08:39 ET US Anesthesia Partners Announces Innovation Initiative with Leading Healthcare Solutions Provider Aiming to Bring AI Into Anesthesia

Collaboration will focus on conceptualizing tools that aim to improve patient experience and outcomes while helping to increase productivity for clinicians and hospitals , /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Inc. (USAP) announced today that it will work with GE HealthCare to define, conceptualize and develop prototypes for next-generation, digital anesthesia solutions*. The collaboration seeks to support clinicians, improve patient care, and address the workforce challenges faced by clinicians and hospitals today. GE HealthCare is among the world leaders in anesthesia technology with products such as the CarestationTM family of anesthesia delivery systems. USAP is a physician-led single-specialty anesthesia practice serving patients at more than 700 hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) in 10 states and the District of Columbia. "The profession of anesthesiology is marked by the relentless pursuit of improving patient outcomes and safety," said Mo Azam, MD, Head of Innovation at USAP. "In recent years, growth in demand for anesthesia care has outpaced growth in the supply of anesthesia providers, leading to stressed clinicians, higher labor costs and, in some cases, limited anesthesia capacity---which ultimately results in less access to care for patients. Collaborations between clinicians and industry to develop new, digital tools is a key step towards addressing these challenges." Advancement in technology, such as anesthesia solutions that can support expanded clinical surveillance, may help enable rapid decision making by clinicians, and help facilitate continuous attention. Tools powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence hold particular promise for augmenting clinicians and capacity, but need to be developed, trained, and validated hand-in-hand with expert clinicians who understand the realities at the point of care. This collaboration aims to holistically tackle these considerations by leveraging the combined expertise of GE HealthCare and USAP by bringing together: GE HealthCare's expertise in anesthesia technology, product development, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and global distribution* USAP's anesthesia quality management systems, data collection infrastructure, and daily caseload (which ranges from surgery centers to academic care, across the full spectrum of case types, sub-specialties, and clinical complexity) "Improving the patient experience starts with equipping anesthesia professionals with the right tools to be in the right place at the right time," said John Beard, MD, Anesthesiologist and Chief Medical Officer for Patient Care Solutions at GE HealthCare. "Our work with USAP aims to bring about new digital capabilities to help reduce the burden on anesthesia providers and address the challenges they face with providing care in today's complex healthcare environment." About US Anesthesia Partners U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Inc. (USAP) is a physician-owned, clinician-led organization dedicated to providing high-quality anesthesia services. USAP anesthesiologists, CRNAs and CAAs work in more than 700 facilities across the country to provide anesthesia care for more than 2 million cases annually. USAP's over 4,500 clinicians have expertise in many anesthesia subspecialties, including pediatric, cardiac and OB anesthesia. USAP's data-driven quality metrics enable continuous innovation and improvements that are shared across the organization via its national and local clinical quality network. This network helps facilitate the delivery of consistent, high-quality services for patients, surgeons, facilities, and health plans. To learn more about USAP, visit http://www.usap.com/ * The information presented here involves technologies and concepts in development that are not products and may never become products. None of these technologies or concepts are being offered for sale, and none of them are cleared or approved by the U.S. FDA or any other global regulator for commercial availability. SOURCE U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Inc.