Promoting a two-heads-are-better-than-one approach, Baylor Health System’s David Muntz and consultant Stuart Gardner called for greater collaboration between IT departments and clinical engineering during a Tuesday afternoon session at HIMSS11.

It’s to everyone’s advantage, said Muntz, senior vice president and CIO of Dallas-based Baylor, which operates 26 hospitals and facilities at 160 locations. In fact, he called for “radical collaboration,” to which Gardner agreed.

As Muntz and Gartner see it, increasing convergent and complex networks, concerns with integration of medical devices, the FDA’s growing interest in regulating medical device integration and wireless networks in hospitals all demand that IT and clinical engineering work shoulder to shoulder.

[See also: Report sparks controversy over FDA medical device review system ]

The clinical engineering department (also known as biomed or biomedical engineering) is responsible for helping to purchase, maintain and repair medical devices and technology.

Muntz said both the clinical engineering and IT teams focus on improving patient outcomes. CE teams, he said, play a large role in improving quality of care, controlling cost, reducing risks and providing training and support to physicians, nurses and other clinicians.

“One of the real benefits has been the sense of urgency that CE brings to the table,” he said. “Their attitude is infectious.”

Clinical engineers are especially good at change control and financial controls, Muntz said, while the IT team is often focused on process. 

CEs have a deep knowledge of industry standards and the latest technologies, said Gardner. “They can assist in establishing the technical criteria,” he said. “CEs can manage or execute testing and sign-off.”

[See also: Power, budget, availability top concerns for hospital IT infrastructure]

Tuesday’s session offered three tips for how best to tap clinical engineers’ skills:
Make sure clinical engineering is included in the capital planning, budgeting and approval process.
Include the department’s leader in leadership team meetings.

Invite them to participate on key committees, including safety/environment of care, capital planning/budgeting/approval, capital acquisition, product evaluation, facility design/innovation and risk management.