Every patient monitor, infusion pump, ventilator, imaging system, and operating room integration platform functioning seamlessly across Stanford Health Care depends on a system most people never see: Health Care Technology Management, or HTM.
During HTM Week, observed May 17–23, 2026, Stanford Health Care recognized the Biomedical Engineering professionals, clinical engineers, imaging specialists, operations teams, analysts, and innovators whose work helps ensure that critical health care technologies remain safe, reliable, and ready to support patient care every day.
Traditionally viewed as a repair and maintenance function, HTM has evolved into a strategic enterprise capability that supports clinical operations, digital health infrastructure, cybersecurity, operational resilience, innovation, and data-driven decision making across the organization.
“HTM has shifted from a core regulatory and compliance, service and support function to a proactive, clinical-centric enterprise capability that partners across IT, safety, finance, and clinical leadership to shape how care is delivered with devices and Biomed systems and applications,” said Michael Kozuma, Director of TDS Biomedical Engineering.
Today, Biomedical Engineering teams support thousands of connected medical devices and systems across Stanford Health Care facilities. The work extends far beyond equipment repair. HTM teams help ensure device reliability, support capital planning decisions, manage lifecycle governance, improve operational efficiency, and contribute to patient safety initiatives across the enterprise.
For operations teams, one of the biggest priorities is visibility.
“A ‘bad day’ in HTM is when an issue exists but isn’t visible — when something impacts patient care and we’re not aware of it in real time,” said Richard Engdahl, Sr. Manager of Biomed. “Prevention comes down to visibility, strong workflows, and close collaboration with frontline teams.”
To strengthen operational reliability, the Biomedical Engineering department has focused on standardizing workflows and building structured operational processes across the organization.
“The expectations for Biomed teams have grown significantly,” Engdahl explained. “Each service event now includes not just the repair, but documentation, impact assessment, parts coordination, follow-up, and cross-functional communication.”
Over the last year, the department formalized detailed workflow diagrams for critical operational scenarios, helping to improve consistency, reduce delays, and minimize communication gaps across teams. At the same time, HTM is becoming increasingly data-driven. From capital refresh planning to staffing models and operational forecasting, Biomedical Engineering teams now rely heavily on analytics to support decision making.
“The Capital Refresh Process is very complex and dynamic,” said Marco Salvaggio, Manager of Biomed Data Analytics. “We utilize multiple HTM data points when making decisions for device replacement, including end-of-life dates, support status, life expectancy, inventory counts, install dates, contract coverage, and maintenance history.”
These insights help distinguish between replacement needs that are operationally mandatory versus those that are simply preferred, allowing leadership teams to prioritize investments more strategically.
HTM analytics are also helping improve workforce planning and project forecasting.
“We now have the ability to better monitor the time needed by Biomed for various projects,” Salvaggio said. “That helps us provide more accurate commitments and better understand resource limitations.”
As medical devices become increasingly connected, integrated, and software-driven, the importance of interoperability and unified device intelligence continues to grow.
“Biomed, Fixed Assets, Cybersecurity, and Clinical Operations often maintain separate databases and device inventories,” Salvaggio explained. “These systems should be linked together to ensure accurate inventory counts and a consistent source of truth across departments.”
Beyond operational support and analytics, Stanford Health Care’s Biomedical Engineering teams are also helping drive innovation initiatives that bridge clinical care, engineering, and emerging technologies.
“Health Care Technology Management is no longer limited to maintaining devices after deployment,” said Fred Hizal, Manager of Biomed IDD. “HTM teams are increasingly helping shape how technology is introduced, integrated, validated, and scaled across clinical environments.”
He added, “The future hospital will depend on teams that can operate at the intersection of engineering, data, operations, and clinical care, and HTM organizations are uniquely positioned for that role because they already understand the technologies, workflows, risks, and operational realities of health care at scale. Whether through spatial computing initiatives like Apple Vision Pro or rapid prototyping with 3D technologies, HTM is becoming an active driver of health care transformation.”
According to Kozuma, the future of HTM will depend on building enterprise-wide governance and integration capabilities that extend beyond traditional device maintenance. “One capability we must build to stay ahead is an enterprise-wide device safety and lifecycle governance platform that unifies policy, procurement, cybersecurity, and clinical impact,” Kozuma said.
That future includes stronger interoperability, standardized device configurations, improved telemetry, centralized risk management, and closer alignment between HTM and broader hospital strategy.
Kozuma also emphasized that HTM’s impact reaches far beyond the Biomedical Engineering department itself.
“HTM creates enterprise impact through digital health ecosystem enablement, cybersecurity and risk management, operational resilience, capital planning, sustainability, and support for research and education,” he said.
Without Health Care Technology Management, many of the systems clinicians depend on every day would quickly be impacted. “High-use, life-support equipment such as anesthesia machines, ventilators, and dialysis units would be among the first systems affected,” Engdahl said. “The reality is that HTM is foundational to hospital operations.”
As health care continues to become more connected, data-driven, and technology-dependent, the role of HTM is continuing to evolve alongside it — not simply as a support service, but as a strategic partner helping shape the future of care delivery at Stanford Health Care.
