Innovatus Imaging's proprietary SafeTEE Program Continues to Help Facilities Reduce TEE Probe Support Costs and Patient Care Interruptions

The clinical and technical experts at Innovatus Imaging have been helping clients drastically reduce TEE probe support costs for well over 15 years. In the past year, Innovatus has provided repair solutions for well over 2000 TEE probes. Their data shows that over 70% of all failures are related to preventable damage. With replacement costs ranging from $15,000 - $25,000 each, TEE probe failures are one of the greatest contributors to support costs within the ultrasound modality.  But, they don’t have to be.

Root Cause

Many HTM and clinical teams believe that patients biting the probe, during a TEE study, is the primary cause of damage. Although it’s a contributor, the primary cause of preventable catastrophic damage is due to compromised care and handling practices combined with lack of proper controls and end-user training. After hundreds of facility visits, the Innovatus team is sharing their findings. 

Physical damage, such as punctures to the bending section, dents and gouges to the insertion tube, cracks to the distal tip, and acoustic lens damage typically occur during transportation, set-up, and insertion. Additionally, the process of disinfecting a transducer with physical damage is the primary cause of irreparable catastrophic damage.

Pathway to Success

SafeTEE involves examining the entire TEE probe care and handling process to identify current state, comparing current state to industry best-practices, and then implementing key opportunities for improvement. Managers from cross-functional teams are engaged, and end-users, clinicians, and technicians are active participants in the process.

Some of the more common process improvements are 1) transporting TEE probes in a bin or other container for any length of distance, 2) implementing tip protection, 3) performing thorough visual inspections at key points of the process, 4) leak testing at the appropriate time, and 5) augmenting the standard cleaning and disinfection process when needed. The Innovatus team partners and consults with clinical and HTM teams to implement improvements specific to each facility and within each clinical area. End-users, TEE operators, Central Processing techs, and HTM teams are informed and educated to bolster current knowledge and improve their day-to-day practices which results in improved outcomes and reduced failures due to preventable damage.

Results

By implementing SafeTEE, facilities of all sizes can drastically reduce their support costs, capital expenses, and overall cost of ownership for TEE probes.  Innovatus’ pilot customer supported 10-TEE probes yet experienced 28 catastrophic failures stemming from trauma and gross fluid invasion, totaling over $250,000 in a single year.” By modifying key steps in cross-functional processes, this client achieved the following results in less than 6-months:

• Initial 6-month window
  • 50% failure rate reduction
  • 75% reduction in failure severity (need to replace)
  • 68% cost reduction
• Current data
  • Preventable failures: 0
  • Cost of preventable failures: $0
• Results
  • Increased customer satisfaction and increased access for patients and physicians

Results from a longer-term case study are below.

After years of success, Innovatus has proven that implementing SafeTEE can eliminate the need to repair or replace TEE probes due to preventable damage. You’ll migrate from a model based on reaction to one based on prevention. Join the growing number of facilities implementing SafeTEE. Realize significant savings to your ultrasound support budget and improve outcomes by partnering with Innovatus Imaging. For more information reach out to safetee@innovatusimaging.com