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MAY 2019
ADVANCING THE BIOMEDICAL / HTM PROFESSIONAL
SPARE? PARTS SOURCING REMAINS A CHALLENGE PAGE 48
16 Professional
of the Month Jovito “Jojo” Gonzales
23 News and Notes
Industry Updates
42 Roundtable Address Service Requested MD Publishing 18 Eastbrook Bend Peachtree City, GA 30269
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FEATURED
CONTENTS
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SPARE? PARTS SOURCING REMAINS A CHALLENGE By K. Richard Douglas
42
ROUNDTABLE: REPLACEMENT TUBES AND BULBS
TechNation reached out to OEMs and Healthcare Technology Management professionals for a look at replacement tubes and bulbs. We asked what health care facilities should look for when purchasing tubes and bulbs. We also asked what to look for when it comes to certain features and warranties.
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GOT A SPARE? PARTS SOURCING REMAINS A CHALLENGE
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Supply chain is a cost, second only to labor costs, for hospitals. It is a competitive market and OEMs know that there are other suppliers with quality parts. Finding quality parts that don’t WWW.1TECHNATION.COM break the bank is a challenge for the HTM department with a solution offered through many third-party providers. A good relationship with these vendors is a key element in assuring a smooth workflow. Next month’s Feature article: Trust the Process: 5 Ways to Influence Buying Decisions
Next month’s Roundtable article: Cybersecurity
TechNation (Vol. 10, Issue #5) May 2019 is published monthly by MD Publishing, 18 Eastbrook Bend, Peachtree City, GA 30269-1530. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TechNation at 18 Eastbrook Bend, Peachtree City, GA 30269-1530. TechNation magazine is dedicated to providing medical equipment service professionals with comprehensive, reliable, information concerning medical equipment, parts, service and supplies. It is published monthly by MD Publishing, Inc. Subscriptions are available free of charge to qualified individuals within the United States. Publisher reserves the right to determine qualification for a free subscriptions. Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of content; however, the information, opinions, and statements expressed in the articles and advertisements herein are those of the writer and/or advertiser, and not necessarily those of the publisher. ©2019
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
MAY 2019
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CONTENTS
INSIDE
Departments
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John M. Krieg
VICE PRESIDENT
Kristin Leavoy
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Jayme McKelvey Megan Cabot
ART DEPARTMENT Jonathan Riley Karlee Gower Kathryn Keur EDITOR
John Wallace
EDITORIAL
Roger Bowles Jenifer Brown K. Richard Douglas Jim Fedele Joe Fishel Inhel Rekik Manny Roman Cindy Stephens Steven J. Yelton
DIGITAL SERVICES
Cindy Galindo Kennedy Krieg
CIRCULATION
Lisa Lisle Melissa Brand
WEBINARS
Linda Hasluem
ACCOUNTING
Diane Costea
EDITORIAL BOARD
Manny Roman, Business Operation Manager, AMSP Salim Kai, MSPSL, CBET, Clinical Safety Engineer University of Michigan Health System Jim Fedele, Sr. Program Director, Clinical Engineering, BioTronics, UPMC Susquehanna Izabella Gieras, MS, MBA, CCE, Director of Clinical Technology, Huntington Memorial Hospital Inhel Rekik, Clinical Engineering Manager, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
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Proud supporters of
P.12 SPOTLIGHT p.12 Department of the Month: The Intermountain Homecare Home Medical Equipment Specialty Wheelchair Shop p.14 Company Showcase: GE p.16 Professional of the Month: Jovito “Jojo” Gonzales p.18 Association of the Month: The Virginia Biomedical Association P.21 p.21 p.23 p.26 p.29 p.32
INDUSTRY UPDATES Welcome to the TechNation Community News & Notes Ribbon Cutting: CoroMed AAMI Update ECRI Update
P.34 p.34 p.36 p.39 p.41
THE BENCH Biomed 101 Webinar Wednesday Shop Talk Tools of the Trade
P.54 EXPERT ADVICE p.54 Career Center p.56 GE Vivid/Logiq E9 Platform p.59 The Future p.60 Strength in Numbers: (Sharing of) Information is Power p.63 The Other Side p.64 20/20 Imaging Insights p.67 Roman Review P.70 BREAKROOM p.70 Did You Know? p.73 The Vault p.76 MedWrench: Bulletin Board p.88 Service Index p.93 Alphabetical Index p.94 Parting Shot
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SPOTLIGHT
DEPARTMENT OF THE MONTH The Intermountain Homecare Home Medical Equipment Specialty Wheelchair Shop BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS
W
hile compassion and understanding are common traits of those who enter the health care field, there are few better examples of this in the biomed segment than can be found in a very specialized shop that is part of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah.
There are also few better examples of where a biomedical engineer has more direct contact with patients, while addressing their quality of life, than the Intermountain Homecare Home Medical Equipment Specialty Wheelchair Shop. Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based not-for-profit system of 23 hospitals, 170 clinics, a medical group with 2,300 employed physicians as well as a health insurance company and other services. The custom wheelchair shop consists of schedulers, inventory coordinators, seating specialists and clinical engineers who work in consultation with physical therapists. The shop is managed by Bryon Cheney and is part of the medical equipment branch of Intermountain Homecare. The shop includes five clinical engineers who focus on building new chairs and repairing existing chairs. These clinical engineers report to Dustin Smith, MBA, who is Intermountain’s director of central support, clinical engineering. “Intermountain’s shop is one of the largest custom wheelchair shops in the Intermountain West. Many patients from neighboring states are willing to make the trip to Utah to ensure their family member has a chair built just for them that will enhance their long-term quality of life. Intermountain has been exploring the possibility of having two 12
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wheelchair engineers travel throughout Utah to repair and adjust chairs as needed so patients don’t have to drive to South Jordan,” Smith says. The shop provides custom new build chairs and maintains and repairs existing chairs. “A lot of planning and critical thinking is needed to provide these complex chairs and mobility for the patient, including little things most don’t even consider. For example, a child might need a chair that would allow them to elevate enough to turn a light switch on and off, or to be close to the ground to play with other children,” Smith says. He points out that most traditional chairs wouldn’t have this function, but by customizing each chair, a child can have the freedom to be a kid. The biomed and seating specialists work together to create a plan to allow the patient the best possible quality of life. Smith explains that great care is taken to fit each chair to a patient’s needs. “Some chairs are simple, while others have complex components that allow paralyzed patients more mobility and interaction with the world around them. From expensive components such as head arrays and eye movement technology to the simplest models, the wheelchair shop treats every chair and every patient as unique,” Smith adds. Smith says that the clinical engineers on the team come from varied backgrounds and previously served on other teams within the Intermountain system. “This caring bunch of individuals brings strong mechanical acumen and familiarity with electronics to their jobs. Their goal is to make sure each chair enhances the life of the patient who’s in it. They’re often commended for their
Al Grundstein evaluates a chair control. excellent bedside manner and kindness in working with patients and their families,” he says. CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONALS It requires a combination of the skills that many biomeds possess along with a specialized skill set that has been developed through experience. “Each chair is a unique environment for the patient. Some repairs are simple fixes that general biomeds could perform, but the scope of simple versus complex is where these engineers shine. As they work only on equipment from the wheelchair shop, they’re comfortable and nimble in finding solutions very quickly,” Smith explains. He says that in some cases, when a patient is awaiting parts for their chair, an appropriate loaner chair needs to be improvised. The biomeds are a valuable team that make these interim loaners as capable as possible for the patients during their waits. “Because each loaner is not just for the patient’s mobility, but is also the WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
SPOTLIGHT
Mitch Peace works on a wheelchair tray with Shawn Clark in the background.
Team members are (from left to right) Dustin Smith, Mitch Peace, Al Grundstein, Mersad Selimovic, Shawn Clark and Nick Cornia.
environment they spend significant time in, the engineers are very thoughtful of the importance of these chairs to the patient’s life. Through compassionate discussions with their patients, the engineers obtain important insights about the patients that might be otherwise be overlooked,” Smith says. “Recently, an engineer was working on a repair on a patient’s chair while conversing with the patient. Together they discussed the inconsistent wear on the wheels of his chair. Through this dialogue the engineer was able to understand the environment in which the patient was living and make improvements to add stability to the wheels. This personal connection is vital to the team’s success,” Smith adds. The biomeds in the shop are flexible and able to assist in other areas where needed. “Due to their wide variety of knowledge and experience, these biomeds have the flexibility to assist in other areas of the homecare system, whether it be in setting up a hospital bed, repairing other home medical equipment, or working in the fulfillment center to get equipment to patients,” Smith says. The close interaction between team-members and patients allows the clinical engineers and their colleagues to meet the patient’s unique needs. “This team watches their patients grow and thrive. They have one patient who received her first chair at age two. Her insurance provider required proof the young girl could operate the chair. The team went into action to design a course for her to maneuver through. The training and test worked — she
received authorization for her very own chair. This process also allowed her to become engaged and excited about her chair,” Smith remembers. He adds that over the last seven years, her chair changed several times to meet her needs. Her chair opened up possibilities she’d never had before. She was able to play with other children on the floor thanks to the hydraulic lift that lowers her seat to floor level. It allowed her freedom to participate in many activities she couldn’t be part of before. “When her chair was in for repairs, she was devastated she couldn’t play soccer with her loaner chair. After getting her chair back, she was so happy, she sent the biomeds a picture of her playing soccer with her team,” Smith says. MEETING CHALLENGES Occasionally, challenges aren’t always related to a particular design or patient. Sometimes inventory management requires creative thinking. “As with many complicated pieces of equipment, custom wheelchairs have a fairly lengthy authorization process. In response, Intermountain Homecare’s customer wheelchair shop starts procurement while awaiting the authorizations, which has tremendously decreased wait times,” Smith says. One possible consequence is that when an authorization isn’t obtained, restocking fees result from returning parts that weren’t authorized. To prevent those charges, some components weren’t returned, which caused the inventory to bloat,” Smith explains. He says that in these cases, the team
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Mersad Selimovic assists a patient. went into action: They reduced the parts inventory by roughly 30 percent in the last six months and contracts are being reviewed to eliminate or reduce restocking fees from their top six suppliers — which in turn makes a big difference in the profitability of the wheelchair shop. In some cases, high-tech solutions must be integrated into the construction of a chair. “Our wheelchair shop has supported one patient since he was two. He’s completely paralyzed except for eye movements and a slight tilt of his head. For the past 17 years, the team has customized his chair as his skill level increased to improve his quality of life. Through a joint effort with the engineers and seating specialists, this patient was fit with a head array in his early teens, which allows him to rock his head a quarter-inch to the side to communicate with his onboard computer. He began to write and create artwork in various computer programs. As he grew more accomplished, he was fitted with a retina sensor to give him more detailed control. He’s now attending college,” Smith says. With great compassion, and a specialized skill set, the clinical engineers and their colleagues in the Intermountain Homecare Home Medical Equipment Specialty Wheelchair Shop improve lives one wheelchair at a time. MAY 2019
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SPOTLIGHT
PROFESSIONAL OF THE MONTH Jovito “Jojo” Gonzales, BSHA, CBET,
CHTM, A+, Net+, Sec+: Part of a Team
Jovito “Jojo” Gonzales, BSHA, CBET, CHTM, A+, Net+, Sec+
BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS
T
he story has been oft-repeated of how a biomed started out as a caregiver. Jovito “Jojo” Gonzales, BSHA, CBET, CHTM, A+, Net+, Sec+, lead BMET in the Clinical Technology Department at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center made the transition several years ago. He has never looked back.
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with technology. Growing up, I was always tinkering, breaking and fixing things. I even attended a technical/trade focused high school in the Philippines (Technological University of the Philippines), where I majored in mechanical engineering,” Gonzales remembers. “I joined the Navy to see the world, at the young age of 17, where I became a corpsman, and it’s been an adventure ever since. I had a chance encounter, early in my Navy career, with a BMET who was working on a defibrillator in the ER, and he explained the BMET field to me. I decided right there and then to apply for BMET school; and the rest, as they say, is history,” he adds. He attended the U.S. Army Medical Equipment and Optical School (USAMEOS) in Aurora, Colorado. He went through the Basic BMET School in the late 1980s. He completed the Advanced BMET School in December 1991. He had started his naval career as a general duty corpsman/EMT at the Naval Hospital 29 Palms, California 16
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and as a junior corpsman aboard the USS Roark (FF-1053). He then became a basic BMET at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Subic Bay, Philippines. From there, he moved to Advanced BMET onboard the USS Dixon (AS-37) and then division head/BMET at the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, California. Next, he jumped across the Atlantic to become the manager of the computer management and operations department at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Rota, Spain, where he advanced to manager of the network department and then information systems security manager. All of this experience prepared him for his current position with Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. PARTICIPATING IN A GOOD CULTURE Gonzales has maintained an interest in helping to promote a rich and standardized culture among the various HTM departments in his region. “Kaiser Permanente Clinical Technology has 15 teams scattered throughout the Southern California region and leadership observed significant differences in culture between shops,” he says. “While each team provides good customer service, the implementation, performance and workplace culture differed dramatically. Our initial team of five comprised of the regional director, senior manager, two lead BMETs and project manager, took on this challenge to bring about standardization, optimization and cultural
transformation,” Gonzales says. He says that the group discussed and studied the various traits and practices that positively or negatively affected culture in the workplace. He said that they determined the strengths and weaknesses within each shop and used the Q12 Gallop Survey for employee satisfaction to examine gaps within the organization. “The data helped us focus on how to improve the work experiences of our teams. Externally, we use our company’s customer satisfaction surveys to learn how to improve our services,” he says. “Inspired by the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you; the GOLDEN Promise was created. It is a culture that promotes Giving, Ownership, Love and Dedication which includes everyone; no matter the challenge,” Gonzales says. Gonzales says that they believe the GOLDEN Promise will improve working relationships and promote a healthy workplace. “Gallup research shows that engaged employees are the ones who work the hardest, stay longest and perform best. Our employees learned how to collaborate with each other as well as other departments. This cultural change made the staff and customer loyalty our top priority,” he says. Gonzales has also been involved in a ransomware remediation project and served as a member of a “tiger” team that visited Kaiser Permanente hospitals throughout southern California to remediate critical WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
SPOTLIGHT
About Jojo FAVORITE BOOK “The Art of Happiness” by The Dalai Lama, “Success is a Choice” by Rick Pitino, “What Would Buddha Do?” by Franz Metcalf, “Together is Better” by Simon Sinek and so many others.
FAVORITE MOVIE “It’s a Wonderful Life”
FAVORITE FOOD See Food (I see food, I eat)
Jojo Gonzales is seen during a hike to Potato Chip Rock in San Diego, California. patient monitoring equipment. “I enjoy reading motivational quotes and proverbs. One of my favorites, and something I strive for as a leader, is from Lao Tzu; ‘A leader is best when people barely knows he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves,’” Gonzales says. “As an advocate for following kyosei – a Japanese philosophy of all people living and working harmoniously together – I’m extremely proud of the clinical technology team we have put together here in Kaiser Permanente, San Diego service area,” Gonzales adds. He says that the group has embraced the true meaning of teamwork; looking out for each other’s well-being, going above and beyond to support each other, and respecting each other’s opinion. He says that they all share the same values and spirit of camaraderie. “I have a passion for process improvement. As someone who is perfectly imperfect, I’m constantly redefining and improving myself. While serving as a Navy corpsman/medic, I met a BMET and it rekindled my inclination toward technology and engineering. As a biomed, I recognized the trend toward integration of medical devices with computers, so I studied and earned a degree in computer science,” he explains. He says that this served him well on his next assignment as the head of network and computer management departments. “I was also the information systems security manager. After my naval service, I decided to pursue my passion
with golf and received my degree in golf course operations and administration. I also earned my teaching credentials. I joined Kaiser Permanente in 2005 where I realized that to better serve our customers, the patients and health care professionals, I needed to understand the health care industry better, he says. Although I’d been in health care over 20 years then, I still did not have a good grasp of how the industry operates. That’s when I decided to get my undergrad in health care administration,” Gonzales adds. Apparently, all of that personal development and dedication caught the attention of AAMI. When the organization announced its 2019 award and scholarship winners in March, it awarded Gonzales with the AAMI and GE Healthcare 2019 BMET of the Year Award. In a press release, AAMI said that “Gonzales was instrumental in the launch of a new 253-bed medical center in San Diego that was touted as one of the most technologically advanced when it opened in April 2017. He provided mentorship and training to the BMETs hired for the new facility, deployed more than 7,000 pieces of medical equipment and assisted in the deployment of new technologies and several medical device integrations.” Although Gonzales sees himself as “perfectly imperfect,” his peers see him as something close to the perfect biomed. It shows that continuous self-development and a little “kyosei” can go a long way.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
HIDDEN TALENT I have a degree in golf course management and operations, and I am a certified golf instructor. I even pulled a very short stint as a golf instructor aboard a cruise ship.
FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BIOMED “The changes; there’s always something new to learn. But most importantly, the reward; knowing that we contributed, even though behind the scenes, in delivering the best quality care to our patients is very gratifying.”
WHAT’S ON MY BENCH? • Picture of my loved ones • Various personal development and motivational books • A U.S. Navy Biomedical Equipment Technician patch to remind me of my roots • A hand-written note that reads, “Memento Mori – Carpe Diem” • TechNation magazines
Jojo Gonzales is seen early in his career.
High-performance driving is just one fun hobby for Jojo Gonzales. MAY 2019
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SPOTLIGHT
ASSOCIATION OF THE MONTH
Virginia Biomedical Association BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS
V
irginia is a state that offers almost everything; scenic mountains, the ocean and lots of history. The state has beaches along its east coast and mountains in the west. It was the home of James Madison, George Washington and John Blair. It is the place that saw the end of the Civil War in Appomattox and Madison’s Virginia Plan was the basis for the U.S. Constitution.
The tourism marketing slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers,” is iconic. Besides being the state for lovers, Virginia is a state full of HTM professionals from the Alexandria area down to the border of North Carolina; from Virginia Beach to Blacksburg. They are found in urban and rural areas and many of them are united by their state’s professional HTM association; the Virginia Biomedical Association (VBA). “The Virginia Biomedical Association was officially started in 1994 with its first annual meeting and election of officers and a board of directors,” says Richard “Rick” Davis, who heads the group’s finance review committee and has been the association’s treasurer. “Planning sessions for that first meeting began in early 1993 and lasted almost the whole year. Attending the planning sessions were managers, directors and service technicians representing hospitals and service providers throughout the state. From the Tidewater/Eastern area were Mary Coker, Virgil Smoot, Mark Freeman, Kevin Breen and myself,” he adds. 18
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“From the Western area were Steve Haupt, Ben Clark, Michael Carlton and Lee Gilley and from the Northern area was James Anderson,” says Lee Gilley, who has been a member of the association’s board of directors, along with Davis. Davis says that prior to the launch of the VBA, there was another association in southeastern Virginia. “In the 1980s, there was a regional association called the Tidewater Biomedical Association that lasted for several years, but was too small to sustain itself. In 1993, we got together and acquired backing from Hewlett Packard (which is now Philips) and General Electric’s medical equipment division. They helped immensely the first years with classes and financial donations,” he says. According to Davis, the prime movers in the new association were Mary Coker, Steve Haupt, Ben Clark, James Anderson and Virgil Smoot. “They had attended the AAMI conventions and North Carolina Biomedical Association meetings. They saw that we needed a state association here in Virginia. They were all in their department’s management so they knew the need for education on the local level. Mary Coker became our first president; she had worked her way up from a technician to manager at Riverside Health System,” Davis says. Many of the early participants already knew each other and were already exchanging the kind of information that benefits members in biomed associations. “We all knew each other and helped each other with troubleshooting tips,
equipment issues, service manuals and even parts over the years before 1994. If we could get service schools here in Virginia, it would lower the cost of travel and lodging. Mary and Steve were very active at AAMI in the biomedical section of that association. At the time, they helped AAMI have a little more focus on biomeds,” Davis says. He says that initially, the VBA planned two major meetings a year. A winter meeting held mostly at the Wintergreen Ski Resort for a little fun, an equipment class or two and The Joint Commission update, which was the major focus of the winter meeting. TJC was changing their inspections almost yearly. “Most of our hospitals earned three-year accreditations, so this helped to keep us up to date. With better communication from CMMS, TJC and then subsequently DNV, on their updates and changes, the attendance for this meeting fell and the winter meeting was suspended and a larger focus was directed at the VBA annual meeting,” Davis says. ANNUAL MEETING AND GOLF An annual conference or symposium is always an opportunity to provide members with benefits and to get the statewide membership together. The VBA is no exception. “Initially, the annual meeting location changed every two years to try and accommodate attendees from different parts of the state. After evaluation, the board decided to utilize a single location,” Gilley says. “This allows better use of members’ dues by cost savings in long-term WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
SPOTLIGHT
Virginia Biomedical Association members are seen at the Kevin Breen Memorial Golf Tournament.
contracts and eliminates a lot of the planning logistics involved in moving to a new location. The annual meeting currently is held in September and is at the Wintergreen Ski Resort in Wintergreen, Virginia,” Gilley adds. He says that the schedule is golf on Wednesday with classes and vendor time on Thursday and Friday. “Wintergreen is a great resort to visit, even in the fall. Hiking and golfing are their main focus during this time. Remember to bring a lot of balls as the mountain top courses can be challenging,” Gilley suggests. “Education is the main focus. Acquiring classes and planning the annual meeting takes a lot of our time. We also add some relaxing and networking parts to our meeting. We start with the Kevin Breen Memorial Golf Classic on the first day. We follow that with a, hopefully, short board of directors and officers meeting, followed by a dinner with a speaker or some entertainment. The next day is registration and the official start of the meeting,” Davis says. “We start with a keynote speaker followed with vendor (expo hall) time. Lunch is combined with our business meeting followed with more classes. We end with more vendor time, vendor reception, dinner and entertainment. In the evening we have had casino nights,
Education is a big part of the VBA annual conference.
corn hole tournaments and even magic tricks. The last day is more vendor time and classes,” Gilley says. Gilley says that utilizing the membership dues, vendor registration
challenging in the western part of the state to fill positions. The networking provided at the meetings facilitates spreading the information on openings and the technicians looking for new
“ We are lucky in the eastern part of the state, as the Navy is here and we can hire from biomedical technicians who are getting out or retiring.” - Rick Davis fees and sponsorships/donations, the association provides two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners. “The breakfasts and lunches are held in the vendor room along with the vendor reception to maximize the time with the vendors. The vendors are served their lunch during the last half hour of class time so they are free to be at their booths,” Gilley adds. For biomed associations, much like employers, the retirement of baby boomers means locating more prospective working members. In one portion of Virginia, that challenge has been tempered somewhat. “We are lucky in the eastern part of the state, as the Navy is here and we can hire from biomedical technicians who are getting out or retiring. It is
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
opportunities,” Davis says. Associations often also maintain a relationship with a technical school or community college to provide assistance or to source new members. “The VBA was partnered with ECPI for internships when it had campus locations in Virginia Beach and Roanoke with biomed programs, but has since moved it to North Carolina. Centura College is looking at starting up a program; several of our members have been in contact to help,” Davis says. Virginia is for lovers and wellinformed HTM professionals, especially those who hold membership in the Virginia Biomedical Association. FOR MORE INFORMATION about the VBA and its annual meeting, visit vabiomed.org. MAY 2019
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WHAT IS ONE QUALITY THAT DIFFERENTIATES YOUR COMPANY? Coro Medical has been in the medical equipment industry for over 20 years. With over 100 years combined experience in the AED field, we bring a fun and creative perspective to a very serious mission. During these last 20 years we have been able to develop strong connections with not only our vendors and customers, but with our competitors as well. This has allowed us to branch out and set ourselves apart as a “one-stop shop” for all AED and defibrillation needs. Coro Medical not only sells new and refurbished AEDs/defibrillators, but also provides biomedical services, rentals, and trade-ins on automatic and “manual” medical equipment as well. We are a mom-and-pop shop thinking outside the “big box”!
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INDUSTRY UPDATES
NEWS & NOTES
Updates from the HTM Industry STAFF REPORTS
GE LAUNCHING COLLEGE OF HTM
DIAGNOSTIC ERRORS, TEST RESULTS TOP PATIENT SAFETY LIST ECRI Institute names diagnostic errors and improper management of test results in electronic health records (EHRs) among the most serious patient safety challenges facing health care leaders in 2019. Released in conjunction with National Patient Safety Awareness week, ECRI’s Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2019 raises the profile of safety issues that pose risks to patients and health care providers. “Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the country,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO, ECRI Institute. “This guidance can help health care leaders and clinicians save lives.” Diagnostic errors and managing test results remain in the top spot two years in a row. While many health care providers rely on EHRs to help with clinical decision support and tracking test results, technology is just one tool in the diagnostic process, according to William Marella, executive director of operations and analytics, ECRI Institute PSO. “We have to recognize the limits of current technology and ensure that we have processes in place to close the loop on diagnostic tests,” says Marella. “This safety issue cuts across acute and ambulatory settings, requiring teamwork across the health system.” ECRI Institute’s 2019 list of concerns addresses systemic issues facing health systems, such as behavioral health concerns, clinician burnout and skills development. Mobile health technology, number four on the list, opens up a world of opportunities by transporting health care to the home, but also presents potential risks. The report also highlights ongoing clinical issues with infections from peripheral IV lines, sepsis and anti-microbial stewardship. In the outpatient setting, at least 30 percent of antibiotic use is unnecessary. ECRI’s list of patient safety concerns does not necessarily represent the issues that occur most frequently or are most severe. It identifies new risks, how existing concerns may be changing because of new technology or care delivery models, and persistent issues that need renewed attention or that might have additional solutions. Topics are selected each year by a broad multi-disciplinary team of patient safety analysts, infection preventionists and clinicians at ECRI Institute. They identify safety concerns based on member inquiries, root cause analyses and adverse events submitted to ECRI’s Patient Safety Organization (PSO). ECRI Institute PSO has received more than 2.7 million event reports and reviewed hundreds of root-cause analyses since 2009. Health care organizations can use ECRI Institute’s 2019 Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations to identify priorities and create corrective action plans. The Executive Brief is available to download for free. The comprehensive report, available to ECRI Institute members, includes many actionable resources. • FOR INFORMATION about working with ECRI Institute PSO, call 610-825-6000, ext. 5558; e-mail pso@ ecri.org; visit www.ecri.org/solutions/pso; or write to us at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462.
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A LinkedIn post and a job listing point to GE Healthcare’s desire to start a college of HTM. Donna Marie Dyer, senior director, healthcare technology management at GE Healthcare, posted a job opening for an HTM program training leader on LinkedIn. Her post reads, “We are building the College of HTM at GE’s Healthcare Institute!” “If you have HTM experience and a passion for teaching, this role could be for you. Apply today and you could help us to launch a program that gives biomedical technicians and HTM leaders the technical, compliance and leadership skills they need to run a successful HTM program,” she writes. The job opening described the position as an opening for an HTM program training leader with a role summary described as “Develop, deliver and oversee HTM (Biomed) Program training, including new employee onboarding, military extern, apprentice, site leadership (operational and financial performance), and fundamental skills for biomedical equipment technicians.” The GE Healthcare Institute describes itself on a landing page as follows: “GE Healthcare Institute offers training programs for Healthcare Professionals. Each course is a certified program from GE.” GE Healthcare lists the following as some key highlights of all its courses: • Hands-on Training – Participants get hands-on training to simulate real-world experiences. • Limited Class Size – Class strength is limited to 20 to maximize one-toone interactions and learning. • I ndustry Experts as Faculty – Programs are driven by subject matter experts who impart firsthand knowledge and guidance. •
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INDUSTRY UPDATES MITA RELEASES SERVICING STANDARD FOR MEDICAL IMAGING EQUIPMENT
BIOCOAT INC. ANNOUNCES ISO 13485:2016 CERTIFICATION Biocoat Inc., a specialty manufacturer of hydrophilic biomaterial coatings for medical devices, has announced that the company has received the certification of registration for the ISO 13485:2016 Quality Management System. The Pennsylvania-based company specializes in supplying lubricious hydrophilic coatings for medical devices used in the neurovascular, cardiovascular, peripheral and ophthalmic markets to original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers. This certification process reflects a culmination of Biocoat’s ongoing commitment to quality during the production of medical-grade surface coatings for medical device applications. “Biocoat is committed to providing our customers with a best-in-class customer experience. We are dedicated to developing products of the highest quality while operating under a QMS that drives continuous improvement,” said Jim Moran, president and CEO of Biocoat. “I am extremely proud of the Biocoat team and their dedication to ensuring that the highest levels of quality are being met every day.” • FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit www.biocoat.com.
MULTIMEDICAL SYSTEMS EXPANDS INTO STATE OF WASHINGTON MultiMedical Systems (MMS), a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, has announced its latest expansion into the state of Washington. MMS President Daren Kneeland says that Perry Morgan, Northwest sales director, and a team of technicians have hit the ground running. Washington adds to the growth across five different states in the last year, including California, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and Hawaii, where technicians have been placed. The clinical engineering service company serves hospitals, surgery centers, imaging centers, clinic systems, physicians’ offices, dental offices and physical therapy offices nationally. The company also has a repair depot and Freedom rental division that supports clients in the Western United States. Kneeland says that this growth generated over $2.5 million in new business contracts in 2018 and that 2019 is on track to surpass these numbers. “We’re also proud to announce that we are on the path toward receiving ISO 13485 certification,” said Kneeland. ISO 13485 certification demonstrates that MMS is certified to ensure the medical device is effectively implemented and maintained in compliance with the requirements for a comprehensive quality management system. •
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The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has announced the publication of NEMA/MITA 2 – Requirements for Servicing of Medical Imaging Equipment, a voluntary standard outlining the minimum quality management system requirements for medical imaging device servicing. The standard, whose development was sponsored by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association – the MITA parent organization – in conjunction with a diverse group of interested stakeholders, is the first quality management system standard developed for servicing of medical imaging devices. It is meant to apply to any medical imaging device servicing organization regardless of size or the specific services it provides. “This first-of-its-kind standard fills a critical gap in the servicing field and will serve as an important resource for both servicing organizations and health care providers alike,” said Dennis Durmis, chair of the MITA board of directors. “It is important to have sound processes – such as training, verification and validation – in place to ensure that servicing activities are performed in a manner that protects patient safety and device integrity.” Additionally, effective implementation of this standard will enable stakeholders to ensure that their servicing activities do not cross into remanufacturing. While remanufacturing is regulated by the FDA, the agency does not currently require third-party medical device servicers to have controls in place to determine if their servicing activities constitute remanufacturing. This lack of oversight poses an increased risk to public health and patient safety. The FDA has acknowledged the need to clarify the distinction between servicing and remanufacturing and has announced its intent to issue future guidance on this issue. Previously, MITA released a white paper outlining a framework for establishing the distinction between the two activities to serve as a resource for the FDA and the broader stakeholder community. “We look forward to further engagement with stakeholders over the coming months to adopt quality management system principles that ensure the safe and effective servicing of imaging devices,” Durmis concluded. MITA has previously indicated an interest in developing an American National Standard for quality management of servicing of medical devices. Although NEMA/MITA 2 was developed by medical imaging device stakeholders, its principles and processes can be applied more broadly to other serviceable medical device types, and it will serve as a foundation for future servicing standards development activities. The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, is a collective voice of medical imaging equipment manufacturers, innovators and product developers. It represents companies whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for advanced medical imaging technology. • FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit medicalimaging.org.
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INDUSTRY UPDATES NIHON KOHDEN LAUNCHES INDUSTRY’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAM FOR PATIENT MONITORING Nihon Kohden, a U.S. market leader in precision medical products and services, has announced the launch of Performance Care, its comprehensive service and support program that is available to all patient monitoring customers. Building on its service program, Performance Care offers two levels of care with additional services available upon request. “Everything we do is designed to help hospitals spend more time focusing on patient care and less time worrying about their monitoring systems,” said Scott Silcock, vice president of operations and service excellence for Nihon Kohden America. “Because of this, we looked at every pain point that hospitals typically experience with technology, and developed Performance Care to minimize disruptions to workflow and patient care that can come with normal maintenance and upkeep of these vital systems.” Standard Performance Care protection, which is included in the purchase of every Nihon Kohden Patient Monitoring System, offers 24/7 technical, clinical, and IT support, consigned spare equipment and overnight loaners while repairs take place, and remote access diagnosis and repair of gateway applications. The program also offers unprecedented free software upgrades and updates for the life of the product, five-year warranties on most systems, and tuition-free training for staff while the products are under warranty. For hospitals that need additional protection, Nihon Kohden has developed Performance Care Protection Plus, which offers three different options that hospitals can purchase separately. Additional service offerings include extended warranties, on-site technical services, and damage protection, which cover the products beyond the standard warranty. Hospitals that have other needs can reach out to Nihon Kohden to discuss individual service quotes, such as software updating services, equipment refresh bundle and network enterprise upgrades. Performance Care is available now for all Nihon Kohden patient monitoring customers. • FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit us.nihonkohden.com.
CE-TECH CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY For 35 years, CE-TECH has provided high-quality medical device repair services throughout the southeastern United States, according to Vice President Scott Long. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Jacksonville, Florida with satellite offices in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. CE-TECH offers a complete range of biomedical services with factory trained engineers certified to repair general equipment up to very advanced, high-level clinical, diagnostic and imaging equipment. The company’s specialty trained diverse team of technicians can install, maintain, repair or decommission biomedical equipment in facilities such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, physicians’ offices and other health care facilities. CE-TECH also offers high-quality, cost-effective service plans to help maintain medical equipment in optimal working condition. These plans are designed not only to enhance reliability with proactive inspection and maintenance, but to also extend the lifespan of the equipment. “Our success and customer satisfaction record is the cornerstone of our business, providing quality clinical engineering services in a timely fashion at cost-effective prices,” Long said. “We feel that our service programs provide the best value money can buy. Our commitment to deliver cost effective services while maintaining the highest industry standard guarantees your satisfaction.” “The services we provide are designed to help customers meet regulatory requirements, while effectively maintaining a wide variety of clinical systems. As experts in our field, the result enables us to pass lower costs directly back to customers. Our customized biomedical service programs assure you total control of your medical equipment maintenance,” Long added. CE-TECH also offers pre-owned medical equipment via monthly specials, discounted merchandise and frequent buyer reward points. •
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MAY 2019
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INDUSTRY UPDATES
RIBBON CUTTING Mountain States Biomedical Services, Inc.
A
fter retiring from the Veterans Medical Center in December 2012, Robert Monette decided to start doing some work with a local biomedical company in Denver to keep himself busy. Before he knew it, Monette was traveling around the country supporting hospitals and independent service organizations (ISOs). All of this growth was by word of mouth. Realizing how much he missed field service, Monette began seeking out opportunities. He obtained his CVE certification as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. With this certification, Monette started bidding on government contracts in support of biomedical engineering departments.
Mountain States Biomedical Services (MSBS) is a dependable medical equipment service provider and a reputable company that works closely with health care facilities nationwide and overseas, Monette explains. Be it repair or maintenance work for a few days to a few months, MSBS can help with all of a facility’s short-term staffing and medical equipment service needs. The staff aims to provide clients with cost-effective alternatives for all of their medical equipment repair and maintenance needs. Owner Robert Monette has been with Mountain States Biomedical Services Inc. in the Greater Denver Area since December 2012. For more than five years, he has been working hard to grow the company to 26
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be one of the most trusted names in the medical equipment industry. He has more than 35 years of experience in the field of biomedical technology. Q: WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF MOUNTAIN STATES BIOMEDICAL SERVICES? A: Currently we are focused on supporting the government through contracts with the VA and DOD. Our current contracts include servicing contrast injectors, patient ventilators, infusion pumps and general biomedical support. As of this year, we have started to expand our customer base, offering our support to civilian hospitals. Q: CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE SERVICES MSBS OFFERS? A: We currently offer general biomedical support with short-term staffing needs. We also offer services on all makes of contrast injectors with all our staff having formal training on them. Additionally, MSBS services most brands of patient ventilators. We offer service on Fresenius dialysis machines, and we just signed a national service agreement with ACIST Medical as a service provider for their contrast injectors. Finally, we recently signed a
MOUNTAIN STATES BIOMEDICAL SERVICES Contact: President Robert Monette Phone: 949-887-0301 Website: mountainstatesbiomed.com
national service agreement with Surgical Lasers Inc. as their service provider. Q: HOW DOES MSBS STAND OUT IN THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FIELD? A: My background in patient care gives us a very different perspective on medical equipment than other biomedical service companies. We understand that when the equipment is not working properly, it is not just an inconvenience, it is a shortfall in patient care. Our goal is to reduce that shortfall in a cost-effective and timely manner. Also, the company stands apart with its affiliations and certifications. It is affiliated with the Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians (CABMET) and is a Certified Service-Disabled VeteranOwned Small Business. Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC GOALS THAT YOU WANT MSBS TO ACHIEVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE? A: We are opening an office in the Seattle area this year and would like to have offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Boston in the next five years. WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
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INDUSTRY UPDATES
AAMI UPDATE BY AAMI
HTM WEEK EVENTS TO PROMOTE LEARNING, PRIDE -- AND FUN! AAMI’s annual Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Week celebration, running May 19-25, seeks to promote awareness of – and appreciation for – the critical work of professionals who manage and maintain the vast assortment of health technology found in health care delivery organizations. This year’s schedule of events, planned by AAMI’s Technology Management Council, is designed to encourage collaboration and professional development, as well as promote this vital career to a new generation of HTM professionals. Events will include: “HTM Best Practices in Large Health Systems” Webinar May 21, 2-3 p.m. ET
During this special HTM Week webinar, leaders who manage in-house HTM departments at Intermountain Health, Texas Health and Advocate Health will share industry-leading practices they successfully implemented across their systems. You can use these tips to enhance operational efficiency, performance and productivity in any size HTM department. “Using HTM Data to Drive High Reliability Healthcare” Webinar May 23, 2-3 p.m. ET
This webinar will describe how HTM professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reduced variability across the system’s 170 medical centers. It will also explain how the VA uses data to improve patient safety, monitor and benchmark program performance, strategically plan for new medical technology and manage medical equipment cybersecurity.
High School Essay Contest
What will the HTM field look like a generation from now? For this contest, high school students must use their imaginations to share a vision – in 600 words or less – of their HTM career in 20 years, as well as how the technology of the future will be used to improve patient care. Gift cards will be awarded for first ($500), second ($300) and third ($200) place. The winners will be announced on May 24. Video Competition
What makes being an HTM professional awesome? Show off your department’s pride by recording a short video using an AAMI-produced musical track composed entirely of medical device sounds. Gift cards will be awarded for first ($400), second ($200) and third ($100) place. Visit www.aami.org/HTMVideo for instructions. The winners will be announced on May 24. Visit www.aami.org/HTMWeek for the full list of events, resources to help you celebrate and information about how you can get involved.
WORKSHOP TEACHES HOW TO ‘DO SMARTER’ HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT The AAMI Exchange will play host to a special one-day forum for healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals focused on utilizing alternative equipment maintenance (AEM) programs as an efficiency and quality improvement strategy. The workshop, which is scheduled for June 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio, will be led by Frank Painter, professor of the clinical engineering graduate program at the University of Connecticut, and Matt Baretich, president and CEO of Baretich
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Engineering based in Fort Collins, Colorado. “It’s clear that there continues to be a lot of interest in AEM programs, albeit tempered by trepidation about exactly how to implement one,” said Baretich, who literally wrote the book on AEM programs. In his “AEM Program Guide: Alternative PM for Patient Safety,” Baretich outlined the three major objectives of AEM programs: • Saving time (and money) on planned maintenance without compromising safety and compliance. • Achieving the same level of equipment safety for medical devices in the AEM program as for medical devices that follow manufacturer recommendations. • B eing in full compliance with regulations and requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and accrediting organizations, such as The Joint Commission. The workshop at the Exchange is the latest in a cross-country “roadshow” that Baretich and Painter have been facilitating to help HTM professionals better understand the value of implementing an AEM program. “The slide deck I use is updated continuously, but I always start out with those three objectives. Later in the workshop, we talk about what words to actually use in our AEM policies, and I suggest ‘optimizing the use of maintenance resources’ as more appropriate than ‘saving money’ as an objective,” Baretich wrote in a post on the AAMIBlog. “We don’t want to make it sound like we’re just trying to cut corners and save a couple of bucks.”
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The workshop utilizes an interactive format intended to provide attendees with a strong understanding of how to create and execute an AEM program. Attendees also receive sample policies and procedures that they can leverage to produce significant time and cost savings for their departments and health systems. “I hope that the HTM professionals who attend these workshops go home fully prepared to kickstart their AEM programs,” Baretich said. “Sound AEM principles, carefully considered, really do give us tools for evidence-based maintenance – that holy grail we’ve been seeking these many years. That’s not just rhetoric; it’s an opportunity to do smarter HTM.” To register, visit the AAMI Store, www.aami. org/store, and search for product code AEM190607.
HOW TO CLAIM CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS FOR ACI CERTIFICATIONS Since the AAMI Credentials Institute (ACI) updated its recertification process in 2018, earning continuing education units (CEUs) toward a continuing practice journal has become far less costly and even more attainable, according to Certification Program Manager Martin J. McLaughlin. Rather than the nearly 120 hours of professional development that were required with the previous 15-point format, the current 30-CEU journal can be completed with roughly 30 hours. With the new format comes a stricter requirement for proof of CEUs earned, according to McLaughlin. “As an ANSI-accredited program, it is essential that ACI is able to verify the completion of CEUs claimed by each certified individual,” he explained. “If a journal is submitted without proper CEU documentation and it is selected for audit, then the individual could face revocation if he or she isn’t able to provide documentation in the time given.”
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To make the recertification process easier, McLaughlin provided examples of how proof for each CEU type can be claimed when submitting a journal. Additional HTM-Related Certifications (15 CEU maximum)
ACI-certified individuals can claim CEUs for each additional healthcare technology management (HTM)-related certification earned during the threeyear reporting period. Certifications directly related to HTM are worth five CEUs, while those indirectly related, such as a business- or technologyrelated certification, are worth two CEUs. It is important to note that maintaining a previously earned certification is not worth any CEUs. To properly document these CEUs, the individual must include a certificate or letter when submitting the journal. The letter must include the type of certification, name of the individual, date earned and expiration date. Leadership Roles (15 CEU maximum) Holding an active role on a committee, workgroup, or other appointment within AAMI or another HTM society or association is also worth CEUs, with the amount based on the total number of hours invested in the role. If the role demands 30+ hours per year, the individual can claim four CEUs per year; however, if the role demands less than 30 hours per year, only two CEUs can be claimed per year. Proper documentation for these CEUs can either be a roster that includes the individual’s name, role, and term, or a letter from a member of the group’s board detailing the individual’s participation. Educational Content Development (15 CEU maximum)
Another way to obtain CEUs is by publishing a technical, peer-reviewed or opinion-based HTM article or HTM
book content. The number of CEUs for the items in this category vary and can be found in the CEU guide located in the continuing practice journal document available at www.aami.org/ aci. To claim these CEUs, the published article, which shows the individual’s name and publication date, must be included with the journal. Professional Development (15 CEU minimum, no maximum)
Individuals can earn one CEU for every hour of in-person or web-based training they complete that is directly related to HTM and 0.5 CEU for training indirectly related to the field. Instructors of these courses can earn two CEUs per hour. To properly claim these CEUs, ACI requires a certificate of completion for each training course or webinar documented in the journal. Each certificate must include the individual’s name, title of the training, length of the training and date it was completed. College or University Courses (15 CEU maximum)
College or university courses taken to obtain an accredited degree in the HTM field, such as an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, Master of Business Administration, or doctorate, are also eligible for CEU credit. A grade of “C” or above must be clearly documented on a copy of the transcript as proof of attendance. Work Experience (6 CEU maximum) As long as the accredited individual is working full-time in the HTM field during the reporting period, a total of 4.5 CEUs can be claimed in the journal (1.5 CEUs per year). An additional 0.5 CEU per year can be claimed for working part-time or for military reserve duty. Verification of these CEUs are supported by a supervisor’s signature on the journal itself.
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ECRI UPDATE ECRI Laboratory Notebook
OR Tables — Safety and Selection Considerations
O
f all the things to worry about during surgery, proper functioning of the OR table probably isn’t high on most people’s list.
But incidents do occur – sometimes during setup; occasionally during the procedure itself. Tabletops have drifted from their set positions, or table sections have shifted unexpectedly. Components have collided with the floor or themselves while the table was being lowered. Tables have even sparked electrical fires. If an incident were to occur with the patient on the table or at a critical moment during surgery, grievous harm could result. As clinical engineers know, proper functioning can’t just be assumed for devices that will be involved in patient care. “When evaluating any medical device, aspects of basic performance need to be tested and verified,” explains Jaime Schlorff, senior project engineer in ECRI Institute’s Health Devices Group. ECRI Institute performed such testing – and more – for its recent evaluation of six popular models of OR tables. In addition to assessing table performance, the nonprofit organization critiqued each product’s feature set; examined factors relating to workflow, safety and interoperability; and analyzed the cost of ownership. “Input from clinicians in the field helped us
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identify the key, real-world considerations that matter most to frontline staff,” Schlorff adds, “and we judged the models accordingly.” The study also includes guidance for the safe and effective use of OR tables once they have been put into service. FORM AND FUNCTION OR tables provide an elevated surface or tabletop to support the patient’s body during surgical procedures, stabilizing the patient’s position and providing the operating surgeon with optimal access to the surgical field. A multi-section tabletop allows the patient to be positioned as needed, with table sections being raised or lowered as appropriate for the surgical procedure or according to physician preference. Typically, the tabletop includes individual sections to support the head, back, center and legs of the patient. Some OR tables have features or accessories to facilitate positioning the patient, and some have special tabletops to facilitate C-arm and radiographic/ fluoroscopic studies. Tables intended for bariatric procedures, for example, have large load capacities to avoid instability when the table is positioned. Similarly, tables designed to accommodate intraoperative imaging will have radiolucent (e.g. carbon fiber) tabletop sections and integrated channels to hold the radiographic cassettes required for certain types of imaging; these tables also
allow specialized movements to maximize the field of view for acquiring images. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS While safety concerns may not be top of mind for this technology, ECRI’s research and testing shows that such issues do warrant attention – not only when making selection decisions, but throughout the table’s useful life. Factors related to the design and construction of individual components, the table controls and indicators, and the methods of use all can contribute to adverse incidents, such as those outlined below. 1. Inappropriate table movement Tables or table sections that move in an unexpected fashion can cause considerable harm, either to the patient or to surgical team members – particularly if the incident occurs during surgery. ECRI Institute’s Health Devices Alerts database includes numerous reports of unexpected downward motion of the tabletop. Some incidents can be attributed to hardware or software issues; some to component wear or fluid intrusion; and some to misuse, such as exceeding a table’s maximum weight capacity. In one case, a table tipped because it was inadvertently used in reverse orientation, a configuration that reduced the table’s weight capacity. During ECRI Institute’s testing, a tabletop section on one model shifted
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downward while testers were loading the table with weights to simulate use for a bariatric patient. In this instance, the tabletop components appeared to be correctly locked in place (as illustrated by a visual marking under the table), when in fact one component was not fully engaged. This allowed part of the table to shift when loaded to a certain weight. To minimize the likelihood of such incidents: Assess table controls and safety indicators, positioning options, and weight limits before purchase. Educate staff about proper assembly of tabletop sections and weight capacity restrictions for the various table configurations before use. And perform proper table maintenance and service as required. 2. Fluid intrusion, leading to electrical failures and fire. ECRI Institute has received reports of fires caused by liquids seeping into the base of OR tables and shorting the tables’ electrical systems. In one case, a staff member was burned. OR tables typically incorporate seals or shields on the base to prevent liquid on the exterior from reaching the electronics inside. However, seals can degrade and ultimately fail: They may be inadequately designed, become compromised with repeated use and cleaning, or be misassembled following repair. Housekeeping personnel, service technicians, and OR staff need to be aware of the safety implications of liquid ingress.
Appropriate service and maintenance should be performed at recommended intervals, and damage that might allow fluid intrusion should be corrected. 3. Component collisions. Many OR tables incorporate anticollision features to stop the movement of components if they are in danger of colliding with the floor, base, column or other components of the table. Capabilities vary, however; and these features will not take into account objects placed on the base or floor around the table. A table’s anti-collision capabilities should be verified prior to purchase; and before use, staff should be educated about limits on the table’s ability to detect potential collusions. During testing of one table, ECRI Institute found that despite the presence of an anti-collision feature, the leg section of the table was able to collide with the base and floor.
engineer who led ECRI Institute’s testing. “Features or aspects of performance that might be advantageous in one environment, may not be needed in another.” For instance: Table configurations. Range of motion is an important consideration; but more is not necessarily better when it comes to table configurations. Users may not need some of the configurations offered, and some positions could even be dangerous if proper care is not exercised. Automatic drive. Several models offer a feature that facilitates moving the table from one location to another. While some facilities will find this to be a helpful option, others may rarely use it. Imaging window. The size and position of the tabletop section that allows for intraoperative imaging will be a key selection factor for some applications. ECRI Institute identified notable differences among the evaluated models.
OTHER SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS ECRI Institute found that all the models tested offered acceptable performance. Differentiating factors centered on each model’s capabilities and aspects of performance for particular circumstances. “The best choice will typically depend on facility-specific preferences, such as your specific needs, the intended area of use and the procedures that will be performed,” notes Rebecca Kwasinski, the project
This article is adapted from ECRI Institute’s “Evaluation Background: Operating Room Tables” (Health Devices 2018 Dec 7). The complete article – including model-specific test results and product ratings, along with additional guidance for purchasing and using OR tables – is available to members of ECRI Institute’s Health Devices System and associated programs. To learn more about membership, visit www.ecri.org/HealthDevices, or contact ECRI Institute by telephone at 610-825-6000, ext. 5891, or by e-mail at clientservices@ecri.org.
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THE BENCH
BIOMED 101
The Next Big Biomed Skill We Should All Develop BY JAMES LINTON
I
n general when a person talks about biomeds they will say that they are a great team that are technically savvy and always happy to “tinker” away on any medical device of concern. In the past, it was “OK” for a biomed to expect to simply come to work, sit at the bench eight hours and go home, but this is no longer the case.
The expectations placed on biomedical departments and staff are evolving as medical technology becomes more prominent in health care and related fields. These expectations never included knowledge of the machine patient interaction, complex internal computer settings, complex mechanical components or general IT troubleshooting when devices had network connections. In fact, if a biomed had any of these qualities it was a great bonus to the department and workplace. They were never previously a requirement, yet today they are. “So what’s next?” asks every biomedical department. “What trend will take biomeds to the next level?” It’s the gift of gab. That’s right, one of the most important things a biomed will need to be successful in their career is the ability to communicate in a clear, concise, relatable and emotionally aware fashion. This is a teachable skill and will make the difference between a good customer experience and a bearable one. Yet, most biomed shops will spend thousands of dollars training staff to perform technical work with little to no time or money spent on soft skills such as this. Often management does not see a fiscal return on investments for this type of training and without one a biomed’s request for this type of training is often turned down. This culture must change and evolve. Performing maintenance is now only part of what we do as biomeds. In today’s world, biomeds are called upon to perform maintenance and also to engage with customers such as nurses and speak to them in ways that will ensure a 34
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positive outcome. It is no longer acceptable to perform a repair in silence and drop an item back off for use without speaking to the customer. Today’s biomeds instead must think about the soft side of customer service that is normally only captured in pulse surveys as more and more facilities turn to alternative equipment service solutions. Each frontline team member should always keep in mind that we are all replaceable and it’s the relationships we hold that may stop a hospital from outsourcing or prevent a biologics manufacturer from having an “always call the OEM in for service” policy. Yes, odds are the biomed department you are in right now is doing a great job, but without proper communication skills we need to ask ourselves does the customer know that or just our manager? Oftentimes managers are promoted due to these soft skills and that’s why its not always the most technically savvy biomed who gets promoted. In fact, it’s quite likely that any successful biomed manager has middle-of-the-pack level technical abilities but an above average communication skill set. In the past, this was fine since only managers/supervisors attended meetings and represented our departments. Now, however, biomed is being pulled into multiple different worlds and the frontline is often asked to attend meetings and speak on behalf of our departments. Let alone in a general day on the job a frontline biomed will generally interact with 10 people
(co-workers, management, customers) and each of those interactions are seen as reflections of the biomedical department. Overall, communication skills are often a forgotten trait to develop in the biomedical industry and yet it can be the key to keeping our departments intact – if not expanding. It is time for a culture change where we recognize that all levels of biomedical interactions are vital to our success. We need to invest in our people in a way that will show up in longevity,
“ These intangibles are becoming more and more important as departments, service companies and biomeds look to separate themselves from the pack.” departmental growth, frontline job satisfaction and employee engagement instead of just hurrying to train on the newest technology. So, I urge all biomeds and biomed managers to dare to take a portion of the money set aside for professional development and use it toward developing themselves in ways that will better themselves and the department. This way may not immediately show up in your expansion of service offerings or technical skill sets, but it will help with your department’s growth of intangible assets that are never really assigned hard numbers. These intangibles are becoming more and more important as departments, service companies and biomeds look to separate themselves from the pack and show that they are ready for the next step in the evolution of biomedical engineering services. JAMES LINTON MSIM, PMP, CMBB, is a professor of biomedical engineering at St. Clair College. WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
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THE BENCH
WEBINARS
Cybersecurity, AEM Knowledge Shared STAFF REPORT
T
he Webinar Wednesday presentation “The Simple Guide to MedTech Security” was sponsored by CyberMDX and attendees were eligible to receive 1 credit from the ACI.
Safi Oranski, vice president of business development at CyberMDX, explored the nature of health care cyber threats and how they have impacted the current landscape of medical technologies and connectivity vulnerabilities. He talked about the convergence of cybersecurity and MedTech, then expounded on the need, the complicating factors, and the routes to better protected medical devices. Attendees where shown a five-step methodology to comprehensively secure medical technology. More than 200 people attended the live presentation and even more have viewed a recording online. Those present for the live presentation gave positive feedback in a post-webinar survey. “It was nice to have an honest approach toward securing your network. He was straight forward in identifying all the risks at hand, but he also gave us a road map for regaining control of our network through small steps in a coordinated effort toward security,” explained P. Garon, Biomedical Technical Specialist. “The webinars keep getting better and better. This one was very timely,” shared C. Nanney, National Quality Manager. “A fantastic presentation on cybersecurity, one of the most important subjects of the future of health care,” said B. Baxter-Brown, BMET. 36
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“This was the best presentation by far in all of the webinars I have attended so far in explaining how complex cybersecurity can be. It was well presented and gave me a much clearer understanding of this matter,” said B. Hayes, CBET Site Lead. “Very informative webinar. Brought up some interesting points I hadn’t thought of before,” said P. Dorsey, BMET. REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT A recent Webinar Wednesday session titled “oneSOURCE Document Site and Interface with EQ2’s HEMS CMMS Makes Maintaining Regulatory Compliance and Achieving Effective Maintenance Management Easier” was eligible for 1 credit from the ACI. Presented by Lindsay FrkovichNelson, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at oneSOURCE Document Site; Rich Sable, Product Manager at EQ2; and Vishal Malhotra, Chief Technology Officer at EQ2, the webinar was designed to help attendees understand how having service manuals and all other item documentation right at the point of service saves the biomed time and effort. The ease of documenting performance levels and staying in compliance was another point made in the webinar. It is required that a hospital have documents from the manufacturer to show why it went to AEM. The webinar
discussed how a hospital can use the HEMS AEM module to manage the program day to day, while using the oneSOURCE HTM Service Document Database to maintain the appropriate documentation. Almost 300 people attended the live presentation and provided positive reviews via a post-webinar survey. The webinar was sponsored by oneSOURCE and EQ2. “This Webinar Wednesday gave me insightful information I can start applying today,” said J. Haroldson, Business Contractor CMMS. “Update your skills with Webinar Wednesdays,” said R. Slater, Medical Electronics Technician. “This is my first webinar and thought it was very informative on the usage of the program. I hope our surgical center considers this product,” C. Pettiford, CRCST, said. “Excellent presentation which was well worth the time spent attending,” J.
“ This Webinar Wednesday gave me insightful information I can start applying today.” - J. Haroldson, Business Contractor CMMS Kocurek, Director of Clinical Engineering, said. “The presentation had relevant information and it was informative. The topics were explored in as much detail as possible within the allotted time,” said J. Huerta, Principal Consultant. WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
THE BENCH
When Quality Matters
Alaris Replacement Parts & Repair Service “Very accessible learning from a wide range of speakers, keep up the good work,” E. Stone, Principal Clinical Engineer, said. “Webinar Wednesdays provide education on a wide variety of topics that are invaluable to the HTM field. They provide exposure to a variety of companies and products to further your organization. Highly recommended,” D. Page, Biomedical Equipment Technician, said. “I have been attaching manuals to our PM procedures using oneSOURCE and I love it! So easy to attach and retrieve. I have also requested several manuals that they did not have and they have been very quick to respond and complete. Very good company to work with,” said S. McClinton, Certified Biomedical Technician. “Very thorough and insightful webinar. The presenters were quite knowledgeable about their products,” P. Dorsey, BMET, said. “Webinar Wednesday is a good series that brings various applications into my view that I would not otherwise know about,” said S. Strzalkowski, Metrology Professional.
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THE BENCH
SHOP TALK CAREFUSION ALARIS MEDLEY During annual PM, I do a fast battery conditioning to verify the battery status. I have had a handful of pumps (about 3 percent of the units) that will not complete the test. They will sit at 0 time remaining. I have put in new (not OEM) batteries and they still will not complete the test. BD recommended trying the power supply and reflashing the PCU. I have done both of those and it still will not complete the fast battery conditioning. BD is also adamant that only their batteries should be used. Before I buy a BD battery, has anyone experienced this?
Q:
A:
It is caused by a capacitor on the power supply PCB. On my service report a few years back they both times mentioned changing the capacitor, just not the specific one. It has always involved the power supply PCB, just most times they do not mention the component. The battery will show up as interrupted and 3400 mAhrs capacity. I only use CareFusion Batteries. I have had two off brand batteries cause issues.
A:
I’ve been using R&D batteries since 2005 and had no issues at all. The cost differential between the OEM batteries and R&D is substantial. In the past, I’ve discovered replacing the batteries and charging them to full capacity and then doing a battery conditioning to establish the actual capacity usually resolves any issues.
A:
The power supply could be the problem. However, it can be either the main supply or the switching supply. I have had this be the case for either supply.
A:
There is an actual white paper on this very topic as to calibrating the batteries. The batteries should be replaced every 3 to 4 years as I am sure you already know, but the actual method to calibrate the batteries as seen on the recall on the issue is to run the unit with four pump LVPs all running at a fast clip so that the battery is fully discharged which will take roughly 28 hours, followed by fully charging the batteries to capacity for another 24 hours max. I cannot post the recall paperwork here, but you can get a copy from Carefusion (BD) by calling them. This is for the 8015 and 8010 controllers. Hope that helps. We just replace the batteries every other year to keep from having our fleet running for days to condition the batteries as outlined in the recall notice.
A:
Check transistor Q19 on the power conditioning board, it is by the BATT_RAW connector. I found one that shorted out and caused erroneous high battery voltage readings and prevented completion of the fast battery conditioning routine.
GE HEALTHCARE MAC 5500HD My screen flashes and cuts out when moving the hinge. Is there a way to fix this? Could it be a cable is wearing inside? Could it need a new screen? How do I repair this?
Q: A:
Yes, I have seen a paperclip get stuck in the hinge and wear through the flex cable. I believe GE will only sell the entire LCD assembly, not just the cable.
A:
No, no, no, no! The cables can be bought separate from the LCD. GE Part number is 2073088001. The flickering is usually the backlight cable, a brownish ribbon cable that goes from the main board to a display inverter then to the LCD. If the display completely goes out, that’s the display cable, a grey ribbon cable that goes from the main board to the LCD. The part number I listed above is the entire cable kit that includes both those cables as well as the display power cable, the inverterto-LCD cable and another cable (I can’t remember which one it is). If you go on PartsFinder.com, type in the part number and it’ll show you all the cables included. The display rarely goes out. We have 15+ units here and I’ve replaced maybe 2 or 3 displays. If that still doesn’t fix it, then replace the LCD. But because of the flickering, that tells me it’s the gray ribbon cable. I like to replace all the cables whenever I replace these cables because there is so much disassembly that happens that it is just worth it to replace them all and be done with it rather than take a chance on having to replace the other cable in a month or two. I learned the hard way.
A:
Most likely the problem is with the ribbon cable to the LCD display, though you must be careful lifting the glued down bezel to get to the screws that hold the lid together. You might not have to replace the cable as it may have worked itself loose. Reseat the cable at each end and test it before you button it up. The ribbon cable is available online.
SHOP TALK
is compiled from MedWrench.com. Go toMedWrench.com community threads to find out how you can join and be part of the discussion.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
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ROUNDTABLE
ROUNDTABLE
Replacement Tubes and Bulbs
42
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WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
ROUNDTABLE
T
echNation reached out to OEMs and Healthcare Technology Management professionals for a look at replacement tubes and bulbs. We asked what health care facilities should look for when purchasing tubes and bulbs. We also asked what to look for when it comes to certain features and warranties.
years old. But more important than anything else is having a level of trust and comfort with your supplier, so that you know if something happens during the warranty period you will be covered.
Varex Imaging Corporation’s David Hurlock, W7 Global President Wayne Kramer, Eric Massey with Crothall Healthcare AdventHealth-West Florida; Christopher Nowak, Senior Director, Information Services, Healthcare Technology Management at UHS; and Paul Porter, Commercial Manager, On Demand, GE Healthcare, shared their insights for this popular monthly article. Cybersecuirty will be the topic of the Roundtable article in the next issue of TechNation.
NOWAK: The first thing I look for when purchasing tubes/bulbs is the reputation of the supplier. Does the supplier support the HTM career field (such as purchase exposition space at national or local meetings attended by HTM professionals or conduct education sessions for HTM professionals)? Does the supplier have a quality management system in place for the organization? Does the supplier provide technical support after the sale? Once these requirements are established then I consider fitment, quality and cost – in that order.
Q: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN PURCHASING REPLACEMENT TUBES AND BULBS? HURLOCK: Buyers should look for the best value for their situation, which may not be the lowest price. The seller should have a proven track record of delivering high-quality products and should stand behind its products if there are any issues. KRAMER: Ultimately you’re going for the best mix of value and quality. An X-ray tube should always be backed by a reasonable warranty. Pricing is important, but shouldn’t be the most important factor in making this decision. If you’re buying a preowned tube, you want to obtain a level of comfort with the tube’s usage history and age, combined with whatever testing and refurbishing work has been done since it was last installed. It’s not all black and white. In many cases, I would be more comfortable with a tube that has gone through a solid refurbishment process (including testing on an actual system) with unknown usage counts than I would with a tube that was just removed from an old system but with known counts, especially if those counts are high or the tube is more than a few
MASSEY: We would look at price, warranty and if it is a direct fit to go in without modification.
PORTER: When it comes to reliable system performance, managing maintenance costs means more than minimizing the cost of a replacement part. It means limiting downtime, reducing service calls and ensuring clinical excellence with every image. After ensuring tube performance, image quality excellence, dose efficiency and optimal service life, customers should evaluate warranties, service costs and supplier quality. Q: WHAT ARE SOME OPTIONS CUSTOMERS SHOULD INQUIRE ABOUT? HURLOCK: What are my alternatives? Are there compatible replacement X-ray tubes available for my system? For CT tubes: does any company offer a tube service contract that would cap my X-ray tube expense over several years? KRAMER: Make sure to get as much information as you can. When considering X-ray tube options, you should always get details about the date of manufacture, usage count, history, condition and warranty. It’s a good idea to get pictures of the tube being offered, clearly showing the
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
David Hurlock, Varex Imaging
labels and that all is as represented. It’s also typical for X-ray tubes to be priced on an exchange basis, or outright at an additional charge. “Exchange” means that a like defective core tube must be returned to the supplier. Also be sure you understand how much time the supplier will allow for you to ship back the exchange before billing an outright core charge. Typically equipment manufacturers, in the case of brand-new OEM original tubes, have the strictest policies when it comes to exchange returns, as well as the highest core charges. MASSEY: This would depend on the modality. For CT tubes, you would want to know if it has liquid bearings. On any tube, you want to see if it is a direct fit to go in without modification. NOWAK: Is there an option for on-site installation assistance? Is counter-tocounter shipment available? PORTER: With product quality, customers should consider tube performance, image quality, dose efficiency, service life, warranties, costs and supplier reputation. With tubes being consumable, customers often prefer the savings and peace of mind associated with some type of contract coverage – including options that proactively monitor the tube. GE Healthcare supports whatever service model best meets the customer’s needs.
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ROUNDTABLE
MASSEY: The life expectancy of an aftermarket versus an OEM tube. NOWAK: I would consider purchasing a used product only on a system that might be approaching end-of-life or has been budgeted for replacement in the not too distant future. Other than that, I would only buy a new tube unless there is some massive backorder or some other thing beyond control.
Wayne Kramer, President, W7 Global
Q: CAN YOU DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS OF PURCHASING A NEW PRODUCT VERSUS A REFURBISHED PRODUCT? HURLOCK: A new X-ray tube will have a better warranty, usually for an extended use period, and often with a “full replacement” warranty. All Varex glass diagnostic tubes and many of our CT tubes have a one year/full replacement warranty. Typically, refurbished tubes have a short warranty, often 30-90 days, and the warranty is prorated. If the warranty is 30 days/prorated, and your newly installed-ray tube fails in 29 days, you only get a credit for 3 percent of the purchase price. With refurbished tubes, it’s important to know your supplier, and the quality of their refurbishment process. Choose a supplier who stands behind their product. KRAMER: New tubes tend to be associated with lower risk and higher cost. There can be many options for obtaining brand new tubes, sometimes at very different prices. If you’re spending the money for a new tube, make sure you’re getting an OEM-level warranty, or at least a warranty that suits the price being offered. There are, unfortunately, some dishonest people out there trying to peddle tubes as new that aren’t, so be careful. If an offer seems too good to be true, most of the time it is. You should be able to vet the supplier through industry references and websites. 44
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PORTER: New tubes are often considered the most reliable choice. Refurbished tubes have been proven reliable, as well, but we suggest customers put considerable thought into the refurbisher and their processes. The definitions of refurbished versus remanufactured versus repaired versus tested can be confusing. Supplier quality and reputation should be a consideration in any purchase decision. Q: WHAT TYPES OF WARRANTY AND PRODUCT SUPPORT SHOULD CUSTOMERS BE AWARE OF WHEN PURCHASING TUBES AND BULBS? HURLOCK: The length of the warranty, and if the warranty is prorated or full replacement. Typically, a full replacement warranty offers the least risk to the customer. Another option for CT scanners is a tube service contract, where a service company contracts to have a good working tube on a system for a period of time, typically 3 years. This gives the lowest risk and gives the provider a known cost of life for that CT tube. KRAMER: Any quality X-ray tube should be supported by a competitive warranty – always. Beware of sellers looking for a quick, cheap sale and not offering a warranty. Even if you’re offered a warranty, it means nothing if the company doesn’t support it. I’ve personally experienced being offered a fantastic warranty for a used tube, only to find the supplier completely unresponsive when a claim was made. Always use a reputable company with a solid track record when buying an X-ray tube. Generally speaking, quality used and refurbished tubes will have warranties of at least 90 days on a prorated basis. New tubes typically come with 12 months and
might vary between full replacement and prorated. Some also come with usage limits, such as 100,000 scan seconds for CT. All of this is standard in the industry. Don’t assume that buying a brand-new tube automatically means you’re avoiding the risk of warranty failure. Over the last year we actually experienced a higher rate of warranty failures for new tubes than used/refurbished ones. MASSEY: Is the warranty per scan or is it a yearly warranty? Does the warranty include installation? Is it a prorated warranty? NOWAK: For new product, I would expect a warranty that is not less than the OEM warranty if I am buying a third-party product. A non-prorated warranty is preferred. PORTER: Warranties may differ between conventional ball bearing tubes and liquid bearing tubes, with liquid bearing tubes often having a longer warranty. Some tubes, often the value line of products, may also have scan limitations. This may not be an issue if the imaging system is in a low-volume environment. When a tube is covered by a service contract, the coverage terms of the contract will dictate the warranties on tube service, uptime commitments and other aspects of tube support. Q: IS A NON-OEM PARTS ONLY CONTRACT A COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO OFFSET RISK? HURLOCK: A parts only contract with an independent service company offers a high value alternative if your facility has installation capabilities in house or contracted. KRAMER: Parts offered by aftermarket suppliers are very reliable, every bit as much as parts offered by the OEM. In fact, a common fallacy is that parts coming from the OEM are always new. This is not always the case. OEMs often bring in exchange parts, repair them and offer them right alongside their new parts. In many such cases, you’re just paying a higher OEM price for the same thing. Many aftermarket providers offer parts that have been system tested and are supported by a warranty that is often as WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
ROUNDTABLE
MASSEY: On CT units it is. Usually you can get them for the cost of a tube replacement. On high use CT units you will replace a tube once a year justifying the cost. On units that don’t have high usage you would be better off going T&M.
Eric Massey, Crothall Healthcare AdventHealthWest Florida
good (sometimes better) than the OEM. Non-OEM replacement X-ray tubes, from long-standing, reputable manufacturers, are also a viable solution. They cost far less than an OEM original and usually 24x7_190307_print.pdf 1 3/5/2019 3:39:55 PM carry the same level of warranty.
NOWAK: There are a lot of variables to this question. It depends on the device and its criticality to the operations and workflow. Does my team have the skill set to support the gear? Can I get my team educated and what is the expected learning curve for the device? Non-OEM parts are excellent as long as the vendor is vetted and has a quality management program in place. PORTER: If the definition of risk is focused solely on cost, then a non-OEM partsonly contract might be an effective solution, but customers should understand the integrity of the parts that will be used for repairs on their systems, including if the contract provides for the use of authentic OEM parts for any such repairs.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Christopher Nowak, Senior Director, Information Services, Healthcare Technology Management at UHS
If the contract seller is utilizing parts from unregulated, uncertified suppliers, then material savings may be offset from labor rework, downtime and other potential issues arising from the use of such parts.
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ROUNDTABLE
KRAMER: One of the most important things to remember is that, whether purchasing new or preowned, you have options. Don’t assume that you have to go to the OEM and pay their asking price, even if you want to buy brand new. Check around with companies in the industry to find the most cost-effective, reliable solution that fits your specific needs and budget.
Paul Porter, Commercial Manager, On Demand, GE Healthcare
Q: WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK TECHNATION READERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PURCHASING AND SERVICING TUBES AND BULBS DEVICES? HURLOCK: A quality installation is very important to prolong the life of your X-ray tube. Be sure your X-ray tube installer knows how to properly install and calibrate the X-ray tube on your model system.
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MASSEY: You need to find a reliable vendor and partner with them. Knowing where your tubes are coming from is very important. These are high-end devices and you don’t want tubes arriving DOA affecting patient care. The companies I have partnerships with test these tubes before they are shipped. I always know I’m getting a quality part. NOWAK: Glassware is a critical part of an imaging system. Always vet and understand who you are partnering with for your glassware. Heck, I do that for any part or service we purchase for our program, not just tubes and bulbs. I would never want to compromise the care to the
patient, the safety of the operator or the safety of any visitors at my facilities. I never want to jeopardize the reputation and/or integrity of my employer by purchasing parts and services that are not high quality and competitively priced. Lowest cost might sometimes be the right choice, but as a leader it is incumbent upon me that I validate any and all parts and services, my patients and my employer are counting on me. PORTER: GE Healthcare invests heavily in our customers’ success. For example, Tube Watch is GE Healthcare’s predictive solution that is designed to remotely monitor and predict tube failures before any disruption occurs, allowing remote repairs or scheduled repairs at a more convenient time. It delivers peace of mind by converting potential unplanned downtime to planned events, helping to avoid patient and staff disruptions and associated revenue loss. Tube Watch allows proactive part delivery and service scheduling to minimize the impact of tube failures and quickly restore the scanner.
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SPARE? PARTS SOURCING REMAINS A CHALLENGE BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS
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?
rian Tracy, the motivational speaker and author, once said that “Managers today have to do more with less, and get better results from limited resources, more than ever before.
Article
Contributors
It would seem that Tracy was evaluating modern-day health care and peering into the biomed department. The theme there often
Deb Testa, supply chain management coordinator, Entech/ Tech Management at Banner Health
seems to be “doing more with less,” and helping the facility or system’s budget by being resourceful and knowledgeable. This “cost-containment” atmosphere, in large part an offshoot of the Affordable Care Act, is leaving hospitals operating on a shoestring. An analysis of parts spend is one of the approaches that can help temper the budget in the HTM department. When there is a critical need for a part, sourcing time has to be kept to a minimum. Also, bringing more service in-house can help the health care facility’s budget. Managing the supply chain is a skill that often requires a specialist. Many health care systems employ a parts procurement specialist for this purpose. Knowing where to source from can manage service costs effectively. It is a competitive market and OEMs know that there are other suppliers with quality parts. Supply chain is a cost, second only to labor costs, for hospitals. Finding quality parts that don’t break the bank is a challenge for the HTM department with a solution offered through many third-party providers. A good relationship with these vendors is a key element in assuring a smooth workflow. “Once you establish a relationship with those vendors, future part requests go smoother,” says Deb Parkhurst, a biomed procurement specialist in the biomed department/ WMH at ProHealth Care in Wisconsin. Along with her colleague Chuck Overeem, biomedical equipment lifecycle planner, they put a fine point on this process. Parkhurst and Overeem say that accurate part numbers, versions and descriptions are required before
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
vendors are contacted. Also, for the person procuring the part, communication from the biomed tech on when the part is needed is important. Requests that come in after a specific time, may be told delivery cannot be made in their timeframe. “Sometimes, we may have to order direct from a service engineer if we can’t get the part in time from a third party,” Parkhurst says. “Discuss with the biomed tech whether the part can be refurbished/ used versus new, which can be at considerable savings,” she adds. She says that “If the part price agreed upon includes an exchange, we require the part be brought to us so that we can document accordingly and ship it out from our location. Verify with the vendor if they will accept the cost of the freight charge – sometimes those charges can be very high depending on when the delivery date/ time is agreed upon.” She prefers to keep the biomed informed as to the progress of the order so they can communicate to the department, especially if the equipment is scheduled for patients. “For end of life equipment, some OEM vendors will give me the name of vendors who may have those parts,” Parkhurst says. She says that sometimes they are willing to harvest parts from their own end of life equipment to keep other units working until they can be replaced.
Ira Lapides, President, Replacement Parts Industries (RPI) Inc.
Jennah Judd, Purchasing Agent, Baycare Health System
Mike Maguire, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, PartsSource
Sue McCabe, Purchasing Agent, EIS Governance, Baycare Health System
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PROVEN PRACTICES “Let the vendor/supplier compete for your business. You set the rules. Tell them you want their best price and warranty up front and you will call them back. When they call you back for status and tell you that you should have called them back instead of buying from someone else, they would have worked with you on the price remind them that you need their best price up front, no time for haggling,” Parkhurst says. “It will take some time, but they will comply. Also, track all issues, late shipments, DOA, warranty repairs. If a chosen vendor’s quality slips, be ready to use someone else but do present your issues to the slipping company so they can make corrections assuming they are inclined to do so. You may need them in the future,” she says. Parkhurst says that all part purchases should be tracked so you can see what parts are used most often. Since you are contacting multiple vendors when you are sourcing, record pricing and warranty from any vendor who gives you a quote, even one that you did not use. It gives you a leg up the next time you need that part. “I like to explore all of my options when I am looking for parts. I have googled the part to see which vendors have it. I have called/emailed to see if they have them and the availability. I will go on their website to see if they carry what I am looking for,” says Deb Testa, supply chain management coordinator, Entech/Tech Management at Banner Health, based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Testa says that as far as shipping, a majority of the vendors offer FedEx/ UPS/USPS as options. She will see who has the best rate and choose that one. She also will question her tech to see if he is asking for overnight shipping. “If they say no, that can save us sometimes a large amount of money to send it second-day. I also prefer to give the vendor our account code for our shipping accounts and that also saves us money instead of them adding freight to
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our invoices,” Testa says. Jennah Judd, purchasing agent at Baycare Health System in Clearwater, Florida, says that they improved their strategic sourcing by utilizing “category management.” “We analyzed our spend data and defined discrete groups of products/ services such as; batteries, bulbs, IT, beds, etcetera. Once segmented into categories, we were able to look at our top vendors and conduct supplier capability, performance and cost analysis, which aided us in selecting a preferred/ standardized vendor,” Judd says. “By standardizing our vendors within these segments, we have seen significant savings, typically 10-30 percent. We also have seen improvements in service levels, quality, value and availability. Consolidating spend data also has its benefits as it’s easier to track and report on warranty issues, RMA and out of the box failures,” Judd adds. THE VENDOR PERSPECTIVE Third-party vendors who make parts available to HTM professionals have refined the process to source or produce quality parts and manage costs. There are many players in this segment and many have culled over extensive data sets to streamline the process. The aim is to provide real world solutions. How do you find providers with solutions? “Web search, word of mouth and TechNation magazine are great starting points to locate companies that may carry what you’re looking for,” says Nate Smith, vice president of sales and co-owner of Elite Biomedical Solutions, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. “From there, you need to familiarize yourself with the company that you may acquire these parts from. I’d start with accreditations – ISO 9001 and 1485 as well as FDA-registered. Pricing should never be the reason to purchase parts; you should be purchasing based off quality of the part. Once you find the
vendor that has proven themselves then it makes your part purchasing decisions much easier,” Smith says. Smith says that Elite manufactures OEM-equivalent replacement parts and OEM-tested parts for infusion pumps and telemetry units. “We have all ISO accreditations along with passing FDA on site visits. Our standards are to be ‘elite’ in everything that we do. We provide same day-shipping and above industry standard warranties. All parts are listed on our website so if it’s something that a customer is looking for then we promise they won’t be disappointed,” Smith adds. Some in the parts industry have adopted technology to offer datadriven solutions. Mike Maguire, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at PartSource, says “HTM teams struggle with actionable data, inconsistent or limited knowledge and often outdated supply chain networks. Understanding part quality is a perfect example. Many organizations are forced to shoot in the dark as they don’t have access to rigorously curated quality statistics at the part level. Moreover, HTM teams struggle to get the relevant data into the hands of the frontline technicians or purchasing teams so they can make informed and data-backed decisions with speed,” Maguire says. He says that acknowledging the deficit of information is often the first step in determining the solution. “Centralized technology can deliver significant improvements in efficiency, quality, cost and visibility of medical replacement products and services,” Maguire says. One aspect of parts shopping is finding quality parts. Many parts providers have sought out internationally recognized standards as evidence of quality. “In terms of dealing with budgetary constraints, there are many aftermarket parts providers that provide excellent,
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economical solutions to parts sourcing challenges. A good number of these companies have been in business for many years, operated by reputable and stable management, and many are also ISO 9000 or 13485 certified, providing peace of mind that the parts company is serious about providing quality to its customers,” says Ira Lapides, president of Replacement Parts Industries (RPI) Inc. in Simi Valley, California. “In terms of maintaining older equipment, I would reference many of those same companies to help locate difficult-to-find parts,” Lapides adds. Lapides says that RPI has been in business for over 47 years, providing quality parts for a wide variety of biomedical equipment. “We reverse engineer and sell new parts for equipment both old and current at significant cost savings to our customers. We rely on our customers’ feedback to identify equipment and parts for which they need solutions and, again, this can be for older or current equipment. RPI is ISO 9000 certified and is an FDA-registered medical device establishment, so the quality of our parts along with our technical support and customer service is critical to our customers and our success,” he says. IT’S NOT ALWAYS SMOOTH SAILING There are still some challenges in the process that might make budgeting or vendor selection more difficult. “Challenges arise with high-risk equipment where our policies state we can only use OEM parts such as batteries. This limits our ability to second source to different battery suppliers. Culture is also a challenge. Technicians/managers have vendor preferences and it is sometimes hard to get everyone on board with using the preferred vendor,” says Sue McCabe, purchasing agent, EIS Governance, at Baycare Health System in Clearwater, Florida. Beyond these challenges are things beyond the control of the parts
procurement person. “The biggest challenge comes when technicians ask for uncommon or obsolete parts. It can be difficult to find quality vendors who can deliver those parts quickly and at a good price. Also, there are times when parts needed urgently for machine repairs are on backorder. In those cases, I try to see how quickly I can escalate that order, and, if needed, contact the sales representative for assistance,” Testa says. Parkhurst says that if multiple bids are established, it’s the back and forth between those vendors that [can] take up so much time. All attention is devoted to fulfilling these types of orders, leaving other requests at a standstill. “Luckily for our biomed department, there are two of us so other requests aren’t delayed,” she says. Soliciting accurate information is often a challenge. “Obtaining accurate part numbers, firmware and software versions, and part descriptions to ensure that you order the correct part,” Parkhurst adds. While maintaining costs and addressing the immediacy of broken equipment that requires a rapid repair are high on the parts purchasing priority list, the process has been helped through technology. For every parts procurement dilemma and challenge, there is a solution or temporary compromise. As with every challenge; knowledge is power. When the HTM department has a need, there are providers with a solution.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
By standardizing our
vendors within these segments, we have seen significant
savings, typically
10-30 percent. We also have seen
improvements in service levels,
quality, value and availability.”
J EN N A H JUDD
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Avoid Dangerous Device Hazards !
2019 Top 10 Health Technology Hazards See what’s on the list ECRI.org/2019hazards
s h alt rd He aza 10 gy H Top hnolo 019 n Tec for 2 rity inationges m o p list secu onta al S ons
ber ss C rgic necti Cy u 1. attreed S iscon M D ing g 2. etain tor cess min s R la 3. enti larm epro am gr R V 4. nd A ope p Pro a osc m s u d P n rm ems E 5. fusion r Ala Syst l In ito ift ca . 6 on t L ctri s M em 7. atien g Ele Syst P in 8. lean nents rging o a C 9. omp y Ch C er tt Ba 10.
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EXPERT ADVICE
CAREER CENTER
How to Decide Between Two Job Offers BY KATHLEEN FURORE
I
recently spoke with a friend whose daughter has to decide between two job offers very soon. One is a very good position at a very reputable firm in the town she most wants to settle in – and she is very impressed by the supervisor and co-workers she would be working with. The other is a similar position at what is considered to be a more prestigious company – but it is in a different state, and she doesn’t know as much about the team she would be part of. How can she, or anyone in a similar situation, decide which is the best career move?
Lynn Whitbeck, author of “Practical Wisdoms @ Work” and CEO and founder of the women’s online career mentoring site petite2queen.com, thinks it all boils down to one thing: Happiness. “Happiness breeds success, and happiness starts by surrounding oneself with a supportive network,” Whitbeck says. “With the information given, I would advise the young woman to take the job with the impressive boss, friendly co-workers and desired location. There are too many unknowns in the out-of-state job.” Telling someone to do what makes
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them happy, of course, might sound simplistic – especially to the person in the middle of the stressful decisionmaking process. That’s why Whitbeck suggests using a relatively quick exercise called CLARITY to assess any career move: C-C omfort level: How comfortable are you with taking a position with little information or knowledge of company culture? L-L ong-term goals: Visualize your career and where you want to be. A-A daptability: Assess how easily you respond to change at your workplace. R-R ecognize the opportunities: What can you learn at the selected job? I - I dentify your support network: What do you need for happiness, balance and fulfillment? T-T rue costs: Not just cost of living, but impact to your lifestyle and emotional well-being. Y-W hy: Why does this career move match your values and passions? And there’s one thing I always tell job seekers in the early stages of their careers to remember: Nothing is forever! If you take a job and end up not being as happy as you thought you would be, there will be other opportunities to pursue!
Kathleen Furore KATHLEEN FURORE is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has covered personal finance and other business-related topics for a variety of trade and consumer publications. You can email her career questions at kfurore@ yahoo.com.
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EXPERT ADVICE
SPONSORED BY:
GE VIVID/LOGIQ E9 PLATFORM
Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips BY SCOTT TREFNY
T
he GE Vivid/Logiq E9 platform is one of the most widely used platforms in the ultrasound industry. The popularity of these systems has allowed me to provide on-site service and remote technical support for a variety of common issues. Often these problems don’t require a “seasoned” engineer, because the issue can be fixed without tools and completed by the end user or someone with minimal ultrasound experience. While this is just a small sample of common problems, my hope is to educate you with time and cost-saving information.
A common issue that my team and I receive on technical support calls is the “System Overheating” message. The GE Vivid/Logiq E9 platform design places the fan tray assembly below the right side of the system. The fan assembly is covered by wire mesh that filters the fine dust that escapes from a separate filter. This dust collection causes the fans to slow down,
Filter
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which in turn makes the system overheat. Any time there is an overheating issue on a Vivid or Logiq E9 system, cleaning the filters should be your first step. Start by shutting the system down and then removing the external filter. This filter is located under the system, and is accessed using the handle near the rear right caster. Using a soft brush or vacuum, remove the dust from the filter and replace once complete. In the event that the error message continues after cleaning the external filter, dust may be collecting in the fan tray assembly itself. Have a service engineer remove the cosmetic panels and clean the fan tray assembly. If the problem persists, check the fan on the BEP (Back End Processor) on the internal left side of the computer for dust or improper operation. I visited a local hospital for a service call about a GE Vivid/Logiq E9 operator console not locking in place. This is a common call and is typically due to the operator attempting to forcibly push the top console into place while the unit is
Park Lock
MAY 2019
D Hook
Scott Trefny Avante Ultrasound
powered down, which can cause the calibration to be out of alignment or even damage to the lock. The console lock mechanism, called the X-Y park lock, requires the operator to press a button while the unit is powered up in order to move it back into place where a cylinder gear will grab a “D” shaped hook. Calibration of the X-Y park lock should
XY Assy
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EXPERT ADVICE
COME GROW WITH US be performed to reset the cylinder to the original factory location. If the top console still does not properly lock after calibration, physical damage is usually the culprit. At this point, the assembly will need to be replaced. Providing remote technical support is an important part of my job. I enjoy being able to help someone resolve an issue quickly over the phone, a scenario that has become easier over the past few years as more manufacturers have enabled systems for exporting error logs and reports. These reports can be exported for analysis by qualified service engineers, providing us with a clearer understanding of the failures that the machine is presenting. It also ensures the correct parts are delivered on-site, allowing for less down time. In order to gather error logs on a GE Vivid/Logiq E9 platform system, navigate to the main screen and press “Alt+D” on the keyboard and an error reporting screen will display. You can export to various kinds of removable media, such as a USB drive, CD or DVD based on the system’s configuration. Depending on the current software version, exporting the logs can take a few minutes. Once the logs have been exported to the removable media, forward the logs to a qualified service engineer for interpretation. As with any ultrasound system or medical device, proper care and maintenance will lengthen the life cycle of your equipment. Regular maintenance is the responsibility of the user and the HTM professional, and includes proper disinfection of the control and operator panels, cleaning or replacing the filters, proper disinfection and storage of the transducers, leakage and safety testing, and reporting any failures or errors with the equipment. SCOTT TREFNY is an Imaging Service Professional for Avante Ultrasound. For 24/7 Technical Support, call 800-958-9986 or visit www.avantehs.com/ultrasound.
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THE FUTURE We Are All In Sales BY ROGER BOWLES
O
ne of the classes I teach in the biomedical equipment technology and medical imaging systems programs at Texas State Technical College is a class called “Introduction to Biomedical Equipment Technology.” It is the first course most of our students take when they decide they want to major in our program. This class is not a hard class. It is not a “weed people out” course. In fact, the main purpose behind this course is to motivate, inspire, get students excited about the career field they have chosen and the many exciting possibilities that exist.
We talk about typical career paths, salaries, types of employers, publications that are available (TechNation, for one), and HTM organizations that would be beneficial for them to join. We start talking terminology. We introduce them to types of equipment used in health care and how it works. No, they are not tearing it apart and troubleshooting it at this point. Yet, getting to know what something does and how it does it seems to bring out some excitement. I like to bring in guest speakers, especially graduates from our program (and this is an open invitation to those reading this), who once sat in the very seats the students are sitting in. So, many of our graduates have gone on to incredible achievements and their talks “light a fire” in current students. Careers with in-house groups, independent service organizations, manufacturers as well as biomedical equipment technicians and medical imaging specialists are the typical paths talked about. However, recently someone asked me about sales. We have only had
a handful, that I can remember in my 22 years here, who now sell medical devices for a manufacturer or distributor. And, they do quite well in their careers. For the most part, sales has been a footnote when we discuss career paths, until recently. I recently read Dave Ramsey’s “EntreLeadership.” Yes, I know it has been out since 2011. So many books, so little time. I found it to be a great book, even for a career educator such as myself. There is one chapter in the book that deals exclusively with sales. After reading this chapter, I agree with the author, we are ALL in sales, whether we like it or not. The four steps mentioned for sales in the book are: qualification, rapport, education/information, and closing. Heck, we do this every day in recruiting for our program. We also do it in the classroom. Part of students’ qualification is of course academic, but it is also drive (the want to). We build a rapport with them every time we see them. We get to know them as people. We cheer for them, encourage them, get to know their work and family situations, and many times we keep in touch with them long after they graduate. We are proud of them. The education/information side is sort of obvious, but not quite. We don’t push them. In many ways, we pull them. One of the advantages of our program is that all of us have served as a medical equipment service professional. And, by staying up to date on the career field, we try to know the product inside and out. We believe in our product and we are passionate about students being successful when they graduate. As Dave Ramsey mentions, we sell Chevys and we drive them (just a figure of speech folks). Afterall, very few honest people make a lot of money in education. Trust me, I
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Roger Bowles Instructor,Biomedical Equipment Technology, Texas State Technical College have worked for several institutions of higher learning (online and in person), and it is nice to work for a place you can be proud of and one that provides a quality education for a fraction of the cost of most with fully transferrable credits. We encourage our students to continue their education toward a four-year degree (while they are working of course) especially if they want to pursue management opportunities. So according to Dave Ramsey’s book, if the other items are in place, the close almost happens by itself. When we discuss the program with future and current students, it isn’t really a close as much as it is tying up loose ends and getting them started. Back to the intro course. One of the things I don’t talk about enough until recently is entrepreneurship. We have had several grads who have gone on to become successful business people, working for themselves and starting companies. And, of course, I have many friends over the years who went on to do the same thing (Big shout out to Bill P., Ted K., Chip Y., Steve K., Brian M., Steveo S. and the dozens of others I’m forgetting, forgive me) A lot of the incoming students don’t even realize that starting a business is a possibility. When the subject of their future comes up, they just assume that they will be working for someone else their entire careers. I would love for some of you entrepreneurs to visit and show them the possibilities. MAY 2019
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EXPERT ADVICE
SPONSORED BY:
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS (Sharing of) Information is Power BY MATT SPENCER
T
he biomedical field is a tightknit community. I have always been impressed with how easily information is shared and how willing everyone is to help a fellow technician. Platforms like MedWrench facilitate this communication flow and help make this large, diverse industry feel a little more manageable.
Edge Biomedical proudly employs biomeds from different backgrounds, with a variety of experience. Several of our technicians come from hospital settings, where a Jack-(or Jill)-of-AllTrades attitude is essential. We also have several graduates from the DoD BMET schools, who have touched a vast number of devices to educate themselves to sufficiently cope with just about anything that comes up while deployed. Edge employs several veterans who have been stationed overseas and charged with maintaining our Armed Forces’ health care facilities. In those, sometimes unforgiving environments, the innerMcGyver is often summoned to make sure the best possible care is provided to our men and women in uniform. By the way, a BIG thank you, guys! Edge is constantly investing in factory training with dozens of manufacturers in order to serve our customers. All our work-family members come with their own history of training certifications, but we are never finished learning. In 2018,
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our technicians participated in seven factory training courses, and 2019 already has several more scheduled. These trainings are always at the request of our customers, and we are happy to accommodate. This constant expansion of expertise is both helpful to our customers and fulfills our technicians’ insatiable desire to learn more. These investments help our technicians by increasing their value to market, while making Edge more valuable to her partners. Our Edge work-family focuses on developing a culture of community and support. Each of our technicians possess a slightly different perspective and level of familiarity with different pieces of equipment. If one of our techs has a question about equipment that another one of our techs has a great deal of experience on, they are only a quick phone call away. Making and taking these calls fosters an environment where sharing is encouraged. In addition to training, Edge spends a great deal of time and energy working on our culture. Our workfamily gets together a couple of times a year to make sure we don’t get disconnected by being spread across the country. Pulling techs out of their markets for anything is tough … but very important. We use this time to catch up on successes, challenges and plans for the future. After sharing new
Matt Spencer President and Founder of Edge Biomedical
training and getting work things out of the way, we leave plenty of time to have fun. Whether touring a distillery, playing an escape game, touring a city’s bar district or going for a swim in 5-degree weather, Edge loves to create strong, personal ties within our organization. These events are designed to 1) show our techs how important they are to us, and 2) provide a higher sense of purpose in taking care of the equipment that takes care of patients. Communication is an art that can make or break a business. We understand that this art form can never be completely mastered, but Edge is committed to doing whatever is necessary to continually improve how we communicate with each other, our customers and our vendors.
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THE OTHER SIDE Technical Phone Support Problems? BY JIM FEDELE, CBET
R
ecently, I have had some experiences with OEMs that have puzzled and disturbed me. I feel that being a customer guarantees certain benefits I can depend on with technical support being the most important. My recent experiences indicate that the benefit may be gone. However, I have found another solution that is just as good.
When I started in this industry, I used OEM tech support to help solve difficult equipment problems. I remember a time when tech support would walk you through common problems and even some circuit analysis to help get the equipment up quickly. Tech support helped me prevent the cancellation of procedures and the unnecessary movement of patients many times. I am sorry to say that my experience lately has been the opposite. I received a call from one of my techs; he requested my assistance with a repair of a laser. After a short exchange of ideas, I decided to call tech support to find out if they could help. We were under pressure as the surgeon had a full day scheduled and did not want to reschedule patients. I called the OEM, after a 10-minute wait, I finally was able to speak to a technical support service representative. I explained the problem to the person and asked what she thought. She said it could be a bunch of different things and that I needed to have a service rep
come in and look at the laser. I tried to explain to her that we needed the laser today and that any quick checks would be appreciated. She would not help. I was very frustrated and could not believe that this company adopted this sort of procedure to handle a customer’s problems. Another common issue that occurs now, when I need technical support, is that a company will require a purchase order (PO) to charge the consult to even before answering a single question. I know technical phone support costs money, but I feel, especially in the medical field, that it is part of the cost of doing business. I would think that if a company is going to sell a product that they naturally would build in phone support. I guess now if it doesn’t generate profit it doesn’t have a priority. However, thanks to the power of competition third-party parts companies are stepping up to solve this problem. I was pleasantly surprised when I attended the 2019 ICE conference and discovered the number of third-party vendors making tech support available to anyone who purchased their parts. Some even provide tech support to customers who have never purchased anything from them. All this boils down to a new support mechanism for the biomed tech. I know some are skeptical of the depth of knowledge some of the third-party suppliers have, and if they
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Jim Fedele, CBET Senior Program Director, UPMC and BioTronics
really know what they are talking about. What I found is most of these third-party companies have formerOEM employees working for them. As I spoke to them, it was easy to tell that these guys know the product as well as the OEM and they are eager to help us. In the end, it is a win-win for everyone. Third-party companies are more customer focused, will provide tech support and have better prices for their parts. They want your business and are willing to work for it. I don’t always feel like OEMs are willing to work for our business. I would recommend that the next time you need tech support that you give one of the third-party parts vendors a call for some help. A good place to start looking is in the TechNation and ICE magazines.
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EXPERT ADVICE
SPONSORED BY:
20/20 IMAGING INSIGHTS Academics of Probe Management That Optimize Performance and ROI BY DENNIS WULF
S
taying ahead in the medical device field is all about staying informed and up to date on new developments, procedures and processes associated with current technology. From academia to OEMs, many organizations are continuously engaged in research and development, design, testing and more to identify best practices and products that have a proven impact on efficiencies, costs and outcomes. For example, organizations involved with design and engineering are constantly testing new ideas for products that perform better, simplify operations, increase work flow efficiencies and reduce costs. Service providers, like Innovatus Imaging, are continuously improving and qualifying processes used to service and repair devices, the goals being to extend the device’s lifecycle and improve the sustainability of each repair.
Continuous learning is as important as Continuous Quality Improvement in all aspects of health care. Having teams dedicated to testing operational and performance thresholds for ultrasound probes and MRI coils of all types, makes and models, enables the teams at Innovatus Imaging’s Centers of Excellence to develop better methodologies for device repair and inform end users of best practices and processes for care and handling that
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result in sustainable, reliable outcomes. Test your “probe academics” by seeing how well you can answer the following two questions: WHAT IS THE MAIN MODE OF FAILURE OF THE ACOUSTIC ARRAY ON AN ULTRASOUND PROBE? Historically, most professionals believed that the main failure of the acoustic array was performance degradation or just internal failures. Although this is still one mode of failure, the most common mode of failure is related to physical damage. Adding to the confusion is the fact that, most times, there is no outward sign of physical damage to the probe’s lens or plastics when there is physical damage to one or more internal elements. The thickness of the elements or “crystals” within the array can be less than 0.5mm. The force of an accidental fall to the floor is more than enough to induce significant damage to the fragile elements. The result is often, dark vertical lines/ shadows in the image. WHAT TYPE OF DISINFECTANTS ARE BEST FOR MY ULTRASOUND PROBE? There are over 100 OEM-approved chemical disinfectants for probes from which to choose and each disinfectant has very specific instructions for use. You may not know that disinfectants containing alcohols and ammonium chloride solutions can induce significant
Dennis Wulf CEO of Innovatus Imaging damage to plastics and rubber materials. And most importantly, you may not know that most of the disinfectants used on ultrasound probes contain these chemicals. The use of alcohols and ammonium chlorides, over time, can lead to excessive stiffness, brittleness, shrinking and staining of the lens, strain relief, sealants, housings, cable sheathings, etc. Typically, the choices, that end-users have, for disinfectants are limited by supply chain in combination with the infection control department. These departments may be more focused on efficacy and cost than on the effects to the medical devices on which the disinfectants are used. Even OEMapproved chemicals (and the methods in which they are used) have the potential to affect performance over time. It’s
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EXPERT ADVICE
important to work with supply chain and infection control to source OEM-approved disinfectants with little to no alcohol and ammonium chloride content and be sure that end-users are following the recommended practices. The above insights and practices add up to Evidence Based Repair methodologies gleaned from years of research, design, testing and successful outcomes. The vast body of knowledge moving our industry forward continues to grow as OEMs, businesses involved in maintaining and repairing devices and academia continue to work together to learn, create and test best practices for increasing efficiencies and outcomes for patients. As a result, Innovatus Imaging is dedicated to engineering new methodologies and working with universities through our Ultrasound School program to set up greater efficiencies for the present and future. DENNIS WULF, CEO of Innovatus Imaging, has been developing best practices for ultrasound repair and restoration for nearly 40 years, founding multiple companies including Wetsco and MD MedTech which were recently merged with Bayer Multi Vendor Services to form Innovatus. He and Ted Lucidi, Clinical and Customer Experience for Innovatus Imaging, recently presented a 90-minute session on Getting Schooled in Ultrasound Operations at MD Expo 2019. For a summary of their session, please email TedL@innovatusimaging.com.
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EXPERT ADVICE
ROMAN REVIEW Grow vs. Change BY MANNY ROMAN, CRES
I
recently heard the often-repeated adage “Either you’re growing or you’re dying.” I always had a little difficulty with this statement, not because of the inherent truth, but because of the skewed urgency applied to it.
This statement is mostly true of many things such as trees, businesses and even human beings. Once you stop growing you generally are on a long path toward your demise. However, I feel that in business, it places so much emphasis on the continuous addition of income to the bottom and all lines that a possibly more important statement is mostly ignored. In my opinion, for business and many other things, a better statement to follow is “Either you’re changing or you’re dying.” This places the focus on looking for improvements. This does not rule out acquisition of a complementary organization, expanding into other markets, mergers, etc. The focus is on changing to better meet customer and employee needs while ensuring to not lose sight of the core competencies of the organization. These improvements can be in numerous areas such as products, operational efficiencies, marketing and advertising. In my opinion, the most fruitful improvements are in enhancing relationships. By enhancing the relationships, both within the organization and with customers, suppliers and even competitors, can generate a big payoff in change and growth. Joining appropriate industry associations and attending industry conferences and expos are ideal for enhancing relationships. Continuous
internal communication and conducting one-on-ones with employees are invaluable tools for change and growth. As the organization changes and grows, it is important that the employees have a sense of ownership in the processes to ensure their understanding and compliance with the requisite actions. People don’t resist change. They resist being changed. People change all the time. They change phone service providers and TV channels and restaurants and houses and cars, even partners, etc. They make the choice to change things in their lives quite often and if they don’t like that change, they change again. What people resist is being changed. The resistance is to other people, or outside forces, pushing them to change. When this happens, people tend to become immovable objects and may even push back. They don’t really object to the change, they object to the process. Mostly the resistance is due to not understanding the reasons for the requested change. When people are not provided with the what, the why, and what to expect as a result of the change, it is very difficult to gain their acceptance. Good leaders understand this and will take steps to ensure their people are well informed. It is a great leader indeed who effects changes with the consent of the people. They frame the changes to each individual’s need, wants and desires. They provide the expectations to be had by those being asked to change. Proper framing is the key. The presentation must make sense to each individual within a framework they can understand. Essentially, this is how we
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
Manny Roman, CRES AMSP Business Operation Manager
cause the individuals to want to change. This is the key to good leadership: To influence others to want to comply. Regularly scheduled one-on-ones will allow for this to happen. I love change. Change makes life interesting. Change causes us to grow. Even if the change is unwelcome, dealing with it makes us stronger and teaches us things we would otherwise not know. Change is the enemy of complacency. Complacency does not mean contentment with your situation. You can be content in a changing environment. However, to me, complacency is a stagnant condition. This is what the grow-or-die statement is attempting to address. Don’t ignore personal changes that will add personal value to you as an individual. Although I complain each time this column is due, it is part of my personal plan for adding value to myself. The process of research, both externally and internally, for this column adds personal value to me. My other enhancement plan of being a good poker player is not working out well. I am changing, however, for the poorer. MAY 2019
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WE BUILD
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Tri-Imaging Solutions is a replacement parts, equipment, service support, and technical training company. We provide quality tested imaging parts, buy-sell-move equipment, and provide technical support. All replacement parts come with a 90-day warranty. Available 24/7/365
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At Tri-Imaging, we have the equipment and connections to help you with all types of purchases, sales, installations and/or de-installations. We have experience with most all modalities, including CT, R&F and Digital Mammography.
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THE VAULT
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o you consider yourself a history buff? Are you widely regarded among coworkers as an equipment aficionado? Here is your chance to prove it! Check out “The Vault” photo. Tell us what this medical device is and earn bragging rights. Each person who submits a correct answer will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card. To submit your answer, visit 1TechNation.com/ vault-may-2019. Good luck!
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SUBMIT A PHOTO Send a photo of an old medical device to editor@mdpublishing. com and you could win a $25 Amazon gift card courtesy of TechNation!
MARCH WINNER Glenn Perry, Dir. Facilities and Biomedical Engineering,The Queens Medical Center
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CONTINUING EDUCA TION
Visit www.MedWrench.c om/BulletinBoard for m ore details and to register for these upcoming classes .
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HTM PRODUCTIVITY
Follow Ben Calibrating!
Let’s get real about productivity. Even the best emplo yees are not 100% productive. I know that I am not, and I guarantee that every other leader in the HTM community isn’t as well. So, if you are a leade r that has a requirement that your front-line contributor account for every minut e of their workday then you are killing morale, creating disengagement, and encouraging falsification of documentation. This may not be a very popular take, but this is based on my experience as a technician and a leader. I define productivity, from a HTM perspective, as work performed that can be contributed to biomedical equipment maintenanc e. With this definition, travel, communication to the customer to make arrang ements, and paper work are considered productive. Meetings, clean ing and organizing the Biomed Shop are examples of non-productive time. This is a loose interpretation, but I stand by it.
ow Want to kn C. is? n where Be on Follow us Facebook nch and @MedWre ge! like our pa
Read more here: http://bit.ly/HTM_Productivit y
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GUIDE TO AAMI AAMI Exchange Launches in Cleveland in June
W
ith a revamped program and a fresh accent on innovation, AAMI is kicking off its biggest conference ever for professionals working in healthcare technology this June in Cleveland, Ohio.
The AAMI Exchange, as the annual conference and expo is now called, will unfold over four days, June 7-10. It will include more than 80 education sessions, with tracks on healthcare technology management (HTM), cybersecurity, sterilization, regulations and accreditation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, clinical engineering, data analytics and global trends. “We’ve reimagined our conference as the Exchange because this event is all about the exchange of solutions and ideas among colleagues in health technology,” said Robert Jensen, president and CEO of AAMI. “We’re creating a dynamic and innovative space in which these professionals can come together to learn from – and challenge – one another, helping their own careers and helping to shape the future of the field.” Several new features will make their debut at the Exchange, such as the “Xcelerator,” which will include a pitch competition for innovative ideas related to automated support of clinical decisions, whether in the areas of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, deep-machine learning or automated learning. The competition is being organized in conjunction with BioEnterprise at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland. There also will be an Internet of Things (IoT) theater on the Expo floor, where one focus will be an exploration of how to strike the right balance between opportunity and security when it comes to connected medical devices. Stryker and Symantec corporations will be among the organizations presenting at the IoT. A new Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) Theater, developed in partnership with GE Healthcare, will showcase the use of these technologies in the health care field,
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
such as its for training HTM professionals. “We’re inviting people to try on a pair of googles and see what the future holds,” said Sherrie Schulte, senior director of certification and meetings. “Throughout this conference, we want attendees to have an immersive and interactive experience that provides them with insights that enrich and empower them on the job today – and also prepares and inspires them for what’s coming in health technology.” The selection of Cleveland as the host city for the first AAMI Exchange was deliberate. Serving as home to a high
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concentration of hospitals and medical research centers, along with hundreds of biomedical companies, the region has health technology innovation in its DNA. That dynamic will help to shape the AAMI Exchange experience. For example, one of the keynote or Main Stage presentations will come in the form of a conversation, or fireside chat, between Toby Cosgrove, MD, executive advisor and former CEO and president of the Cleveland Clinic, and Jensen, AAMI’s leader. Cosgrove, who is also the executive advisor for Google Cloud’s Healthcare & Life Sciences, Healthcare, will talk with Jensen about emerging opportunities, as well as challenges and trends in health technology. The other two Main Stage speakers will be Nicholas Webb, a best-selling author, holder of more than 45 patents, and CEO at Lassen Scientific Inc., and Herman McKenzie, acting director of engineering for The Joint Commission. Webb will talk about how health care organizations can succeed with innovation. McKenzie will provide a crucial update on practices and policies from this leading accrediting body, and he will take questions from the audience. Other elements of the Exchange include: • A workshop on how HTM professionals can use alternative equipment maintenance (AEM) programs for efficiency and quality improvement strategies. The workshop will be led by Frank Painter, professor of the clinical engineering graduate program at the University
80
TECHNATION
MAY 2019
of Connecticut, and Matt Baretich, president and CEO of Baretich Engineering. Baretich is the author of the “AEM Program Guide: Alternative PM for Patient Safety.” • A n Expo Hall that will feature more than 160 leading medical device companies and service providers, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and emerging products. One defining feature of the Exchange experience will be networking opportunities in the form of lunches, celebrations and receptions, including one at Cleveland’s celebrated Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Past attendees have commented that some of their most valuable lessons and insights came in the form of conversations they enjoyed with peers from around the world. For attendees who enjoy being on the move, the Exchange will feature the second annual AAMI Foundation Fun Run & Walk, a fundraiser which will help to provide scholarships for students preparing for careers in health technology. The two-mile run and walk will take place around the Huntington Convention Center. “I’m confident that attendees will be leaving the AAMI Exchange with new energy, new inspiration, new insights, new solutions – and smiles on their faces,” said Schulte. “And, we very much want to hear from attendees on how we can keep improving the Exchange experience.”
WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT Be Sure to Visit These Exhibitors!
A.M. Bickford Booth: 343 ambickford.com/riken/
BMES Booth: 731 www.bcgroupintl.com
Crothall Healthcare Booth: 1112 www.crothall.com
AIV, Inc. Booth: 327 aiv-inc.com
BETA Biomed Services, Inc. Booth: 616 betabiomed.com
DEXA Booth: 637 www.dexasolutions.com
Alco Sales & Service Co. Booth: 528 alcosales.com
Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services Booth: 639 www.brcsrepair.com
Ampronix Booth: 725 www.ampronix.com
BMES Booth: 430 bmesco.com
Avante Health Solutions Booth: 1113 avantehs.com
Cadmet Booth: 323 www.cadmet.com
ECRI Institute Booth: 834 www.ecri.org
Elite Biomedical Booth: 339 elitebiomedicalsolutions.com
MEDWRENCH SCAVENGER HUNT DESTINATION. See page 86 for full details.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
MAY 2019
TECHNATION
81
EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT
Fluke Biomedical Booth: 1313 www.flukebiomedical.com
InterMed Group Booth: 1244 www.intermed1.com
GE Healthcare Service Shop Booth: 1227 services.gehealthcare.com
Interpower Booth: 750 www.interpower.com/ic
Healthmark Industries Booth: 1424 www.hmark.com
Maull Biomedical Booth: 652 maullbiomedical.com
Nuvolo Technologies Booth: 713 www.nuvolo.com
oneSOURCE Document Management Services Booth: 613 www.onesourcedocs.com
PartsSource Booth: 619 www.partssource.com
®
82
Injector Support & Service Booth: 335 www.injectorsupport.com
MedWrench Booth: 1255 www.medwrench.com
Innovatus Imaging Corporation Booth: 540 www.innovatusimaging.com
Meriam Booth: 1550 www.meriam.com
Integrity Biomedical Booth: 626 integritybiomed.com
MultiMedical Systems Booth: 1253 multimedicalsystems.com
TECHNATION
MAY 2019
Phoenix Data Systems Booth: 728 www.goaims.com
Prescott’s, Inc. Booth: 1530 www.surgicalmicroscopes.com
Pronk Technologies Booth: 519 www.pronktech.com
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Be Sure to Visit These Exhibitors!
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE
Radcal Corporation Booth: 538 www.radcal.com
Repairmed Booth: 416 repairmed.net
RPI Booth: 426 www.rpiparts.com
RSTI www.rsti-training.com Booth: 1219
Biomedical
Select Biomedical Booth: 1532 www.selectbiomedical.com
Sodexo CTM Booth: 1031 sodexoctm.com
Southeastern Biomedical Associates, Inc. Booth: 1313 www.sebiomedical.com
SPBS Booth: 331 www.spbs.com
Stephens International Recruiting, Inc. Booth: 1145 www.bmets-usa.com
Steris Booth: 1233 shop.steris.com/en/us
SOLUTIONS
Tri-Imaging Solutions Booth: 1534 www.triimaging.com
Trisonics Booth: 1522 www.trisonics.com
USOC Bio-Medical Services Booth: 913 usocmedical.com
Verathon Booth: 1443 www.verathon.com
Summit Imaging Booth: 830 www.mysummitimaging.com
TechNation Booth: 1252 www.1technation.com
MEDWRENCH SCAVENGER HUNT DESTINATION. See page 86 for full details.
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
MAY 2019
TECHNATION
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SERVICE INDEX TRAINING
SERVICE
A.M. Bickford
38
www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062
RepairMED
P
55
www.repairmed.net • 855-813-8100
Soma Technology, Inc
72
www.somatechnology.com • 1-800-438-7662
SPBS, Inc
P
65
www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
USOC Bio-Medical Services
7
www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762
P
P P
Biomedical
Nuvolo eam.nuvolo.com/clinical • 844-468-8656
85
www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282
BC Group International, Inc
96
www.BCGroupStore.com • 314-638-3800
Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services, Inc. www.brcsrepair.com • 844-656-9418
Crothall Healthcare Technology Solutions www.crothall.com • (800) 447-4476
D.A. Surgical www.da-surgical.com • 800-261-9953
iMed Biomedical www.imedbiomedical.com • 817-378-4613
Master Medical Equipment masterfitmedical.com • 866-468-9558
Medical Equipment Doctor, INC. www.medicalequipdoc.com • 800-285-9918
Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056
oneSOURCE oneSOURCEdocs.com • 1-800-701-3560
oneSOURCE oneSOURCEdocs.com • 1-800-701-3560
PRN/ Physician’s Resource Network www.prnwebsite.com • 508-679-6185
RepairMED www.repairmed.net • 855-813-8100
SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
58
P P
Exclusive Medical Solutions emedicalsol.com • 866.676.3671
Injector Support and Service www.injectorsupport.com • 888-667-1062
InterMed Group www.intermed1.com • 386-462-5220
International X-Ray Brokers
www.coromed.us • 800-695-1209
sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010
Southwestern Biomedical Electronics, Inc. www.swbiomed.com/ • 800-880-7231
MAY 2019
Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888
Mountain States Biomedical Services mountainstatesbiomed.com • 949-887-0301
P
Injector Support and Service
47, 75
P
Maull Biomedical Training
P P
27,31,35
21
P
www.injectorsupport.com • 888-667-1062 www.maullbiomedicaltraining.com • 440-724-7511
Coro Medical www.coromed.us • 800-695-1209
Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com •
Brandywine Imaging
avantehs.com/ultrasound • 800-958-9986 www.brandywineimaging.com • 800-541-0632
25
P P
International X-Ray Brokers
55
P P
Endoscopy
internationalxraybrokers.com/ •
Cadmet www.cadmet.com • 800-543-7282
Healthmark Industries HMARK.COM • 800-521-6224
P
P
71
P P P
85 92
P P P
68
P P P
26
P P
66
P P
69
P
35
P
Diagnostic Imaging
3
35
66
Defibrillator
Avante Ultrasound
P
P P
Contrast Media Injectors
3
65
46
Contrast Injectors
40
Cardiology Southeastern Biomedical, Inc
www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
P P
Cardiac Monitoring Coro Medical
RSTI
57
66
28
Computed Tomography
internationalxraybrokers.com/ •
ALCO Sales & Service Co.
TECHNATION
PARTS
CMMS
Anesthesia
88
Company Info
AD PAGE
TRAINING
SERVICE
PARTS
AD PAGE
Company Info
Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056
PRN/ Physician’s Resource Network 65
P P
www.prnwebsite.com • 508-679-6185
22
P P
Multimedical Systems
2
P P
78
P P
87
P P
85
45
P
61 21 25
P
P P
Fetal Monitoring www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056
21
P
WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
P P
www.inrayparts.com • 417-597-4702
HMARK.COM • 800-521-6224
85
P P
aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755
Coro Medical www.coromed.us • 800-695-1209
Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701
Master Medical Equipment masterfitmedical.com • 866-468-9558
Mountain States Biomedical Services mountainstatesbiomed.com • 949-887-0301
Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056
37
P P
35
P
aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755
Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6702
Master Medical Equipment masterfitmedical.com • 866-468-9558
RepairMED www.repairmed.net • 855-813-8100
Select BioMedical www.selectpos.com • 866-559-3500
Soma Technology, Inc www.somatechnology.com • 1-800-438-7662
USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762
www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
www.ozarkbiomedical.com • 800-457-7576
SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
Soma Technology, Inc
Ampronix, Inc. BMES
www.integritybiomed.com • 877-789-9903
26
P P
www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762
Integrity Biomedical Services USOC Bio-Medical Services
Exclusive Medical Solutions emedicalsol.com • 866.676.3671
P P
www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100
11
P P
www.intermed1.com • 386-462-5220
66
P P
Medical Imaging Technologies
72
P
7
P P
InterMed Group
www.medimagetec.com • 888-298-1207
Fluke Biomedical MedWrench
65
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
P
P P
46
P P
8 71
P P P
27
P P P
86
www.MedWrench.com • 866-989-7057
oneSOURCE
3
oneSOURCEdocs.com • 1-800-701-3560
84
P
92
P
PACS www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
P P
7
74
www.flukebiomedical.com • 800-850-4608
RSTI 40
P P
Online Resource
www.1technation.com/webinars • 800-906-3373
P
55
Nuclear Medicine
Webinar Wednesday 65
P
MRI
37
P
P P
31
Innovatus Imaging
38
72
4
www.ampronix.com • 800-400-7972
P P
55
P
Monitors/CRTs
66
Labratory Ozark Biomedical
38
www.selectpos.com • 866-559-3500
www.bmesco.com • 888-828-2637
P
P P P
Monitors
P P
IV Pumps SPBS, Inc
92
www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
11
21
P
85
internationalxraybrokers.com/ •
www.somatechnology.com • 1-800-438-7662
Infusion Therapy AIV
International X-Ray Brokers
Select BioMedical 61
P P
46
RSTI 85
Infusion Pumps AIV
4
www.ampronix.com • 800-400-7972 emedicalsol.com • 866.676.3671
Infection Control Healthmark Industries
Ampronix, Inc. Exclusive Medical Solutions
Hand Switches inRayParts.com
TRAINING
www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282
SERVICE
58
General ALCO Sales & Service Co.
PARTS
www.brcsrepair.com • 844-656-9418
Company Info Mammography
Gas Monitors Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services, Inc.
AD PAGE
TRAINING
SERVICE
PARTS
AD PAGE
Company Info
Patient Monitoring AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755
37
MAY 2019
P P TECHNATION
89
SERVICE INDEX CONTINUED
www.brcsrepair.com • 844-656-9418
BMES www.bmesco.com • 888-828-2637
Coro Medical www.coromed.us • 800-695-1209
Integrity Biomedical Services www.integritybiomed.com • 877-789-9903
Master Medical Equipment masterfitmedical.com • 866-468-9558
PRN/ Physician’s Resource Network www.prnwebsite.com • 508-679-6185
RepairMED www.repairmed.net • 855-813-8100
Southeastern Biomedical, Inc sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010
Southwestern Biomedical Electronics, Inc. www.swbiomed.com/ • 800-880-7231
USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762
Rental/Leasing
4
P P
2
P P
71
P P
58
P P
ALCO Sales & Service Co.
31
P P
Avante Patient Monitoring
35
P
Avante Health Solutions Elite Biomedical Solutions
avantehs.com/monitoring • 800-449-5328
Avante Ultrasound avantehs.com/ultrasound • 800-958-9986
P P
elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701
P P
www.eng-services.com • 888-364-7782x11
65
P P
parts.gehealthcare.com
22
P P
A.M. Bickford
7
P P
elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701
Elite Biomedical Solutions Engineering Services, KCS Inc GE Healthcare
www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062
Nuvolo eam.nuvolo.com/clinical • 844-468-8656
P P
Portable X-ray inRayParts.com www.inrayparts.com • 417-597-4702
85
P P
Power System Components Interpower www.interpower.com • 800-662-2290
www.ampronix.com • 800-400-7972
RSTI www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
Soma Technology, Inc www.somatechnology.com • 1-800-438-7662
Stephens International Recruiting Inc. www.bmets-usa.com/ • 870-431-5485
P P
HMARK.COM • 800-521-6224
92
P P P
surgicalmicroscopes.com • 800-438-3937
72
P
AIV
TECHNATION
MAY 2019
6
P
14
P
38
P
P P P
61
Prescotts
69
P P
37
P P
53
P P
58
P P
31
P P
Telemetry aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755
Avante Patient Monitoring
37
P P
Surgical
avantehs.com/monitoring • 800-449-5328 www.brcsrepair.com • 844-656-9418
aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755
11
65
www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services, Inc.
AIV
P P
26
mountainstatesbiomed.com • 949-887-0301
4
Refurbish
90
Mountain States Biomedical Services SPBS, Inc
87
11
Sterilizers
P
Recruiting
P P
58
www.goaims.com • 800-541-2467
Healthmark Industries
Ampronix, Inc.
78
28
Phoenix Data Systems
95
Radiology
P P
Software
Avante Patient Monitoring
53
53
Respiratory
Patient Monitors avantehs.com/monitoring • 800-449-5328
85
www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282
P P
55
P
Repair
Replacement Parts
25
11
elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6703
P P
66
2
avantehs.com •
Elite Biomedical Solutions
55
TRAINING
Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services, Inc.
SERVICE
www.betabiomed.com/ • 800-315-7551
Company Info
PARTS
BETA Biomed Services
AD PAGE
avantehs.com •
TRAINING
Avante Health Solutions
SERVICE
www.ampronix.com • 800-400-7972
PARTS
Ampronix, Inc.
AD PAGE
Company Info
BMES www.bmesco.com • 888-828-2637
WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056
RepairMED www.repairmed.net • 855-813-8100
Southwestern Biomedical Electronics, Inc. www.swbiomed.com/ • 800-880-7231
USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762
66
avantehs.com/ultrasound • 800-958-9986
Exclusive Medical Solutions emedicalsol.com • 866.676.3671
Innovatus Imaging
P P
21
www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100
Summit Imaging
P
55
P P
22
P P
7
P P
www.mysummitimaging.com • 866-586-3744
Trisonics www.trisonics.com • 877-876-6427
www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062
BC Group International, Inc www.BCGroupStore.com • 314-638-3800
Mountain States Biomedical Services mountainstatesbiomed.com • 949-887-0301
SPBS, Inc
Fluke Biomedical www.flukebiomedical.com • 800-850-4608
PRN/ Physician’s Resource Network www.prnwebsite.com • 508-679-6185
Pronk Technologies, Inc. www.pronktech.com • 800-609-9802
Radcal Corporation www.radcal.com • 800-423-7169
Southeastern Biomedical, Inc sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010
25
Brandywine Imaging www.brandywineimaging.com • 800-541-0632
P P
Engineering Services, KCS Inc
P
admissions@cit-texas.com • (512) 807-8300
ECRI Institute www.ecri.org • 1-610-825-6000.
Fluke Biomedical www.flukebiomedical.com • 800-850-4608
RSTI www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888
Exclusive Medical Solutions Innovatus Imaging www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100
InterMed Group www.intermed1.com • 386-462-5220
72
International X-Ray Brokers internationalxraybrokers.com/ •
P P
RSTI
Training Career Institute of Technology
www.eng-services.com • 888-364-7782x11 emedicalsol.com • 866.676.3671
P P
5
65
P P
8 62
P P P
55
P P
26
P P P
X-Ray
38
74
46
65
www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396
96
P P
Ventilators
Test Equipment A.M. Bickford
78
TRAINING
Multimedical Systems
P P
Avante Ultrasound
SERVICE
masterfitmedical.com • 866-468-9558
55
Company Info
PARTS
Master Medical Equipment
P P
AD PAGE
www.integritybiomed.com • 877-789-9903
11
TRAINING
Integrity Biomedical Services
SERVICE
elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701
PARTS
Elite Biomedical Solutions
AD PAGE
Company Info
www.rsti-training.com • 800-229-7784
20
P
52
P
74
P
92
P
68
P
Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888
87
P P
6
P
46
P P
8 71
P P P
85 92
P P P
68
P P P
Tubes/Bulbs Cadmet www.cadmet.com • 800-543-7282
Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888
45
P
68
P P
4
P P
2
P P
Ultrasound Ampronix, Inc. www.ampronix.com • 800-400-7972
Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com •
EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
MAY 2019
TECHNATION
91
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ALPHABETICAL INDEX A.M. Bickford……………………… 38
International X-Ray Brokers……… 85
AIV………………………………… 37
Interpower………………………… 95
ALCO Sales & Service Co.………… 85
Master Medical Equipment……… 66
Ampronix, Inc.……………………… 4
Maull Biomedical Training………… 69
Avante Health Solutions…………… 2 Avante Patient Monitoring………… 53
Medical Equipment Doctor, Inc.………………… 27,31,35
Avante Ultrasound………………… 78
Medical Imaging Technologies…… 27
BC Group International, Inc……… 96
MedWrench……………………… 86
BETA Biomed Services…………… 71
Mountain States Biomedical Services……………… 26
Biomedical Repair & Consulting Services, Inc.………… 58
Multimedical Systems…………… 21
BMES……………………………… 31
Nuvolo……………………………… 28
Brandywine Imaging……………… 87
oneSOURCE……………………… 3
Cadmet…………………………… 45
Ozark Biomedical………………… 40
Career Institute of Technology…… 20
Phoenix Data Systems…………… 58
Coro Medical……………………… 35
Prescotts…………………………… 69
Crothall Healthcare Technology Solutions…………………………… 57
PRN/ Physician’s Resource Network… 25 Pronk Technologies, Inc. ………… 5
D.A. Surgical……………………… 40
Radcal Corporation………………… 72
ECRI Institute……………………… 52
RepairMED………………………… 55
Elite Biomedical Solutions………… 11
RSTI………………………………… 92
Engineering Services, KCS Inc…… 6
Select BioMedical………………… 38
Exclusive Medical Solutions……… 46
Soma Technology, Inc…………… 72
Fluke Biomedical………………… 74
Southeastern Biomedical, Inc…… 65
GE Healthcare……………………… 14 Healthmark Industries…………… 61
Southwestern Biomedical Electronics, Inc.…………………… 22
iMed Biomedical……………… 47, 75
SPBS, Inc………………………… 65
Injector Support and Service……… 66
Stephens International Recruiting Inc.…87
Innovatus Imaging………………… 8
Summit Imaging…………………… 62
inRayParts.com…………………… 85
Tri-Imaging Solutions……………… 68
Integrity Biomedical Services……… 55
Trisonics…………………………… 55
InterMed Group…………………… 71
USOC Bio-Medical Services……… 7
BALTIM OR E
SAVE THE
DATE! October 17-19
2019
Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor call for presenters open!
m d ex p o sh o w.com
Webinar Wednesday……………… 84 EMPOWERING THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL
MAY 2019
TECHNATION
93
BREAKROOM
FLASHBACK MD Expo 2007
riverb bling m a g in? rs the o u nt a e m be M m e e r n to Who e at S c r ui s
oat
R PI has been a lo ng-time suppor te r of M D Expo. Seen re an EdheSlo Ira...La pi the de thsor(le n ft) be,tw Pree esnidth enettw ofoRro PIses , In ! c. talks with at tend ees in the exhibit hall
Some of the seasoned ultrasound veterans, all with empty glasses of course.
94
TECHNATION
MAY 2019
WWW.1TECHNATION.COM
Secure Your Connection Interpower® presents an innovation of safety and security with the new Interpower Connector Lock—because secure connections are essential. To help prevent accidental power interruptions, secure your cord set to a power inlet or outlet with the Interpower Connector Lock. It is easily installed with no additional hardware and without stressing any of the electrical terminals. This provides security and stability necessary to help protect your equipment in numerous applications, including medical and information technology. This design is available in two different versions and does not equire tools for use. The Interpower Connector Lock is designed to maintain connectivity for Interpower’s IEC 60320 C13 to C14 or Sheet E to Sheet F combinations. While built specifically for Interpower components, including angled models, the Interpower Connector Lock may also secure a variety of other brands.
• No minimum order or dollar requirements • 1-week U.S. manufacturing lead-time on non-stock Interpower products • Same day shipments for in-stock products • Blanket or scheduled orders available • Free technical support
Before selecting your connector components, you should consult the appropriate medical equipment standards for connection security requirements.
To request your FREE sample, contact sales@interpower.com.
®
®
Order Online! www.interpower.com Business Hours: 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Central Time
INTERPOWER | P.O. Box 115 | 100 Interpower Ave | Oskaloosa, IA 52577 | Toll-Free Phone: (800) 662-2290 | Toll-Free Fax: (800) 645-5360 | sales@interpower.com
BC Group Offers Over 75 Different Product Lines For 30 years, BC Group has provided a wide variety of products and services to fit every individual’s needs. At BC Group, we feel you should only pay for what you need, not just what is available. We offer an entire family of products so there is a choice when it is time to purchase. Don’t pay extra money for a function you may never use. With the wide range of product families under BC Biomedical, purchasing from BC Group is an easy choice.
Products Available From BC Group: Infusion Pump Analyzers ESU Analyzers Ultrasound Leakage NIBP Simulators Testing Patient Simulators Lung Simulators Defibrillator Analyzers Ultrasound Wattmeters Pulse Oximetry Simulators Ventilator Testers Safety Analyzers Radiology Test Equipment Phantoms
View pricing, datasheets, manuals and more online at www.BCGroupStore.com.
BC Group is Your One-Stop Biomed Shop Phone: 1-888-223-6763 Email: sales@bcgroupintl.com Website: www.bcgroupintl.com ISO 9001 & 13485 Certified ISO 17025 Accredited