Second Annual HTM Week Contest Launched

AAMI is holding its second annual contest to recognize the facility that best celebrates Healthcare Technology Management Week.  In reviewing submissions, we are looking especially for creativity, and for engaging other facility staff and departments in your celebration.  This year’s Healthcare Technology Management celebration will be held May 20–26, 2012.

To enter the contest, simply submit a brief description discussing how you plan to celebrate Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Week by Friday, May 4, 2012.  The winning department will be announced during HTM Week, and will be featured in an upcoming AAMI publication.  The winning department will also receive a $100 gift certificate to a restaurant in the facility’s region.  Tools for celebrating the week are also available.

HTM Week is an annual celebration designed to raise awareness of—and appreciation for—the work of biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers, and other healthcare professionals who service, maintain, and manage medical technology.  Through this celebration, AAMI and other organizations thank these professionals for the vital role they play in protecting patient safety, improving patient outcomes, and reducing healthcare costs.

CLICK HERE  to enter the contest.

CLICK HERE  to view the tools available to celebrate this week.

CLICK HERE  to read this original article on the AAMI Website.

Last Day Of The OCEA Conference

++++ Attention, Attention, Attention ++++

This is the last day of the OCEA Conference and YOU are invited.
Walk-In attendees are WELCOME.  Please go directly to the Registration Table with your forms.

See YOU at our 2012 Spring Conference!

Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, April 27, 2012 – 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

To Be Held At:
DeVry University
1350 Alum Creek Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43209

Come Expand Your Knowledge In The Training Sessions!

Come See You Favorite Vendors In The Exhibit Hall!

Come Network With your Friends And Co-workers!

Here is the Conference Activity Outline:

Thursday, April 26th – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Meet and Greet “Getting Started” Event
Registration Open – 6:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open

Friday. April 27th – 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Registration Open – 7:30 am
Training Sessions – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sponsored Dinner and Social Time – 6:30 pm

At 12:00 Noon we are very pleased to have

Mr. A. Ray Dalton
President, CEO, and Founder
PartsSource, Incorporated
as our Keynote Presenter with:

“The State Of The Industry Address”

YOU are invited to join us at this event and participate!

———————————————————————————————–

CLICK HERE  to download the Vendor Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Conference Announcement.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Annual Education Seminar and Vendor Exhibits Course Descriptions.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Sessions Spreadsheet.

CLICK HERE  to download the Individual Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Membership Application Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Event Lodging Information.

 ———————————————————————————————

In April of 2012 The Ohio Clinical Engineering Association was selected by TechNation Magazine as Association of the Month.

CLICK HERE  to read the original article online.

 

The OCEA Conference Is Thursday And Friday

++++ Attention, Attention, Attention ++++

The OCEA Conference starts today and YOU are invited.
Walk-In attendees are WELCOME.  Please go directly to the Registration Table with your forms.

See YOU at our 2012 Spring Conference!

Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, April 27, 2012 – 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

To Be Held At:
DeVry University
1350 Alum Creek Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43209

Come Expand Your Knowledge In The Training Sessions!

Come See You Favorite Vendors In The Exhibit Hall!

Come Network With your Friends And Co-workers!

Here is the Conference Activity Outline:

Thursday, April 26th – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Meet and Greet “Getting Started” Event
Registration Open – 6:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open

Friday. April 27th – 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Registration Open – 7:30 am
Training Sessions – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sponsored Dinner and Social Time – 6:30 pm

At 12:00 Noon we are very pleased to have

Mr. A. Ray Dalton
President, CEO, and Founder
PartsSource, Incorporated
as our Keynote Presenter with:

“The State Of The Industry Address”

YOU are invited to join us at this event and participate!

———————————————————————————————–

CLICK HERE  to download the Vendor Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Conference Announcement.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Annual Education Seminar and Vendor Exhibits Course Descriptions.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Sessions Spreadsheet.

CLICK HERE  to download the Individual Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Membership Application Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Event Lodging Information.

 ———————————————————————————————

In April of 2012 The Ohio Clinical Engineering Association was selected by TechNation Magazine as Association of the Month.

CLICK HERE  to read the original article online.

 

The OCEA Conference Is Thursday And Friday

++++ Attention, Attention, Attention ++++

This is the week for the conference and YOU are invited.
Walk-In attendees are WELCOME.  Please go directly to the Registration Table with your forms.

See YOU at our 2012 Spring Conference!

Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, April 27, 2012 – 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

To Be Held At:
DeVry University
1350 Alum Creek Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43209

Come Expand Your Knowledge In The Training Sessions!

Come See You Favorite Vendors In The Exhibit Hall!

Come Network With your Friends And Co-workers!

Here is the Conference Activity Outline:

Thursday, April 26th – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Meet and Greet “Getting Started” Event
Registration Open – 6:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open

Friday. April 27th – 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Registration Open – 7:30 am
Training Sessions – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sponsored Dinner and Social Time – 6:30 pm

At 12:00 Noon we are very pleased to have

Mr. A. Ray Dalton
President, CEO, and Founder
PartsSource, Incorporated
as our Keynote Presenter with:

“The State Of The Industry Address”

YOU are invited to join us at this event and participate!

———————————————————————————————–

CLICK HERE  to download the Vendor Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Conference Announcement.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Annual Education Seminar and Vendor Exhibits Course Descriptions.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Sessions Spreadsheet.

CLICK HERE  to download the Individual Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Membership Application Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Event Lodging Information.

 ———————————————————————————————

In April of 2012 The Ohio Clinical Engineering Association was selected by TechNation Magazine as Association of the Month.

CLICK HERE  to read the original article online.

New FDA Medical Device Problem Code System

The FDA just released a very complete Medical Device Problem Code System.  It may be found at the FDA website, where it is very hard to read, analyze or understand.  The HTMA-SC website has the original FDA list, along with the 400+ codes in Excel and Word formats.  You may go to the website and download the list below.  We are sending them to HTMA-SC members and providing access to them by OCEA website subscribers so that you may read and comment upon the list.  PLEASE NOTE: It is not mandatory that these codes be used. 

This is a long list of codes!  I have been working with the list from the FDA site for a couple of days and here is what I have discovered:

1. The list is very complete.  Without doing a formal test, it seems as if there are plenty of codes to handle virtually any occurrence.  And the “Catch-All” codes at the end are useful, too.

2.  There are 9 “Top-Level” code categories, of which 5 are the “Catch-All”.  The 4 largest groups are a) Device Operational Error, b) Facilities Issue, c) Human Factors Issue, and d) Physical Property Issue.

3. The 4 Main Top-Level Categories are further divided in up to 6 sub-categories, which make up a tree format, with a total of 318 different branches (or Failure code possibilities).  These are distributed as such:  Device Operational Error – 148, Facilities Issue – 30, Human Factors Issus – 12, Physical Properties Issue – 128.  The number of possible choices increases to well over 400 if you allow selection of each intermediate choice, instead of just the lowest level.

4.  As you can see, this is a very large list.  It is usable, but will take some manipulation and review to make it EASY to use.  I am hoping the CMMS software companies can use their magic to make the integration and use of these codes easy for the overworked BMETs of the world.

I have translated the entire list in a much more readable format, using standard Outline conventions  (1. A. i. 1. A. i.) and color coding of the hierarchy.  Anyone who wishes may download this from the HTMA-SC website below.

CLICK HERE  to read the commentary letter that was posted on BiomedTalk from one of the code system authors and to view the download webpage for the FDA Device Problem Code Hierarchy Word and Excel documents,

Contributed By:
Patrick Lynch, President
Healthcare Technology Management Association of SC

http://scba.onefireplace.com/

 

Infection Control for Clinical Engineering

FREE Webinar

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 @ 1:00 PM EDT

Presented by Frank R. Painter, MS, CCE

Sponsored by the University of Connecticut and
the ACCES Atlantic Canada Clinical Ebgineering Society

This presentation will a short history and background of infection control in healthcare, the problem that faces healthcare today and what effect it has on the clinical engineering department.  It will also cover what CE staff can do to take precautions in the face of this problem.

CLICK HERE  to register online.

CLICK HERE  to go to the ACCES Website Homepage.

 

The 2012 OCEA Spring Conference

We are very pleased to announce our 2012 Spring Conference!

Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, April 27, 2012 – 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

To Be Held At:
DeVry University
1350 Alum Creek Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43209

Come Expand Your Knowledge In The Training Sessions!

Come See You Favorite Vendors In The Exhibit Hall!

Come Network With your Friends And Co-workers!

Here is the Conference Activity Outline:

Thursday, April 26th – 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Meet and Greet “Getting Started” Event
Registration Open – 6:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open

Friday. April 27th – 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Registration Open – 7:30 am
Training Sessions – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Vendor Exhibit Hall Open - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sponsored Dinner and Social Time – 6:30 pm

At 12:00 Noon we are very pleased to have

Mr. A. Ray Dalton
President, CEO, and Founder
PartsSource, Incorporated
as our Keynote Presenter with:

“The State Of The Industry Address”

YOU are invited to join us at this event and participate!

———————————————————————————————–

CLICK HERE  to download the Vendor Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Conference Announcement.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Annual Education Seminar and Vendor Exhibits Course Descriptions.

CLICK HERE  to download the OCEA 2012 Sessions Spreadsheet.

CLICK HERE  to download the Individual Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Membership Application Form.

CLICK HERE  to download the Event Lodging Information.

 ———————————————————————————————

In April of 2012 The Ohio Clinical Engineering Association was selected by TechNation Magazine as Association of the Month.

CLICK HERE  to read the original article online.

 

Are You Prepared For An Emergency?

By Jim Fedele

The Joint Commission has increased its focus on disaster planning and emergency preparedness. Some biomeds may think this doesn’t apply to them.  I would suggest every biomedical department become very familiar with disaster and emergency planning.  I am suggesting, from a medical equipment management perspective, that we (the biomedical engineering department) should ensure our facilities have plans in place to address the medical equipment needs of the facility in the event of an emergency.

Arguably in today’s world of medicine, technology is the cornerstone.  We have come to rely on technology for almost every aspect of medicine. One look in an ER room or an ICU and one can witness the amount of equipment needed and depended on. Sometimes there is barely enough room for the patient.  What happens when this equipment is not available or does not work?

Biomedical technicians know first-hand how important technology is to our customers.  I would guess just about everyone in this field has a story about a user/physician becoming unreasonable because a piece of equipment is not available or went down.  Some of my brethren have stated they felt like the user was suggesting (or blaming) that the biomed had caused the device to break.  This experience makes the biomedical technician the best resource for helping facilities develop good emergency/disaster plans.

Disaster planning is integral to hospital operations and is under continuous scrutiny by state and local officials.  I feel comfortable stating that because of this oversight, on a large scale hospitals do a good job at planning and preparing for disasters.  Hospitals are required to have documented drills and to follow up on all findings and deficiencies that are identified.  But what about at the department level?  For instance, what if the main monitoring system in the ICU goes down? Does the staff know what do?  This were the biomedical department can really help.

Typically for a small emergency related to medical equipment, the biomedical staff is going to be involved on the front end.  Obviously the department will page the on-call technician for immediate response.  But what happens if there is a delay in response?  Should the department know what to do next?  Or what happens if the technician on call is not familiar with the equipment and cannot contact the specialist?

My experience is that when there are medical technology emergencies, the using staff is not so well versed on what to do.   There always seem to be plans or procedures to implement, but they are seldom effective.  The situation quickly degrades to a reactive, stressful and unsafe situation.

The real solution is to actually have drills that test the procedures and plans developed to handle these technology issues.  It is only through drills that we can proactively identify any issues that may not have been identified initially.  For instance, running equipment on emergency power may identify that the equipment is overly sensitive to emergency power and needs to be connected to a power conditioner.  This is something that may not be foreseen when procedures are being developed.  Also, by having the users experience first-hand how their department is going work with a disruption or lack of medical equipment assets, they will be better prepared to handle the situation.

Biomedical engineers should be involved with all aspects of this process.  They possess the necessary experience and knowledge to be able to help formulate plans and design drills.  The biomedical engineering tech will know where to acquire loaner equipment, or what can be effectively substituted, in the event of a critical monitoring system failure.

The best solution is to plan, drill and make changes.  Everyone should be involved.  This will help ensure everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency.

CLICK HERE  to view this article online.
From Medical Dealer Magazine April 2012.

Jim Fedele, CBET has been writing for Medical Dealer Magazine for more then 12 years.  He is currently Director of Clinical Engineering for Susquehanna Health Systems in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

 

Keeping Pace: Time To Retool

The Biomedical Engineering Department

Medical devices are no longer pieces of equipment that stand alone by themselves.  They are networked devices in systems of care that require a different skill set to maintain and keep operational.  The old days of biomed technicians fixing isolated mechanical devices are long gone.

For those who manage or contract these services, it may be a critical time to examine how networked medical devices are changing clinical care and, therefore, to examine the approach to planning for medical devices and their maintenance.

Biomedical engineering (BME), clinical engineering, and health technology management are a few of the possible names that commonly are used for this service, and the profusion of titles is indicative that the skill set for medical equipment maintenance and management has been upgraded.

Senior hospital leadership must assure that it is getting the best medical equipment maintenance service for its inventory of medical devices.  The medical device world has changed and hospitals have to keep pace to remain on the cutting edge.

CLICK HERE  to view/download the entire article.

From Health Facilities Management Magazine March 2012 Issue.

 

ACCE Teleconference April 19th @ 12 Noon

Budgeting and Finance for Healthcare Technology

Thursday, April 19, 2012 @ 12 noon EDT

At the end of this session, the participant will be able to analyze the costs associated with emerging medical technologies across the entire life cycle, define and implement measureable outcomes associated with the related service costs, and communicate this information effectively to senior administration.

Presented By:
David M. Dickey, MS, CCE, CHC, FACHE
McLaren Healthcare

CLICK HERE  to download the Registration Form.

CLICK HERE  to view the ACCE Homepage.