Fujitsu’s quantum-inspired computing helps uncover additional OR capacity
Fujitsu has announced a new operating room optimization solution that runs on quantum-inspired computing technology.
WHAT IT DOES
The latest surgical capacity optimization offering under the Uvance brand is a SaaS application powered by Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer computing technology.
The decision support tool consists of two components: a recommendation engine that provides customized, mathematically validated recommendations that improve block time allocation in OR schedules, and a generative block scheduling wizard that provides projections for hypothetical scheduling scenarios.
Fujitsu is rolling out the SCO on a controlled basis in North America, as well as in some parts of Asia Pacific and Europe.
WHY IT MATTERS
What sets the SCO apart from other OR solutions, Fujitsu claims, is its ability to free up additional OR time to accommodate the increased case volume. Using the hospital’s historical and forecast operations scheduling data from the EHR, the hospital monitors for patterns in block usage over time to identify new prime-time operating hours and days.
Based on OR studies at Baptist Health Doctors Hospital in the United States, SCO delivered a 37% improvement in available primetime minutes over three months, adding up to 231 new full-day blocks.
Meanwhile, the SCO can use digital twin technology to project the impact of complex planning scenarios on occupancy and revenue.
“Not only does this take the guesswork out of day-to-day decision making for perioperative staff through a more data-driven approach, but it also minimizes risks associated with key strategic decisions considered by hospital management teams,” explains Dean Prelazzi, head of the healthcare, out. Capacity optimization at Fujitsu Uvance Healthy Living.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Fujitsu’s quantum-inspired computing remains unheard of in the field of surgical optimization to this day. However, AI is being used extensively to achieve much-needed efficiency in the OR without the need to build additional rooms. In the United States, health technology supplier Qventus has given permission Allina Health and Saint Luke’s Health System will accommodate more cases each month by automating OR scheduling using AI.
ON THE RECORD
“Fujitsu’s solution challenges the conventional way of managing OR utilization. It focuses on the root cause, not the symptoms, and revolutionizes OR schedules to deliver the best outcome for both hospitals and patients. It also gives perioperative teams solid, easily accessible data to support change, so that by the time they propose to reorganize schedules, or have to have difficult conversations with providers, they can have complete confidence that they are doing what’s right is,” said Baptist Health CMIO Dr. Barry Katzen about the new Fujitsu SCO.
“The additional prime time OR capacity we discovered using the solution’s recommendations will significantly increase our performance-driven revenue potential in surgical services, while always prioritizing patient care. Being able to predict and manage our surgical capacity with this level of precision is transformative and will help us improve the fiscal performance of the surgical discipline,” said Javier Hernandez-Lichtl, CEO of Doctors Hospital.