Most Common Reason for Renewing Smart Pumps is Outmoded Technology

As functionality and the need for new technology grows, a KLAS report examined how various organizations have renewed their smart pumps to match their needs and ensure patient safety.

In this KLAS report, 40 recent or upcoming smart pump purchase decisions validated by KLAS between January 2020 and December 2021 were evaluated. Several medical technology vendors, including ICU Medical, Baxter, B. Braun, BD, and Smiths Medical, were reviewed for their smart pump sales in 2022.

When reviewing each organization, KLAS considered various factors, including culture, loyalty, operations, product, relationship, and value.

Organizations consider product familiarity as most important when selecting a vendor, followed by previous relationship, price, consolidation, interoperability, and no recalls.

The primary reason for choosing to replace a smart pump is if the product has become obsolete.

Of all the vendors assessed, ICU Medical emerged as the most frequently chosen vendor in this report sample, followed by Baxter.

Smiths Medical was the least likely to retain customers. Their existing stakeholders that intend to stick with the vendor cited integration and familiarity with their devices and services.

“Another factor was our familiarity with the pump. Our staff had been using the Medfusion 3500 for years. The biggest change was adding the interoperability piece,” said a nurse, who reselected Smiths Medical, in the report.

Of note, Smiths Medical was acquired by ICU Medical in January.

B. Braun users consistently renew smart pumps with ones that the vendor develops due to their trust in the company. However, the report showed that six out of nine respondents were not satisfied with the price and difficulty of B. Braun pumps and intended to switch to another vendor.

The most comprehensive base of customers belongs to BD, containing 100+ live with EMR/LVP interoperability. ICU Medical is next, with about 30 to 40 LVP customers live, then Baxter with five to 10, followed by B. Braun and Smiths Medical.

Compared to a KLAS evaluation in 2021, most smart pump vendors received an improved overall performance score, except for B. Braun, which scored 1 percent lower in 2022.

Despite advances in smart pump devices, a recent report showed that 75 percent of these systems contain known security gaps, leading to medical device security concerns. Following the analysis of over 200,000 infusion pumps, red flags arose regarding medical device security and how organizations secured smart infusion pumps.

McAfee researchers also discovered multiple issues in two different types of B. Braun infusion pumps in August 2021, which could have led to hackers influencing the dosage of medication delivered to patients.