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Ask the expert: What should we consider when adding new technologies?

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, May 24, 2007

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As robotics are becoming more common in operating rooms around the world, it is important to recognize both the wonders and the limitations of technology. In other words, it is just as great a disservice to shun new technologies as it is to assimilate them without question. And, as the one who will be charged with privileging practitioners who use these new technologies, knowing the right questions to ask is half of the battle.

The following five questions, developed by Hugh Greeley, founder of The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., are healthcare-setting specific and should be answered prior to adding any new technology:

1. Has the innovation been approved for clinical use? Is it an effective clinical modality, and does it offer patients a markedly better alternative than existing interventions?

2. What departments will be affected by the introduction of this innovation, and what are their concerns?

3. How will the use of this innovation be reimbursed?

4. How often will the innovation be used, and by how many physicians on the staff?

5. Is this the very best technology available today and for the foreseeable future, or should we wait for a period before adopting it?

This week's "Ask the Expert" is excerpted from the July issue of Briefings on Credentialing.

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