Florida Hospital Enters Strategic Alliance Agreement with BERCHTOLD

BERCHTOLD, Corp., the South Carolina-based medical equipment manufacturer, has entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement with Florida Hospital, an eight-campus hospital system located in Central Florida, to collaborate in the building of the hospital's latest surgical platforms, the InnovatOR Suite and the Nicholson Center.  Under the terms of the five-year agreement, BERCHTOLD and Florida Hospital will work together to provide an environment in which clinical and surgical staff develop, incubate and accelerate next generation surgical knowledge, technology and techniques that advance surgical training and innovation for the global community.   

The Strategic Alliance Agreement also structures collaboration between the hospital and BERCHTOLD for research projects including pre-launch, beta site and market research related to products, services and processes for surgical advancement and Florida Hospital's Healthy 100. Florida Hospital's Healthy 100 initiative was designed to create a culture of health and wellness to challenge the community to live to a healthy 100 years of age by taking care of their mind, body and spirit. 

"The combined focus of a future-oriented health organization and a medical technology leader is a powerful forum for breakthrough ideas and improvement," says Matt Weismiller, President of BERCHTOLD, Corporation.  "We at BERCHTOLD are very excited and proud of the success we have already had working with Florida Hospital, and look forward to further advancement of technology, practice, and education from our ongoing partnership."

"Leadership at Florida Hospital and BERCHTOLD are both dedicated to accelerating surgical advancements that benefit our patients and health care staff," said Keith Lowe, executive director of the Florida Hospital Strategic Venture Group. "Together, this strategic alignment joins Florida Hospital's nationally recognized clinical expertise and the world-class innovative technology of BERCHTOLD to create next generation operating room solutions for the global market."

InnovatOR Suite

Florida Hospital Orlando is home to a unique live, surgical environment within its new 35,000 square-foot neurosurgery center in which clinical staff and industry partners will co-develop products, techniques and processes to improve patient outcomes and increase clinician efficiency.  BERCHTOLD will play a pivotal role in the development of surgical innovations to be utilized by resident and visiting surgical staff in the InnovatOR Suite.

The Nicholson Center

BERCHTOLD will also collaborate with the hospital's Nicholson Center to support the development of next generation surgical knowledge, technology and techniques that advance surgical training and innovation.  To initiate this research mission, BERCHTOLD will install a SuperSuite® Integrated Operating Room, providing a 935 sq ft fully functional training and education center for clinical staff. The state-of-the-art surgical suite will support live surgical observation, didactic, dry simulation and wet lab initiatives, both on-site and off-site using the latest tele-broadcasting technology. 

Added Weismiller, "BERCHTOLD is particularly pleased to support Florida Hospital's InnovatOR Suite and Nicholson Center initiatives. They are a visionary example of Florida Hospital's commitment to the future, and we hope to contribute significantly to that future with our strength in technology and OR design.

About BERCHTOLD

Founded in 1922 in Tuttlingen, Germany, BERCHTOLD Corporation's North American headquarters are located in Charleston, SC. The company designs, manufactures, implements and supports advanced surgical solutions including SUPERSUITE^® Custom Surgical Environments,CHROMOPHARE^® Surgical Lights, TELETOM^® Equipment Management Systems, TABLEGARD Patient Care System and OPERON^® Surgical Tables. For more information, visit BERCHTOLD at www.berchtold.biz.