Frost & Sullivan Applauds Brainlab for Delivering Operational Excellence through Buzz™, a Digital O.R. Integration Solution

Based on its recent research on the operating rooms (O.R.) integration market, Frost & Sullivan presents Brainlab with the 2014 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Leadership for developing Buzz, a digital O.R. integration solution. Buzz offers real-time access to patient data, thereby increasing surgical efficiency in the O.R. This is a significant advantage in healthcare, given the increasing number of procedures and shortage of surgical staff. It also enhances customer value by facilitating the surgical workflow through software-based support.

Buzz has an interactive touch-based digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) viewer and video-routing capabilities, which enriches data using intelligent algorithms. Unlike competing O.R. solutions that depend on external displays to view the DICOM images, Buzz has a single integrated solution. The connections to video routing and connected displays can be easily performed without using a video matrix, and the O.R. solution comes with an attached workstation.

The key differentiating element of Buzz is that it is based on software, while other solutions in the market rely on hardware. Buzz also serves as the conduit of information between O.R.s and a variety of healthcare applications. It has the ability to perform live conferencing, stream and record.

“Buzz facilitates data management in the O.R., as the computer and Internet-protocol (IP) based system, coupled with control interface, enable intuitive management of medical images and patient data,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Shruthi Parakkal. “Buzz is easily adaptable, as its flexible modular configurations are designed to fit the needs of any O.R.”

Moreover, the flexibility to use Buzz for a multitude of O.R. applications allows hospitals to maximise their return on investment (ROI) and increase productivity. Buzz also has provisions for planning functionality and image fusion, which help physicians to view a computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in the same plane and compare them side by side.

“Brainlab has developed close relations with the medical community and incorporates their feedback during the development of product prototypes,” noted Parakkal. “This customer-centric approach also provides the physicians and other O.R. staff members with an opportunity to get acquainted with the latest technology from Brainlab.”

The company has established Brainlab Academy® to provide hands-on training to medical professionals at its offices and selected hospitals. It offers support to clients across the entire sales-service spectrum and helps them achieve assured ROI.

Overall, Buzz is an intelligent hub that routes patient information, which is enhanced using intelligent algorithms, to multiple displays so that O.R. staff can access, record and stream the information from a variety of interactive applications.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognises the company’s inordinate focus on enhancing the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and ultimately customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.