PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA—ECRI, the most trusted voice in healthcare, names Mon Health System of Morgantown, West Virginia, the winner of its 15th Health Devices Achievement Award. ECRI presents its annual award to the member facility that has carried out the most exceptional initiative to improve patient safety, reduce costs, or otherwise facilitate better strategic management of health technology.

“Mon Health’s submission showed how health system leadership can foster an environment that encourages the use of innovative technology solutions to advance patient care,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer, ECRI. “We congratulate Mon Health for striving to meet the needs of their local community and investigating new approaches to improving patient outcomes.”

Mon Health System created a pathway for innovation for their physicians, clinicians, and engineers by partnering with Intermed Labs at Mon Health, a MedTech startup studio. Intermed Labs at Mon Health connects individuals who have ideas for improving patient outcomes with the expertise and resources needed to turn those ideas into real-world solutions.

“Establishing a collaboration with a local innovation lab allowed us to provide our clinicians with the framework and infrastructure to develop new ideas to improve patient care,” says Mon Health CEO and President David Goldberg. “For this initiative to succeed, we committed our leadership support and then we got out of the way so the entrepreneurs had full rein to innovate.”

The first project through the process sought to improve the options for patients who had experienced fingertip amputation, a common concern among West Virginians. Fingertip amputation often occurs in young and productive populations.

Prosthetics can help these patients overcome functional deficits, but obtaining a functional finger augmentation can be difficult for patients in remote or economically disadvantaged regions. The solution was to create a low-cost, easy-to-order, highly functional fingertip manufactured exclusively by 3D printing.

“While other 3D printed augmentations have required significant post-production customization and maintenance, our device’s intrinsic joint system makes it essentially maintenance free and is able to be used immediately upon delivery,” says W. Thomas McClellan, MD, plastic reconstructive surgeon and chief executive officer, Intermed Labs at Mon Health. “For patients, it’s as easy as visiting our website, taking a picture of their hand, and ordering the device—similar to a typical e-commerce product.”

Previous winners of ECRI’s Health Devices Achievement Award include Vancouver Coastal Health System and Lower Mainland Biomedical Engineering (2020), Penn Medicine (2019), and Boston Medical Center (2018).

To learn more about ECRI and the Health Devices Achievement Award, visit www.ecri.org, or contact ECRI by telephone at (610) 825-6000; by e-mail at clientservices@ecri.org.

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News @MonHealth wins @ECRI_Org Achievement Award for technology innovation collaboration. Initial success w/ development of #3D fingertip

About ECRI

ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on patient safety, evidence-based medicine, and health technology decision solutions, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. Over the past fifty years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules.

ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) formally became an ECRI Affiliate in 2020.

Visit www.ecri.org and follow @ECRI_Org

About Mon Health System:

Mon Health System is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals in North Central West Virginia that works together to make health care more accessible and affordable to the communities it serves. It includes four hospitals – its flagship, Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown; Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood; Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston; affiliate, Grafton City Hospital in Grafton; Mon Health Equipment & Supplies in Morgantown and Weston; and The Village at Heritage Point. Mon Health System is also part of many Joint Ventures such as, Acuity Hospital of Morgantown, Monongalia EMS, Amedisys Hospice, Care Partners, Encompass, and the Mon Health Center for Outpatient Surgery to preserve choice, improve access and ensure the highest quality of care. For more information, visit monhealth.com.

For more information, contact:
Laurie Menyo, Director of Strategic Communications
610.825.6000 ext. 5310
lmenyo@ecri.org