with extensive technologies and dedicated teams who have expertise in outpatient services and can address all aspects of this evolving sector.”