OREANDA-NEWS. GE Healthcare today announced it has entered into an agreement with HealthTrust, a group purchasing organization headquartered in the Nashville, Tenn. area, to provide infant care solutions including phototherapy technology, warmers and incubators, to hospitals that are members of HealthTrust. The agreement commenced on March 1, 2013.

“GE Healthcare offers solutions that help clinicians in all settings of the hospital, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), to provide life-saving care every day for the most vulnerable of patients,” said Alfredo Arguello, General Manager of GE Healthcare’s Life Care Solutions business in the U.S. “We are excited to work with HealthTrust through this agreement, expanding these critical solutions to a greater number of hospitals to continue to advance patient safety and infant care from a mother’s delivery through her child’s discharge.”

GE Healthcare Life Care Solutions (LCS) develops medical devices that help sustain life and support patient care in every setting throughout the hospital, from anesthesia delivery systems to ventilators and patient monitoring offerings. As well, LCS offers a series of technologies for infant care, including medical devices that provide developmentally -supportive environments designed to manage light and sound, and support an optimal temperature for premature infants. In addition to infant care technologies, Clinical Applications Training is also available to member hospitals through the GE Healthcare’s agreement with HealthTrust.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in every eight children is born prior to their expected due date, which can result in complications and critical care needs for babies. To address these challenges, HealthTrust member facilities will have access to LCS technologies such as Care Plus* incubators and the Giraffe* and Panda* product lines, which feature the Giraffe Incubator, the Giraffe Warmer, the Panda iRes Warmer, Giraffe OmniBed*, Giraffe Shuttle transport solution and phototherapy technology. Each solution is designed to provide healing environments for high-acuity or critically ill newborns in the NICU, helping to keep fragile babies safe and well—this in turn may provide comfort for families and caregivers. To learn more about the impact of these healing environments, read this story about the GE Healthcare “Giraffe Dad.”

* Trademark of General Electric Company.