SVS VQI Partners With Symmetric Health Solutions to Improve Accuracy of Medical Device Identification

September 28, 2021—The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) announced its partnership with Symmetric Health Solutions, a software company focused on health care supply chain data, to improve the consistency and integrity of medical device data utilized by vascular health professionals. The partnership with Symmetric Health Solutions will enable SVS VQI to eliminate inaccuracies and variances in medical device reporting, which carry clinical consequences. It will also strengthen SVS VQI’s commitment to interoperability, by ensuring data is clean and consistent across all health system information technology interfaces.

According to the announcement, physicians who use SVS VQI registries, which are powered by Fivos’ Pathways platform, will benefit from the availability of accurate, reliable, and consistent device information. Currently, 850+ health care organizations subscribe to SVS VQI registries, and use Unique Device Identifier (UDI) and associated data from the FDA public portal—Access Global Unique Device Identification Database (AccessGUDID)—for making real-time decisions about vascular medical procedures, including complex surgeries.

Symmetric Health Solutions’ technology leverages advanced machine learning algorithms to surmount the data challenges that AccessGUDID users face.

SVS VQI outlined these challenges, which include but are not limited to:

• No UDI on the device label.
• Different UDI-device identifiers (UDI-DIs) for the same product.
• Difficulty matching a captured UDI-DI with the UDI-DI record in AccessGUDID.
• UDI-DI not found in AccessGUDID or missing catalog information.
• Variances in AccessGUDID data from missing information, poor formatting, etc.
• Company name issues resulting from mergers and acquisitions.
• Inability to use Global Medical Device Nomenclature terms as a way of grouping similar devices resulting from manufacturers incorrect assignments.
• Lack of automated feedback loops with FDA or manufacturer to resolve data quality issues.

SVS VQI noted that UDI and AccessGUDID are foundational to the FDA’s interoperability goals. However, Fivos and SVS VQI customers will benefit from Symmetric’s machine learning, natural language processing, and optical character recognition technology that improves the completeness and accuracy of existing AccessGUDID data and offers data on products that are not available in AccessGUDID. This is particularly important, considering that medical device manufacturer mergers have created new challenges with device identification, stated the SVS VQI.

Jim Wadzinski, Executive Director of the Society for Vascular Surgery Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO), commented in the announcement, “The supply chain is the source of truth, and our job is to ensure the data we are getting from AccessGUDID is as clean and accurate as possible. Previously, health care organizations experienced multiple problems with the FDA’s database in terms of entering information or being unsure of which data to use. This would lead to data discrepancies, which potentially would alter the scope of care. To support what the FDA is trying to do with promoting interoperability, we need the data to be completely accurate and consistent. Symmetric’s software can augment UDI data so we can use the solution across our registries.”

Carrie Bosela, Senior Director of SVS PSO, added, “When a manufacturer is acquired, AccessGUDID still lists its devices under the previous manufacturer rather than the new parent company, making it difficult to identify the device being used,” said. “Symmetric’s technology will resolve the merger-acquisition issue for the end user making it easier for them to find their device.”

Finally, Rich Kucera, Cofounder and CEO of Symmetric Health Solutions, stated, “Our partnership with SVS VQI and other registries is an important step toward realizing AccessGUDID’s goal of providing hospitals and industry with high quality, accessible medical device data to improve operations, patient safety, and interoperability.”