GE HealthCare Joins OR.NET e.V. to Support SDC Protocol, Improving Medical Device Connectivity and Enhancing Patient Safety

• Initiative creates standards and uniformed protocols for medical device integration and interoperability to access available patient data quickly and easily, streamline care and support the development of advanced multi-device care models
• Connected devices may help simplify workflows to drive efficiencies, provide data for enhanced clinical decision-making and support care delivery

CHICAGO — April  1, 2025 — GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) today announced its membership in OR.NET e.V., an organization dedicated to advancing device integration and interoperability in medical technology. This strategic initiative underscores GE HealthCare's commitment to help drive finalization and adoption of the Service-oriented Device Connectivity (SDC) protocol, a critical standard for ensuring seamless communication between medical devices, even among equipment from different suppliers.  Interoperability is essential for creating integrated clinical environments where devices can communicate directly and coordinate effectively, improving operational and clinical workflows.

The emerging SDC protocol, based on the ISO/IEEE 11073 standards, facilitates the secure and reliable exchange of data between medical devices from different manufacturers. The result aims to ensure patient data are shared bi-directionally, consistently, and accurately. GE HealthCare’s membership will help accelerate development of standards across device types, and drive market adoption through acceptance of standards.

"We are pleased to welcome GE HealthCare, a global leader in medical technology and digital solutions, to OR.NET,” said Sebastian Bürger, managing director, OR.NET. “Their commitment to open standards and interoperability aligns perfectly with our mission to advance seamless connectivity in clinical environments via the SDC standard. We look forward to collaborating on innovative solutions to enhance connectivity, foster innovation, and ultimately improve patient outcomes."

SDC can play a pivotal role in patient safety by enabling real-time data exchange and external control between medical devices. “This capability is particularly crucial in high-acuity settings such as operating rooms (OR) and intensive care units (ICU), where timely and accurate information may significantly improve patient outcomes,” said Alla K. Woodson, general manager, anesthesia and global services, GE HealthCare. “Creating standards for medical device integration and interoperability for anesthesia machines, infusion pumps, and patient monitors can enable these devices to communicate directly and exchange relevant data seamlessly, augmenting clinical decision-making and helping reduce the risk of medical errors.” [1]

"Patient care is an ever-evolving landscape and for that reason GE HealthCare is committed to developing medical devices that offer flexibility and can evolve as technology and care needs
change,” said Neal Sandy, general manager, monitoring solutions, GE HealthCare. “This is especially true with patient monitoring where GE HealthCare has invested in a suite of FlexAcuity offerings that can support monitoring needs today and tomorrow. Our intention, initiated with customers today, is to leverage Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technology to enable seamless transitions and continuity of care regardless of a patient's acuity and location, and the inclusion of SDC will further enhance each caregiver’s ability to dynamically care for patients as care needs evolve.” 

OR.NET membership builds on GE HealthCare’s long history of interoperability initiatives and commitments including its Interfacing Commitment to the European Commission and IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) International. 

[1] https://ornet.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PKP-technical-report-v1.1.pdf