The value of digital twin technology - Transforming care delivery in a single department or an entire healthcare enterprise

White Paper The value of digital twin technology Transforming care delivery in a single department or an entire healthcare enterprise siemens-healthineers.com/value-partnerships SIEMENS Healthineers White Paper · The value of digital twin technology Executive Summary Digital twin technology has proven its value in manufacturing, where use of connected technology to monitor performance, model processes, and optimize efficiency is already a mainstay of “Industry 4.0”. The link between the physical and virtual worlds is a key facet of this emerging manufacturing paradigm. Now, through the efforts of multi-disciplinary teams, hospitals are creating four-dimensional digital twins of patient care units. They’ve realized the value of running “what-if” scenarios for optimizing departmental operations. A digital twin can help healthcare enterprises identify ways to enhance and streamline processes, improve patient experience, lower operating costs, and increase higher value of care. The digital twin creates models of physical spaces and processes. Then, cost and quality optimization parameters are examined and ultimately selected based on the insights gained from simulations leveraging the digital twin. Digital twins insights can be further enhanced with complimentary technologies like Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS), which provides a robust data source and a means to test changes in layout, process, etc. A digital twin can have tremendous real-world impact. Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, Ireland partnered with Siemens Healthineers to create a digital twin of its radiology operations. The identified improvement potential was a nearly half-hour reduction in patient waiting time, and significantly reduced staff overtime costs. The key to success of a digital twin is a strong partnership between the hospital and a technology provider who understands the clinical, workflow, and financial imperatives of healthcare providers. Siemens Healthineers creates Value Partnerships with provider organizations in order to help them create value and optimize care delivery. This white paper will discuss the successful implementation of a digital twin, and the vital role Value Partnerships play in building a digital twin. The value of digital twin technology · White Paper Contents Introduction .............................................................. 4 Key uses for digital twins in healthcare institutions .... 4 Digital twins in medical imaging ............................... 5 Partnership: The key to successful development ...... 5 Case Study: Mater Private Hospital ........................... 6 Future applications ................................................... 7 Conclusions ............................................................... 7 3 White Paper · The value of digital twin technology Introduction Simulations are commonplace in many work environments. A digital twin is a four-dimensional model (here, time They help to identify strategies that work, and possible constitutes the 4th dimension) of a care unit, multiple avenues for improvement, without the time and expense departments or even an entire hospital. A digital twin of rearranging real-world enterprises. links the physical and virtual worlds, turning data into actionable insights. This is a key facet of the emerging Simulations are especially important for complex, manufacturing paradigm known as Industry 4.0. high-risk and/or technical tasks. Aircraft pilots train on simulators all the time. Medical students perform tasks on simulation mannequins so that they can identify issues with a technique in a safe, controlled environment. Digital twins model key aspects of a healthcare enterprise: Physical layout – the spatial dimensions for a specific department or function. This includes reception, registration, waiting areas, doctor’s offices, exam rooms, equipment and furniture placements, and more. Flow and Resources – robust data captured on doctor, patient and equipment movement is incorporated into a digital twin, adding an invaluable layer of process-related insight to the model. A digital twin enables healthcare providers to move assets Systems. RTLS tracks the movement of equipment, files, around, reconfigure departments, and see the effects of even individuals, and can refine the twin’s accuracy in changes to the simulated environment. Because it models simulating processes. RTLS data can also enable use of so many dimensions, the twin produces a detailed look the digital twin to predict the availability of equipment into how the hospital is working. The effectiveness of a and resources, and can rapidly assess the real-world effect healthcare facility digital twin can be enhanced by of changes suggested by simulations. leveraging powerful data sources like Real-Time Locating Key uses for digital twins in healthcare institutions There are three primary domains where digital twins can “Simulation modeling is common when designing robust be effective in healthcare: production lines in various industries” notes Nicolai Gossmann, Senior Management Consultant at Siemens • Predicting the outcome of a specific scenario; perhaps a reorganization of the patient flow and Healthineers. “The same idea can be applied to designing clinical workflow in a specific department. efficient and patient-centric hospital operations. So, for example, what happens if we have a very high incoming • Evaluating, on a quantitative basis, the impact flow of patients in the emergency department? That’s of different layout scenarios, such as re-arranging a very specific scenario, but you can also evaluate waiting areas or distributing and splitting waiting areas the operational impact of increasing patient demand for specific modalities. in certain services and its additional effects on assets, • Performing operational stress testing on a department utilization, staff, and more. The more handovers there or an entire hospital. are in [a patient’s] journey, the more opportunities there are to improve,” according to Gossmann. 4 The value of digital twin technology · White Paper Digital twins in medical imaging Medical imaging facilities are in high demand. In the US, “We’re tracking the patient from check-in to reports being for example, there are more than 80 million CT scans furnished to the patient,” says Helen Calvey, Country Lead performed annually1, and that number is continually Ireland, Enterprise Services for Siemens Healthineers. increasing. This huge demand for diagnostic medical “All of that information is put into the model. We come imaging is a logistical challenge for providers around up with a very patient-centered workflow.” By building the world. How can they make the best use of space, a dynamic model of a care facility, a provider organization equipment, and staff to provide the best possible care can identify and spread best practices in order to improve for patients? The value of a robust, high-fidelity efficiency, patient experience, and quality of care. simulation in this situation is clear. Partnership: The key to successful development A partnership with multiple parties, both internal and And that technology partner has to be much more than external, is necessary to make the digital twin work. a vendor. Healthcare organizations are looking for Clinical staff, hospital workers, receptionists, appointment guidance on how they can optimize performance, expand schedulers, administrative team members, hospital capabilities, and advance innovation to deliver higher architects, and a committed, qualified technology partner value of care. Siemens Healthineers has developed Value all play key roles in creating an effective digital twin. Partnerships, enduring relationships with healthcare providers that help transform care delivery and create higher value. The Value Partnerships framework enables us to bring complimentary services – like digital twins and RTLS – to bear for our partners. Create a digital twin of the real world = Identify and test the most impactful Implement findings in the real world healthcare institution changes virtually to create more value 1 Harvard Business Review: Radiation risk from medical imaging https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging 5 White Paper · The value of digital twin technology Case Study: Mater Private Hospital Mater Private Hospital in Dublin is one of Ireland’s The combined Mater Private Hospital / Siemens Healthineers leading institutions for radiologic imaging and cardiac Value Partnership team built a representation of current care. The desire to update the hospital’s imaging fleet radiology operations while working to review current and to maximize efficiencies in departmental workflows layouts and identify potential improvements. A one-week led to conversations about the benefits of digital twin on-site assessment was conducted, including workshops, technology between hospital management and long- stakeholder interviews, and process observation. In the standing partner Siemens Healthineers. “We were end a digital twin was created allowing the partners to running late on some evenings in order to accommodate run different scenarios and identify the best use of the increasing demand for medical scans,” said Associate equipment, and pressure test a physical layout. Professor Paddy Gilligan, chief physicist at Mater Private. “That wasn’t ideal from a staff or patient point of view.” Gilligan said the four-dimensional view of the department unearthed heretofore hidden insights. Gilligan said growing the size of the radiology department “We verified data at every step to be sure it was realistic,” in order to meet increasing demand for services was he explained. “Once the model was available, we could difficult for several reasons, including space in a confined run scenarios and see the value-add to changes we city center location, not to mention the overall cost. make. We could also see the impact changes to layout Leadership at Mater Private recognized the opportunity and operations have on other parts of the hospital. to make the right changes by creating a digital twin Improvements that previously took months or years of the radiology department and partnered with of trial and error can now be achieved in a matter of days Siemens Healthineers to make it happen. or weeks.” Some of the identified improvement potential from Mater Private’s digital twin include: • Shorter wait times for patients – a reduction of 13 minutes for CT scans and 25 minutes for MRIs. • Faster patient turnaround (arrival to departure) which shrank to 28 minutes for CT cans and 34 minutes for MRI. • Increased equipment utilization – MRI usage went up by 32 percent and CT usage went up by 26 percent. • Lower staffing costs, including 50 minutes less MRI overtime pay per day. The most important benefit the partnership can bring is to improve patient experience. The Mater Private digital twin shows how long the patient will spend at each stage of their journey through radiology. This allows planning for waiting times in each section maximizing the use of space and optimizing the patient experience. 6 The value of digital twin technology · White Paper Future applications According to Sören Eichhorst, Head of Healthcare Creating a digital twin represents a break with Consulting and Transformation for Siemens Healthineers, established ways of doing business, yet it pays digital twin applications provide great opportunities in tremendous dividends. “It takes a lot of dedication and healthcare. “You can apply it everywhere – e.g. in commitment to sign up for a digital twin application,” radiology, lab, for interdisciplinary pathways or for said Calvey. “A healthcare partner can bring the non-medical processes.” knowledge and commitment where the technology partner can bring the technical expertise; together we Indeed, digital twin technology can yield efficiency and can make this successful.” patient experience benefits for almost every part of a healthcare enterprise, including: Value Partnerships leverage evidence-based solutions and tailor them to the situation at hand. In this case, • Prostate Cancer treatment, where the victim interacts with multiple departments and disciplines. using a digital twin helped Mater Private plan the modernization and expansion of their radiology • Cardiology operations – Mater Private performs more department armed with foresight on how to optimize than 6,000 angiograms annually. workflows, capacity, and patient experience. It is a good Intensive care units, where a four-dimensional redesign example of how Value Partnerships create value for all • of the overall operation can yield improved quality of stakeholders. care and greater operational efficiency. Conclusions • Digital twin technology is most effective in the context • With RTLS, changes made to layout or workflow from of a partnership. the digital twin simulation studies can be quickly • A high-fidelity, effective digital twin requires measured for impact and success. collaboration among hospital executives, clinicians, • A digital twin can help plan changes or expansion to administrative staff, the building architect, and the care units, and minimize the need for costly changes technology partner. after a department has been reorganized. • The multi-disciplinary team should continuously • Value Partnerships enable healthcare providers to evaluate the digital twin to confirm it is delivering leverage the clinical and technology know-how of robust insights and enhancing efficiencies in hospital Siemens Healthineers to create value for stakeholders. operations. • Technologies like RTLS can provide a rich data source and significantly enhance the effectiveness of a digital twin model. To learn more about Value Partnerships go to siemens-healthineers.com/value-partnerships or read the full Mater Private case study at siemens-healthineers.com/mater-private-case-study. 7 The outcomes achieved by the Siemens Healthineers customer described herein were achieved in the customer’s unique setting. Since there is no “typical” hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, and level of IT adoption), there can be no guarantee that others will achieve the same results. Siemens Healthineers Headquarters Siemens Healthcare GmbH Henkestr. 127 91052 Erlangen, Germany Phone: +49 9131 84-0 siemens-healthineers.com Published by Siemens Healthcare GmbH · Printed in Germany · 7144 0219.15 · ©Siemens Healthcare GmbH, 2019