Status

If you have a lead for supply of Aerogen syringes, please contact [email protected]

We are also looking for workarounds, please reach out if you have a workaround. 

We have a design, and are looking for a shop that can tooling and mold shop that can get us our first runs ASAP.

Other health systems have reached out and are also experiencing this shortage, there could be larger opportunity than the volumes we need.

Description of what it is and how it is used

We have run into a critical shortage of the syringes that we use to deliver continuous inhaled Flolan. The Flolan infuses from the syringe into the clean Aerogen tubing. The drug will drip out of the tubing into the nebulizer. The nebulizer is placed in-line on the ventilator, and is re-used, for the one patient. The Aerogen tubing connects to the syringe using proprietary connection. We have reversed engineered the connection point and created a specification an adapter so that we can use standard BD luer lock syringes. 

Mandatory requirements

Please contact [email protected] for the latest CAD and STL files

Material: polypropylene (does not contain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). Or other plastic/resin that is known to be compatible with medication delivery

Provided from a "clean" environment or sterilizable

Optional requirements

Disposable options are being considered at this time

Desired quantity

At Baystate we are looking at ~6000/year

Another health system has as demand of ~2400/year

List of SKUs to the commercial product/reference materials

This link connects to a presentation that gives an overview of the whole process.

This is the micro-disc nebulizer from Aerogen that is used to aerosolize Flolan.  The cap portion when loosened reveals an opening with which the tubing is screwed to the nebulizer.  There is an electronic controller that connects with a cable to the square opening on the right which powers the micro disc so it spins.  Air from the vent supplies the push of the aerosol.

SKU 06-AG-AS3200

Below is the Aerogen tubing.  The end to the left inserts into the nebulizer.  The end on the right connects to the syringe.  Aerogen tubing is a different diameter from regular IV tubing and prevents someone from removing the tubing from a nebulizer and being able to connect to an IV site.

Manufacturer Part # 06-AG-AS3075

The syringe below is the Aerogen syringe.  You can see the off-central, end.  It is a particular end, not a traditional luer lock and is a different diameter than any other syringe we have found.

SKU: 06-AG-AS3085

Below is a variety of Becton Dickinson syringes.  We would need the large, 50 cc plastic syringe to use. The Luer-lok tip is the first on the left.  This is the variety we need to use for medication administration. It’s reference order number is 309653.

This is a TechSpring Community Connect page.

For more info contact Jessica Collins: [email protected]

Since 2014, we’ve held over 55 Tap Into TechSpring open house networking events. That’s more than 50 plus guest speakers, 150 plus hours of conversation, and who knows how many complimentary bottles of wine and kegs of beer.

The audience is always full of familiar faces — or as one attendee described himself, a “Tap Into TechSpring super-fan.” So what keeps these folks coming back the second Thursday of every month? We asked.

On the frontlines of medical technology

“I learn something new every time,” says Michael Yunes, MD, Chief of Radiology at Baystate Health, who says he’s attended almost every session. He’s been impressed by the caliber of the speakers, which have included CEOs of international technology firms, leadership and frontline healthcare staff, and local leaders in our community.

“It’s a great networking event, and you chitchat over drinks with real innovators, the people who are on the frontlines of medical technology,” he says. “People using new tech, or implementing old technologies in ways you didn’t know about.”

It’s not just for techies

“The typical tech meetup can be a little alienating for people who aren’t savvy,” says Laurance Stuntz, director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI). “But Tap Into TechSpring isn’t like that.”

What’s different? Stuntz says Tap Into TechSpring draws folks from diverse fields — health care providers, administrators, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, and more — that it changes the feel.

And conversations stay grounded without descending into tech fetishism. “The patient has a seat at the table in these conversations, so to speak,” he says. “That’s important.”

Practical applications for right now

Some Tap Into TechSpring meetups have focused on bleeding edge technology that’s years away from market. But Yunes says many talks have had an immediate, tangible impact on how he does his job.

“3D printing and Cortex software — I first heard about them at Tap Into Techspring,” he says. “I use both in my work now.” And he says he relies on connections he’s made at TechSpring to talk through technological problems.

Bill Cole agrees. He’s an entrepreneur, developer, and the previously-mentioned super-fan. He remembers attending a Tap Into TechSpring when he was working as a developer on a new electronic health records (EHR) system. It had a profound impact.

“What I learned in that talk about the EHR market helped me steer the whole company in a new direction,” he says. He’s been a devotee of Tap Into TechSpring ever since.

Join the conversation
These meetups are free and open to anyone interested in discussing the technological hurdles facing health care. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you’re welcome.

“Tap Into TechSpring is hugely beneficial not just to Baystate, but to the community,” says Yunes. “You don’t have to go to Boston or New York to learn about this stuff. It’s right here in Springfield.

“And the free food and beer — don’t forget to mention that,” he adds.

Come find out what’s on Tap. Open minds. Open possibilities. Open bar. Second Thursday of every month, 5 to 8pm. 1350 Main Street, 5th floor, Springfield.

Click here to return to the TechSpring events 

I'll be at the Massachusetts Digital Health Meet-up on Tuesday and hope to see you there! My goal for HiMSS is to connect with you and meet other leaders with new product/solution development responsibilities for their company. Shoot me an email and we can exchange cell phone numbers. I love the power of our Techspring community!

TechSpring's innovation project process is designed to deliver learning and proof points while minimizing effort and complexity. Our key goal is to get something done! Our process and program management create predictability around an innovation engagement. We also have models & solutions to overcome legal and compliance challenges related to innovation projects.

TechSpring Project Definition

• Conducted in vivo

TechSpring innovation projects are experimental pilots, in a live healthcare environment and/or with real healthcare data, designed to identify and overcome adoption barriers and to prove the value of the solution.  

This is not a lab experiment (in vitro), though. Project will only go forward with engagement and direct participation from key stakeholders that would be involved with long term operation: Baystate clinicians, Baystate IT, Baystate Finance, patients, etc.

• Designed to learn something

Each project is focused on confirming or disapproving key assumptions. What needs to be learned? What needs to be proven? We design them backwards: after goal is agreed upon, innovation projects are designed around minimum effort needed to reach these goals (MVP equivalent).

• Structured for success

Every innovation project has a project charter, as a basis for executing the project. The charter describes what will be learned, what are the key tasks, timeline, resources & responsibilities as well as the budget.

• Short Duration

Succeed or fail - fast! Innovation projects are simplified and minimized in scope to speed up execution and limit investment for all parties: Target duration of 3-4 months.

Innovation Project Process

Roles

TechSpring

• Your TechSpring Innovation Program Manager is your guide through the innovation process

• The TechSpring Steering Committee formally approves the project, progression through each gate and can allocate resources. You must capture the imagination of the steering committee; high level buy-in is required to ensure a project's success. TechSpring leads the engagement.

• Advisors work with TechSpring, Baystate and the Innovation Partners to give feedback and guidance on proposed projects. 

Baystate

• For each domain (clinical, IT, finance, facilities etc...)  Baystate will provide an Executive Sponsor who will work with the team to remove barriers, allocate resources, and mitigate risk

• A Champion in each domain is assigned to each project.  The champion is accountable for success of project and coordinates with the resources allocated to the project from their domain

Innovation Partner

• Innovator provides a Project Manager who can drive and coordinate all project participants and activities. The responsibilities of a Project Manager include:

  • Keeps a list of the project participants with roles and responsibilities clearly defined
  • Accountability for documentation of the scope, resources, budget and timeline for the project
  • Leading weekly status call
  • Tracking action items and publish after meetings
  • Creates a location for the project files and establishes revision control
  • Document a project plan; track project and risks
    
    
• Other key resources, as needed ...

Project Leadership 

• Project leadership is comprised of Innovation Partner representative, TechSpring Innovation Manager, Baystate Executive Sponsors & Champions. All significant project changes are approved by this group.

Key Project Documents

Statement of Interest (SOI) - concept paper

1-pager description of the proposed project; completed by prospective Innovation Partner. Most easily done through this simple web form. 

Project Charter

Project Charter is the pre-cursor for a more detailed Project Plan that gets developed immediately once an engagement enters Active Project phase. The Project Charter is typically 3-5 pages with following headings:

• Summary
• Objective & Scope
• Goals & Measurement
• Resources, Roles and Responsibilities
• Deliverables
• Milestones and Timeline
• Budget

The main function of this document is to identify all key stakeholders and assure their buy-in, before an engagement enters Active Project phase. 

Key Legal Documents

Innovation Partner Agreement (IPA)

Similar to a Master Services Agreement (MSA) between two entities. TechSpring is the service provider. Spells out the legal obligations between both parties, governing law, IP, compliance, indemnification, confidentiality, etc. All SOW’s are “collected” under the IPA and/or refer back to the IPA as the governing document.

Statement of Work (SOW)

A description of one (of perhaps many) engagements between the two parties. It is the legal version of a Project Charter. It defines one specific project, its goals, deliverables, and when and how the unit of work is completed by TechSpring and Baystate Health. 

FAQ

Sounds good. How do I get engaged with Baystate?

• Submit a statement of interest. TechSpring will collect feedback from a range of stakeholders and advisors and come back with questions, suggestions for changes, possibly meeting invitation, etc.

This is not 'healthcare as usual'. Who funds this work?

• Each party carry the cost of their own participation in an innovation project. It's a mutually committed collaboration. If Baystate and an innovator agree on scoping and subsequently an active project, and facilitated by TechSpring, we ask innovator to be an Innovation Partner of TechSpring. Sponsorship cost depends on project complexity and resource demands, but should be anticipated in a range from $5,000 to $25,000 per month. Yes, it costs money, but you get a project team that is committed to your success. 

I have a great product. I want to sell it to Baystate. Why pay to be Innovation Partner of TechSpring and Baystate?

• If you want to sell your product - go for it! No charge! It doesn't involve TechSpring.
• We have established TechSpring to create dedicated workforce and resources to overcome the innovation and adoption barriers slowing down introduction of badly needed new solutions in healthcare. To keep the cost down, TechSpring is very lean and not providing services or work that should best be done by the Baystate folks on the front-line of healthcare delivery (clinicians, IT, etc) or the innovators themselves.

How much equity do I have to give up? What about IP?

• We are focused on keeping things simple and getting projects done. As a principle, we feel equity, royalties, and IP rights adds unnecessary complexity and slows everybody down. We prefer to keep it simple and ask innovator to pay for value received on a month-to-month basis.
• There are rare exceptions; we're discussing venture model/equity with professional investment partners, but that's in the future ...

Submit a Statement of Interest to get started

Click on the link above and complete simple one-page online form.

TechSpring, the Baystate Health Technology Innovation Center, is looking for ways to help patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) communicate more effectively with their physicians! If you have Chronic Kidney Disease, we would like to invite you to a group discussion where we will talk about your needs for communication, education and support. 

You will also have an opportunity to preview a technology that has been developed and give your reaction and feedback.  It’s a great way to see what a technology company is embarking on for the future and to share your voice!   

You will be compensated for your time.

Please call or email Jill  (413 794 6867  [email protected])  for more information about the groups that are taking place in Springfield on Tuesday, May 26.