Medical Center Helps Open Trade Doors With Israel
In March, Gov. Deval Patrick and more than a dozen business leaders and state officials from across the commonwealth embarked on a two-week trade mission to the United Kingdom and Israel.
During the trip there were no major announcements of new jobs coming from across the ocean to America. But about a month after Patrick returned to the United States, news broke that an Israeli company would open its overseas headquarters in an undisclosed Massachusetts location.
With the announcement by Israeli medical device company EarlySense came news that Framingham-based MetroWest Medical Center would be the first hospital in Massachusetts to use the company's product.
Andrei Soran, president and CEO of the medical center, who also happens to be from Israel, hailed the development as positive news and said expanded trade relations between the countries could be led by the MetroWest region.
Alarming Technology
EarlySense's product, named EverOn, is a series of sensors that are placed underneath a hospital bed to monitor patients. It can be used to alert nurses if a patient has fallen out of bed, or remind hospital staff that a patient needs to be moved to prevent ulcers from developing. The system can also monitor blood pressure, heart rate and other vital signs. All of the data can be transmitted directly to a nurse or doctor's smartphone or pager.
Soran said the technology has real-world advantages.
Traditionally, alarms are used in a hospital to notify staff when there is an issue with a patient's vital signs. But Soran said if too many alarms go off, they can lose their effectiveness.
The EverOn system, he said, has a low false-alarm rate and allows individual doctors and nurses to be alerted, which allows other alarms to be reserved for major incidents. The hospital purchased more than two dozen systems.
Soran is excited about the technology. But he said equally exciting is the trade relationship between the United States and Israel that MWMC and EarlySense are building upon.
Soran said the medical center's decision to purchase the more than 25 EarlySense products was not in direct relation to Patrick's trade mission, but he said that trip helped to pique the interest of MWMC officials to get a deal done with the company.
Plus he said hospital officials believe the product will lead to a return on their investment and better patient care.
Soran said there are significant partnerships that can be developed with Israeli companies that are mutually beneficial for both countries.
"Introducing products and ideas into the U.S. through Massachusetts carries more weight because we're known as an incubator in Massachusetts," he said. "Getting your product used in medical and health care centers here is really a win-win."
For Israeli companies, having their product used in Massachusetts legitimizes them. Meanwhile, businesses that use the products can create efficiencies and take advantage of cutting-edge products produced by Israeli companies.
So how are more partnerships brought about?
Soran said MWMC has a team of researchers that find innovative products and clinical trials to test. That's how the company got involved with EarlySense more than three years ago. Plus he said, trade missions, like the one led by Patrick earlier this year can help open trade doors as well.
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