Philips, Vanderbilt announce results from research on decarbonizing healthcare

Royal Philips and Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced initial results of a research collaboration to decarbonize the health system’s radiology department. The project, which was initially announced in May 2023, shows that sustainable initiatives can be both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The assessment indicated that circular business models, such as upgrades, can reduce total cost of ownership of an MR system by up to 23% and carbon emissions by 17%, and for CT, refurbished systems and equipment upgrades can contribute to reducing costs of ownership by up to 10% and 8% respectively, and reducing carbon emissions by 6% and 4% respectively. Philips and Vanderbilt assessed 13 diagnostic imaging devices including MR, CT, ultrasound and X-ray, which account for an estimated 12,000 patient scans per month and found that, over a period of 10 years, they emit the CO2 equivalent of approximately 1,000 gas cars driven for one year. In addition, the energy use of scanners accounted for more than half of the total emissions released from diagnostic radiology. Other generators of carbon emissions within the department included the use of medical disposables, PACS and linen production and laundry. The assessment showed that both technology and healthcare practitioners play a significant role in reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions. For example, 44-75% of energy is consumed outside of patient scanning time, therefore the research emphasized the importance of working with staff to improve patient scan efficiency and industry partners to develop techniques to reduce carbon emissions between scans. Improving scanning efficiency with technology including those that are AI-enabled may conserve energy and reduce unnecessary scan repetition. Along with implementing a set of prioritized interventions defined by Philips and VUMC that will support the carbon footprint reduction of the radiology department, the two organizations intend to share their findings in a scientific publication, with the objective of facilitating knowledge sharing and enabling further improvement of environmental strategies throughout the healthcare industry.