The Last Opportunity To Participate – 2011 Survey

Dear Clinical Engineers, Biomedical Equipment Technicians, Managers, and Members of the Technical Service and Support Field in Health Care:

24×7 magazine is compiling its Annual Compensation Survey.  We are asking those in the field to analyze their compensation, benefits, and job satisfaction.  We will then publish this vital data in the December 2011 issue.  All Information is Confidential!

The survey takes about five (5) minutes to complete.

CLICK HERE  to participate in the 2011 survey.

Please take the survey only once, and please take extra care when entering your yearly (not hourly) salary.  Please complete the survey prior to September 30, 2011.
All information is confidential.

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2010 24×7 Magazine Compensation Survey
by Renee Diiulio

It may not be surprising to learn that compensation tends to have a heavy weight on the pros-and-cons scales of employees.  And it makes sense that more compensation can help to balance a larger workload, while less compensation can lead to less satisfaction.  The results of 24×7′s 2010 Compensation Survey provide statistical evidence to support this “common-sense” association.

It is also likely not surprising to learn that biomedical/clinical engineers, specialists, managers, and directors across the United States are busy, though it may surprise some to learn that more of these medical professionals find their workloads acceptable than those who do not.  In fact, the great majority of respondents would recommend their profession to others—a fact that is also not likely to surprise them since the “majority” in this instance encompasses 91% of respondents.

In elaborating on a positive recommendation, one survey respondent wrote, “I have always gone home at night with a sense of satisfaction that comes from a job well done.  I make a difference.  It’s a good career.”  Another favorable comment, this one from a New England respondent with an AAS degree, “I love what I do and get a great deal of satisfaction from it. I am in a job where I can have fun, yet challenge myself daily.”

CLICK HERE  to view the 24×7 Magazine Website and the
published December 2010 Compensation Survey Results.

Concern For Patient Safety Is International

Building a Culture of Patient Safety – July 2008

Patient safety and quality are at the heart of the delivery of healthcare.  For every patient, carer, family member and healthcare professional, safety is pivotal to diagnosis, treatment and care.  Doctors, nurses and all those who work in the health system are committed to treating, helping, comforting and caring for patients and to excellence in the provision of health services for all who need them.  There has been significant investment in recent years in the improvement of services, the enhancement of the capacity of the system, the recruitment of highly trained professionals and the provision of new technologies and treatments.  Yet the Irish health system, in common with many others across the world, has faced challenges dealing with unsafe practices, incompetent healthcare professionals, poor governance of healthcare service delivery, errors in diagnosis and treatment and noncompliance with standards.  These challenges are referred to throughout this Report.

Despite a professionally trained and highly motivated workforce in the health system, as well as huge investment in healthcare services over recent years in particular, the Irish healthcare system does not yet appear to have the framework in place to lessen the likelihood of errors occurring, the means by which to respond quickly or effectively to errors by analyzing them and disseminating learning, nor sufficient regulation in place to ensure as far as possible that patients receive the highest possible quality of care throughout their journey through the health system.

It is important to acknowledge that despite our best efforts, medicine will never be a risk free enterprise.  What we must do in our efforts to make the system as safe as possible for patients and staff is to ensure that we have the right checks and balances in place to detect errant practices, identify and re-train clinicians whose competence falls below appropriate standards, provide the means by which to analyze and learn from mistakes when they do occur and develop standards against which to measure the competence of healthcare providers who seek to provide services to the public.

In this Report the word ‘patient’ is intended to include all people who use health and social care services.  The word ‘clinician’ is intended to refer to all healthcare professionals involved in clinical work.

CLICK HERE  to view/download this 241 page PDF file report.

Using Equipment Maintenance Insurance

by Dean Kaufman

Service contracts, like insurance, are a means of risk management.

The dramatically changing imaging business environment has made it imperative for all radiology managers to continually reduce operating expenses.  Pressure to reduce costs while maintaining high-quality service has never been greater.  Reimbursements are being squeezed by the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) cuts, including the multi-body part discount, while increasingly stringent minimum equipment capability standards required for coverage are being enforced by many private payors.  These factors all negatively affect cash flow at many centers.  One of the largest fixed and seldom managed operating expenses is equipment service expenses.

There are few alternatives for managing and reducing service costs in the imaging business.  Full-service maintenance agreements are purchased at the time of equipment acquisition, often with the assumption that there are no alternatives.  While these full-service agreements have their place, they are not necessarily the best solution to all situations.

As diagnostic imaging systems matured, equipment reliability has dramatically improved, as have the means to remotely service them.  Increasingly sophisticated software and modular hardware have changed how service is delivered, often minimizing the need to dispatch an engineer to the equipment location.  However, the terms of service contracts and warranties have increased, on average to 6 years and 16 months, respectively, locking buyers into high fixed cost scenarios.  These trends make an understanding of alternatives to conventional service contracts all the more important.

Equipment maintenance management programs may well benefit the following groups:

1.Owners looking to improve the financial health of their business;
2.Owners looking to identify and cap service costs;
3.Owners looking to identify and fix service costs on acquisition targets.

In this article, we examine how insurance-backed Equipment Maintenance Insurance (EMI) can be an important tool for understanding and managing service expenses.

CLICK HERE  to read the entire article.

Dean Kaufman
Director of Business Development
Herman Risk Management
http://www.hermanrm.com/

 

AAMI Seeking Nominations for Best Practices

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) is accepting nominations until September 30th from healthcare technology management departments with an outstanding best practice to share.

The top six entries will gain widespread recognition through an article in AAMI’s journal, Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology (BI&T), and on AAMI’s website, and be eligible for an excellence award to be presented at AAMI’s Annual Conference.  The project is led by AAMI’s Technology Management Council.

Nominations should focus on actions a department has taken to tackle a specific problem (device-related, personnel, finance, etc.), or a new process that improved patient safety or efficiency.

NOTE: Please submit only one best practice submission for consideration.  Due to the large number of submissions received, only one submission per facility can be reviewed.  If your facility has multiple best practices you feel are worthy of consideration, please select the one you feel is strongest.   

CLICK HERE  to submit a description of your best practice by September 30, 2011.

Biomeds can nominate their own department or another department.

If you have questions, please contact Patrick Bernat at pbernat@aami.org, or call 703-253-8298.

CLICK HERE  to read the original news release.

 

Tips For Offsite Facility Acquisition

Healthcare reform and the economy have created a demand for facility acquisitions.  From consolidation of hospitals to the purchase of physician practices, health systems acquiring facilities will continue in the near future.  The key to any acquisition is to make sure both the buyer and seller have aligned expectations by utilizing accurate data.  Fixed assets are one component of the acquisition process but can impact the total appraised value of a practice anywhere from 20% – 50% depending on what type of facility is being acquired.

The following are a few tips recommended to both buyer and seller if an acquisition is being considered:

- Outline a strategy that will maximize the information you’re looking to obtain.
- Determine what information needs to be captured in order to make a fair offer.
- Medical equipment will have a significant impact on the total value of fixed assets.  Whoever conducts the inventory and appraisal should be well versed in all modalities of medical equipment.
- Establish mutually agreed upon timelines for the onsite inventory as well as receipt of deliverables.
- Acquisitions can place stress  on the employees of the seller.  Make sure discretion is used by the auditor.
- Demographics are an essential part of the inventory process.
- Deliverables should capture make, model, general description, and serial number if applicable.  It will also be important to identify where each asset is located: building, room number, etc.
- A condition assessment should be applied to each asset outlining its market viability.  This will help align the buyer and seller’s expectation for the asset as well as the value being applied to the asset when it is appraised.
- Have a clear definition of what fair market value (FMV) means.  In most acquisitions, FMV can be defined as “installed and in use value between a willing seller and a willing buyer.”
- It is important that the appraisal be based and supported off current market conditions.
- A qualified appraiser should be able to determine the FMV by the demographics captured during the audit.  If the appraiser is requesting past purchase requisitions, this can be a red flag that they are basing the appraisal on depreciation value rather than fair market value.
- If budget or time restraints prevent an onsite inventory, a desktop appraisal may be a more cost effective option to consider.
- Communication is key for any acquisition and collection sound data during the due diligence process can assist with a smooth transaction.

CLICK HERE  to view the original article.

Contributed by OCEA Member:
Brad Andrew
Manage Resource Group
5015 Whetstone Circle
Brunswick, Ohio 44212
http://www.medicalequipmentservice.us/

AAMI TMC Works For You. Why Recreate The Wheel?

Here, you will find sample copies of service plans, policies, safety and marketing brochures, and more.  Borrow some ideas and submit your own.  To contribute your documents to this page, please e-mail Patrick Bernat at pbernat@aami.org.

WHAT IS THE TMC?
AAMI’s Technology Management Council (TMC) represents thousands of biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers, and other professionals who manage and service medical technology around the world.

The TMC creates new networking opportunities; advances the profession; and develops new career and technical resources for biomedical associations, healthcare facilities, and professionals in the field.

CLICK HERE  to get involved in a project; join an advisory task force; or offer ideas.

CLICK HERE  to visit the original AAMI TMC resource index page.

CDRH Posts Ventilator Alarm Safety Tips

The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), a branch of the FDA, added an article on its medical devices page about steps to take regarding alarms and ventilators.

The article, “Take Precautions with Audible Alarms on Ventilators,” by LCDR Kimberly Love, BS; Courtney Jennings Millin, PhD; and CDR Charles Kerns, MS, BSN, RN, states that in 2010, the FDA received more than 2,500 adverse event reports associated with ventilator use, with about one third related to alarms.

The article presents brief case reports and steps to prevent serious ventilator alarm issues, such as confirming that audible alarms can be heard in the intended environment of use; becoming familiar with the ventilators in your facility since not all ventilators have the same features or safety mechanisms, including alarms; adjusting audible alarm settings only when clinically necessary according to facility policy, and more.

CLICK HERE  to read the original article.

 

NFPA 99: Health Care Facilities Code, 2012 Edition

Featuring a groundbreaking shift to a risk versus occupancy-based approach, the 2012 NFPA 99 ushers in a new era in health care safety.

In response to an increasingly decentralized health care system, a growing array of high-tech procedures, and new security demands, the 2012 NFPA 99 has reinvented itself to reflect a new environment where it is the risk that a procedure poses to patients and staff, not the location where it is conducted, that defines safety guidelines.  Its new title — Health Care Facilities Code — signifies that it is rewritten to make performance criteria for health care facilities more enforceable and adoptable.

Completely reorganized, this new benchmark advances health care facility safety with major changes such as…

- A new risk-based framework
- A fully updated Chapter 5, Gas and Vacuum Systems, including additional maintenance requirements
- New chapters on security, fire protection, and information technology
- Operating rooms are considered a wet location unless a risk assessment of the area determines otherwise.
- Move up to a new level of protection and keep facilities up-to-code and patients and staff safe from harm.

The 2012 NFPA 99 is essential for facility and clinical engineers… biomeds…facility managers…AHJs…plumbers…gas and vacuum system installers, designers, and verifiers…security personnel…insurance companies…and manufacturers.

CLICK HERE  for ordering information.

CLICK HERE  to sign in and view the 2012 NFPA 99 online.

Old Computer, New Life: With Ubuntu

Marketing departments want us to believe that PCs, laptops and netbooks become obsolete after a couple of years, but it’s not true.

The computer industry has evolved over the years more rapidly than any industry in contemporary history.  Year after year engineers have worked valiantly to bring us, the end users, faster and more capable hardware without sacrificing reliability.  Programmers and application developers have been equally quick to develop new software that puts to use the new hardware specifications.  However, while striving to sell more and more products, marketing departments want us to believe that PCs, laptops and netbooks become obsolete after a couple of years, and not replacing them makes us luddites.

It’s not true. Except for high-end gaming, a mid-level system bought in 2006 will provide enough functionality to get work done and have fun in 2011.  Word processing, Internet surfing, watching movies shouldn’t make your old system think twice, granted it is configured correctly, up-to-date and has an operating system that’s efficient and performance oriented.  Also with this free guide you will also receive daily updates on new cool websites and programs in your email for free courtesy of MakeUseOf.com.

CLICK HERE  to request your free guide.

The Importance of RTLS Location Accuracy

Paper Addresses the Importance of RTLS Location Accuracy

TeleTracking Technologies Inc, in association with its real-time locating system (RTLS) division, TeleTracking RTLS, has released a white paper highlighting the top 10 reasons why RTLS location precision in health care matters.

The new whitepaper, “Real-Time Locating Systems Location Accuracy and Its Affect on Hospital ROI,” describes a variety of health care use cases for RTLS where the full return on investment depends on a more specific level of locating accuracy than ever before.

TeleTracking’s free RTLS white paper specifically underscores why accuracy—specifically sub-room and bed level location tracking—should be at the crux of hospital RTLS decision criteria. The white paper includes discussions on asset tracking versus asset management, maximizing the RTLS financial return on investment, equipment theft and loss reduction, increasing equipment utilization, and more.

CLICK HERE  to view/download a copy of this paper.