The strategic role of fleet management in modern health systems

Healthcare fleet management is no longer limited to maintaining equipment or responding to service events. It has evolved into a strategic operational discipline that connects technology performance, clinical workflows, and enterprise-wide efficiency.¹˒⁸ As healthcare environments become increasingly connected and medical device ecosystems continue to expand, fleet management is emerging as a critical function that can help support care delivery, resource utilization, cybersecurity readiness, and operational performance.^{2, 4, 5} Many modern healthcare organizations are adopting remote management and connected device strategies to help improve visibility, streamline lifecycle management, and support more efficient clinical operations. ^{i1, i2, i4}

The shift reflects a broader reality across healthcare. Clinical teams may be under pressure to deliver timely, consistent care.⁵ For healthcare technology management (HTM) teams, this can mean managing growing device inventories, software management requirements, cybersecurity concerns, and resource constraints.^{1, 2, 8} Meanwhile, healthcare leaders may need to balance capital investment priorities with maintaining high levels of performance across complex technology environments to support healthcare delivery.^{1, 5}

Against this backdrop, fleet management is becoming an important lever to help optimize healthcare operations.^{1, 8, i1}

Fleet management has moved beyond maintenance

Historically, fleet management was largely associated with equipment maintenance and service response. Success was often measured by uptime and the ability to resolve issues quickly once failures occurred. This approach is inherently reactive, relying on intervention after a device issue has already disrupted workflows or required service attention.^{1, 8}

Today, the scope of fleet management is expanding.

Healthcare organizations may manage large fleets of devices distributed across multiple facilities, departments, and vendors.^{1, 8} These assets are no longer isolated systems. They are part of a broader ecosystem that includes software platforms, hospital networks, imaging systems, clinical applications, and cybersecurity infrastructure.^{2, 4, 7} In this environment, a reactive approach is no longer sufficient, making proactive fleet management a key tool for identifying potential issues before they disrupt clinical workflows or impact patient experience.^{1, 3, i1}

As Heidi Dondlinger noted during an AAMI Exchange 2026 panel discussion on fleet management:

“Historically, it was more about maintaining equipment or reacting when something went wrong. But what we're seeing now is that the environments are much larger and more connected.” ⁱ⁵

This evolution has contributed to changing expectations across the healthcare enterprise.^{1, 8}

For clinical teams, the expectation is not simply that equipment works. Devices must be configured consistently, connected appropriately, updated with the most recent software, and aligned with clinical workflows. Variations in configuration, connectivity, or performance can affect efficiency, increase rework, and introduce unnecessary operational friction.^{2, 3, 4}

For HTM teams, responsibilities extend beyond break-fix activities. Teams are asked to oversee asset utilization, software updates, compliance, cybersecurity, lifecycle planning, and operational performance across diverse fleets of equipment.^{1, 2, 8}

As a result, healthcare fleet management is focusing more on three core objectives:

• Visibility across devices and locations
• Consistent operational and clinical workflows, configurations, and user experiences
• Optimization across the entire asset lifecycle

Rather than functioning as a standalone maintenance process, fleet management can become a mechanism for aligning operational, technical, and clinical priorities.^{1, 8, i1}

Why healthcare fleet complexity continues to increase

The rising importance of fleet management is directly linked to the growing complexity of healthcare delivery.^{1, 8} Health systems continue to expand across sites, service lines, outpatient facilities, and specialized care settings. Each expansion introduces additional equipment, workflows, vendors, and operational requirements.^{1, 5}

At the same time, medical devices themselves have changed dramatically.^{2, 4}

Today's healthcare equipment is largely software-driven and connected. Beyond routine maintenance, organizations must now manage software lifecycle activities, cybersecurity monitoring, network connectivity, configuration management, interoperability requirements, and system validation processes.^{2, 3, 4, 7}

This creates challenges that traditional fleet management models were not designed to address.^{1, 2, 8}

Operational data often exists across multiple systems and vendors, making it difficult to develop a complete picture of fleet performance. Understanding equipment utilization, maintenance history, service trends, cybersecurity status, or lifecycle risk may require information from multiple sources.^{1, 4, 7}

Tim Erickson described this challenge during the AAMI Exchange 2026 panel discussion:

“Organizations already have a lot of data across their environments, but it tends to sit across different systems, departments, and vendors.” ⁱ⁵

Without a unified view, operational decisions become more difficult.^{1, 8, i1}

For example, many organizations may struggle to determine whether additional equipment purchases are truly necessary or whether existing assets could be redeployed more effectively. Underutilized assets may coexist with high-demand departments simply because utilization data is not consistently visible across the enterprise.^{1, 8, i1}

During the panel discussion, Erickson described fleet management through four interconnected pillars:

“Utilization, Metrics, Optimization, and Capital Planning.” ⁱ⁵

This framework highlights how operational data can support both day-to-day fleet management and longer-term planning decisions.^{1, 8}

Data that supports operational decisions today can also help inform future investment strategies. Understanding utilization trends, maintenance histories, and lifecycle performance can help organizations make more informed capital planning decisions and better align investments with clinical and operational priorities. ^{1, 8, i1}

Workflow variability presents another challenge. When devices are configured differently across locations or operating on different software versions, organizations can experience inefficiencies that may accumulate over time and affect productivity.^{2, 3, 4}

Increasing complexity is therefore not simply a technology issue. It is an operational issue that requires a more connected, enterprise-wide approach to fleet management.^{1, 8, i1}

Connected devices are reshaping fleet management

The widespread adoption of connected medical devices is fundamentally changing how healthcare organizations manage technology fleets.^{2, 4, 7}

Unlike traditional equipment, connected devices continuously generate operational and performance data. These systems can provide insight into utilization patterns, software status, configuration settings, performance metrics, environmental conditions, and maintenance requirements.^{2, 4, 7}

This continuous flow of information creates new opportunities for operational visibility.^{4, i1}

Rather than relying on periodic assessments or manual inspections, healthcare organizations can monitor fleet performance in near real-time. This helps enable teams to identify utilization trends, detect performance issues earlier, and make more informed decisions regarding maintenance, deployment, and replacement planning.ⁱ¹

According to Dondlinger:

“Instead of waiting for manual check-ins or reactive fixes, teams can now anticipate needs before failure happens.” ⁱ⁵

The value of connected device data extends across multiple dimensions of fleet management. ⁱ¹

Organizations can better understand asset utilization patterns and identify opportunities to optimize equipment deployment. They can standardize configurations across sites to reduce variability. They can also centralize visibility into service activity, software versions, and operational performance.^{1, i1, i3}

Platforms such as MyGEHealthCare support this approach by providing access to equipment information, utilization data, service activity, and operational insights through a unified digital experience.ⁱ³

Similarly, InSite™ Connectivity helps establish secure connectivity between medical devices and support resources, enabling remote diagnostics, monitoring, software management, and proactive service capabilities. ⁱ⁴

As these capabilities become more widely adopted, fleet management is evolving from a largely reactive process into a more data-driven operational capability.^{1, 8, i1}

From reactive operations to proactive optimization

Perhaps the most significant change in healthcare fleet management is the move from reactive operations to proactive optimization.^{1, 8}

Historically, organizations addressed problems once they occurred. Maintenance schedules were often calendar-driven, and service activities were initiated in response to failures or alerts.^{1, 8}

While effective in simpler environments, this approach can become costly and inefficient as fleets grow in size and complexity.^{1, 3, 8}

Connected device data allows organizations to identify patterns that may indicate emerging issues before disruptions occur. Predictive monitoring, utilization analytics, and remote management capabilities enable teams to intervene earlier and make more informed decisions about maintenance and resource allocation.^{i1, i4}

As Dondlinger explained:

“We really want to help shift them from a reactive to proactive model to get in front of issues before they impact the clinical team.” ⁱ⁵

Remote healthcare technology management capabilities can play an important role in supporting this transition. ^{i1, i2, i4}

Solutions within the DeviceReady™ portfolio, including ReadyFix™, allow organizations to remotely monitor device status, deploy software updates, manage configurations, and troubleshoot systems from a centralized location. This helps to reduce manual effort while helping maintain consistency across large fleets.ⁱ²

Fleet management is a continuum

A key takeaway from the AAMI discussion was that there is no single model for fleet management.^{1, 8}

Healthcare organizations vary significantly in size, maturity, staffing, operational priorities, and technology environments. Some organizations may focus initially on improving fleet visibility. Others may pursue predictive maintenance, advanced analytics, workflow optimization, or enterprise-wide lifecycle management.^{1, 8, i1}

As Dondlinger noted:

“That's why we don't think about fleet management as a one-size-fits-all model.” ⁱ⁵

The most effective approach is often one that aligns with an organization's current needs while establishing a foundation for future growth.⁸

Whether the objective is improving asset utilization, enhancing operational visibility, strengthening cybersecurity oversight, supporting HTM teams, or enabling more informed capital planning, fleet management initiatives should be designed to scale over time.^{1, 2, 8, i1}

As Erickson summarized:

“Fleet management isn't one model. It's a continuum.” ⁱ⁵

Healthcare fleet management has become far more than a maintenance function

It is a strategic capability that helps organizations connect technology performance with clinical and operational objectives. ^{1, 8, i1}

As healthcare environments become more connected, organizations are being challenged to manage growing complexity while improving efficiency, consistency, and visibility across their technology ecosystems.^{2, 4, 5, 7}

Connected devices, centralized analytics, remote fleet management tools, and proactive service models are helping healthcare leaders address these challenges and optimize performance across the entire equipment lifecycle. ^{i1, i2, i3, i4}

Healthcare fleet management is focused on more than keeping devices operational. It is about creating the insights and confidence needed to help make better decisions, improve resource utilization, and support consistent patient care delivery and experience.^{1, 8, i1}

References

1.       Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). HTM Benchmarking Guide. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.aami.org/focus-area/healthcare-technology-management/htm-benchmarking-guide/

2.       U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cybersecurity in Medical Devices: Quality Management System Considerations and Content of Premarket Submissions. Updated February 3, 2026. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/cybersecurity-medical-devices-quality-management-system-considerations-and-content-premarket

3.       ECRI. Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2026: Executive Brief. 2026. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://home.ecri.org/blogs/ecri-thought-leadership-resources/top-10-health-technology-hazards-for-2026-executive-brief

4.       National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Security - Health Information Technology. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/security-health-information-technology

5.       American Hospital Association (AHA). Cybersecurity and Risk Advisory Service. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.aha.org/cybersecurity

6.       Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The 3 Pillars of a Successful Medical Device Cybersecurity Program. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.himss.org/resources/the-3-pillars-of-a-successful-medical-device-cybersecurity-program/

7.       National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Health Sector Cybersecurity Resources. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.nist.gov/itl/smallbusinesscyber/guidance-sector/health-sector

8.       Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). HTM Levels Online Assessment / HTM Levels Guide. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://htmlevels.aami.org/

Internal Resources

i1. Remote Fleet Management for Medical Devices: How to Harness the Full Potential. Published April 14, 2025. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://clinicalview.gehealthcare.com/article/remote-fleet-management-medical-devices-how-harness-full-potential

i2. DeviceReady™ Services. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/services/deviceready

i3. MyGEHealthCare. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/services/mygehealthcare

i4. InSite™ Connectivity. Accessed June 26, 2026.
https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/services/insite

i5. AAMI 2026 Fleet Management Panel Discussion Script (JB38099XX). Internal source document. 2026.