USA – GE Healthcare has announced a digital update for the Vscan Air, a pocket-sized wireless ultrasound device released last year.

The new digital tools, which will be available in the United States via subscription in the second quarter, are said to improve workflow by providing “secure collaboration, image, and device management solutions.”

Healthcare providers who use the device will soon be able to choose between two subscriptions that will add a slew of new digital tools to the ultrasound system, according to GE.

The Fleet and Individual subscription plans are intended for large hospitals and health systems, as well as smaller practices and individual clinicians.

They will be available for purchase in the United States beginning in the second quarter of this year.

Both subscription plans will include MyRemoteShare, which is powered by remote collaboration powerhouse Zoom.

Clinicians will be able to share images, videos, and audio from the Vscan Air in real time with their colleagues, allowing them to receive immediate feedback and support when needed while also improving student training.

Another feature, MyImageCloud, will be available only to Individual plan customers. It’s a cloud-based data and image storage tool that allows users to automatically upload exams and then easily access and share that data.

Meanwhile, fleet subscribers will have access to MyDeviceHub, where they will be able to manage their entire fleet of Vscan Air devices from a single location.

Administrators can sort the devices into groups, assign them to specific hospital departments, and track each scanner’s usage through the online portal.

Karley Yoder, chief digital officer of ultrasound, remarked that “through Vscan Air digital tools, we are propelling ultrasound forward into a future…that empowers clinicians to spend more time with patients, and less time collecting data, [and]…that unlocks better clinical outcomes and operational efficiencies across an entire enterprise.”

One of GE Healthcare’s rivals in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), Butterfly Network, is being sued over patent infringement, according to a recent complaint filed by Fujifilm.

GE’s recent acquisition of BK Medical marks the company’s entry into the operating room. GE invested nearly US$1.5 billion in the company, which has developed surgical visualization technology that supports real-time imaging during minimally invasive, robotic, and open procedures.

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