GE HealthCare announces the U.S. FDA 510(k) Clearance of IONIC Health’s nCommand Lite technology. The vendor-agnostic, multi-modality nCommand Lite system will be distributed exclusively by GE HealthCare and will provide remote patient scanning support, remote access for viewing/review of images*, as well as the ability to connect to remote experts who can provide real-time guidance to the licensed technologist operating the scanner. Off-site experts can use these features to aid in training, procedure assessment, and scanning parameter management. IONIC Health’s nCommand Lite includes multi-modality capabilities in support of magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) scanning.
A recent study found that 80% of radiology departments are suffering from staff shortages. Additionally, the most recent 2023 American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Radiologic Sciences Staffing and Workplace Survey found that vacancy rates are the highest they have been since the survey was initiated in 2003. Health systems grappling with operational challenges and workforce shortages are increasingly looking for innovative solutions to increase their flexibility in staffing, scheduling, and operational structure to better meet the growing needs of their patient population.
GE HealthCare offers multiple solutions to streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and ease the burden of staff shortages, including effortless operations to assist with remote scanning, training, protocol management, and collaboration. To further enhance its remote operations portfolio, GE HealthCare launched an FDA-cleared new version of Digital Expert Access and announced an exclusive distribution agreement with IONIC Health in November 2023.
“GE HealthCare is committed to continued investment in the rapidly growing space of remote operations through innovation and strategic collaborations that support the current and future needs of healthcare institutions. Our goal is to provide remote operations solutions that lead to increased access for patients, including patients who may require complex care and support from an off-site expert technologist,” said Rekha Ranganathan, senior vice president, general manager, Imaging Platforms and Digital Solutions, GE HealthCare. “Additionally, we recognize that healthcare systems are not only looking to leverage the skills of one expert across multiple physical locations for knowledge sharing and training but have an imaging fleet that includes multiple vendors and modalities, so it was critical for us to expand our remote operations portfolio by adding IONIC Health’s nCommand Lite technology.”
The nCommand Lite system is designed to enable off-site experts to remotely provide real-time guidance to the licensed technologist operating the scanner and includes vendor-agnostic, multi-modality capabilities, offering a differentiated remote scanning solution that helps streamline workflow across disparate imaging fleets. Additionally, a remote user can be connected to multiple scanners, and the technology is designed for low bandwidth consumption for an optimized user experience, enabling seamless collaboration.
“We are thrilled that our nCommand Lite solution, built on the three-year-strong nCommand platform from Brazil, is now cleared for use in the U.S.,” said José Leovigildo Coelho, CEO and co-founder of IONIC Health. “Developed with multi-modality and multi-vendor functionalities and high-end technology to scale and tackle staffing shortages, nCommand Lite enables broader access to expert technologists. Through our continued collaboration with GE HealthCare, we hope to make the nCommand technology available to more regions across the globe in the future.”
