ICE Magazine April 2022

APRIL 2022 | VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 4

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MRI: A Reputation for Safety Isn’t Enough PAGE 32

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FEATURES

83

DIRECTOR’S CUT

It is important to follow the ACR MRI Zones and adhere to the safety recommendations for those spaces.

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COVER STORY

Some imaging leaders believe that the safety measures associated with MRI should be tightened up as technology advances.

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RISING STAR

Manchester Memorial Hospital & Lawrence + Memorial Hospital Radiographer Lee Page is also a professional advocate.

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ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

APRIL 2022

18 IMAGING NEWS

Catch up on the latest news from around the diagnostic imaging world.

PRODUCT FOCUS

The global PACS industry is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2027.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

When you find yourself in hot water, what effect do you have on the environment?

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CONTENTS MD Publishing 1015 Tyrone Rd. Ste. 120 Tyrone, GA 30290 Phone: 800-906-3373

SPOTLIGHT

President

10

Rising Star Lee Page, Manchester Memorial Hospital & Lawrence + Memorial Hospital Radiographer

Vice President

12

In Focus Gregg Jacob, FACHE, MBA, CRA, BSRT, R, MR, LSSYB

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Rad Idea COVID and its Impact on Radiology-Part 2

16

Off the Clock Bradley Spieler

John M. Krieg john@mdpublishing.com

Kristin Leavoy kristin@mdpublishing.com

Group Publisher

Megan Strand megan@mdpublishing.com

Editorial

John Wallace

Art Department Karlee Gower Taylor Powers Kameryn Johnson

Events

Kristin Leavoy

NEWS

18

Imaging News A Look at What’s Changing in the Imaging Industry

24 26

ICE Recap

Webinars

Jennifer Godwin

Digital Department Cindy Galindo Kennedy Krieg

Accounting

PRODUCTS

29 30

Diane Costea

Editorial Board

Laurie Schachtner Nicole T. Walton-Trujillo Mario Pistilli Jef Williams Christopher Nowak

Webinars Expert Addresses X-ray Tube Arcing

Market Report

Product Focus PACS, RIS Markets On The Rise

INSIGHTS

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Director’s Cut MRI Safety Remains Important

40 SPONSORED: Banner Health: 42 ICE Magazine (Vol. 6, Issue #4) April 2022 is published by MD Publishing, 1015 Tyrone Rd., Ste. 120, Tyrone, GA 30290. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICE Magazine at 1015 Tyrone Rd., Ste. 120, Tyrone, GA 30290.

For subscription information visit www. theicecommunity.com. The information and opinions expressed in the articles and advertisements herein are those of the writer and/or advertiser, and not necessarily those of the publisher.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. © 2022

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ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

Engage And Inspire Is The Way To Go Diversity Radiology Executive Shares Perspective

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PACS/IT Health Care ‘Home Work’

46

Emotional Intelligence What Flavor is Your Management Tea?

48 49

AMSP Member Directory

50 52 54

ICE Break

Roman Review Remembering the Day ICE Scrapbook

Index

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SPOTLIGHT

RISING

STAR LEE PAGE

M

anchester Memorial Hospital & Lawrence + Memorial Hospital Radiographer Lee Page is also a professional advocate who works at multiple facilities as well as with the Connecticut Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Lee Page is a hard-working imaging professional who also serves as an advocate.

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He was nominated as a Rising Star by University of Hartford Program Director Daniel DeMaio. Page is a recent graduate (2021) of the radiologic technology program at the University of Hartford. “He is absolutely destined for leadership at the very top of our profession! Mr. Page was an excellent student in our program and has quickly developed into a superb practicing technologist,” DeMaio wrote in the nomination.

“But even more importantly, Mr. Page has been a staunch advocate for our profession from his very first days in a radiography classroom. He was honored as a member of the ASRT’s Student Leadership Development Program (SLDP) in 2020 and has already begun to put his leadership skills to work with the Connecticut Society of Radiologic Technologists (CSRT).”

“Last year, Mr. Page served as the co-chair of the CSRT’s Student Committee. In October of 2021, he was elected as secretary of the CSRT, and I am confident that he is just getting started! Mr. Page is also dedicated to becoming a radiologic sciences educator. He is currently enrolled at the

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

University of Connecticut’s graduate school, pursuing a master’s degree in educational psychology. I cannot envision an individual who is more deserving to receive recognition as a ‘Rising Star’ in our profession. I am privileged to offer Mr. Lee Page my highest recommendation!”

ICE Magazine interviewed Page to find out more about this promising young professional.

Q: WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? OR, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? A: Gales Ferry, Connecticut Q: WHERE DID YOU RECEIVE YOUR IMAGING TRAINING/EDUCATION? WHAT DEGREES/CERTIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE? A: University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in radiologic technology Q: HOW DID YOU FIRST DECIDE TO START WORKING IN IMAGING? A: Upon completion of my Naval contract as a sonar technician on a ballistic missile submarine, I was looking to change careers into a more humanitarian role while keeping my technological background.

My sister, Stephanie Gagnon, encouraged me to look into diagnostic imaging. She is a well-established MRI technologist and I am thankful to have her as an imaging mentor and friend.

Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INTO THIS FIELD? A: My passion is helping people. While nuclear weapons have their place in serving one’s community, it did not give me the face-to-face interaction I desired.

Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR POSITION? A: What I like most about my position is the patient interactions. In the emergency department, patients are coming to you in their worst state and it is our job as health care professionals to offer hope, in addition to high-quality medical imaging.

Q: WHAT INTERESTS YOU THE MOST ABOUT THE IMAGING FIELD? A: What interests me the most about the imaging field is it perfectly marries my desire to help people and my technological curiosities.

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Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN YOUR FIELD THUS FAR? A: My greatest accomplishment in my field thus far has been the honor of being selected for the ASRT’s Student Leadership Development Program and elected to the board of directors for the CSRT. As well as, serving my community during a global pandemic.

Q: WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOURSELF IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS? A: I hope to complete my master’s degree in educational psychology with a concentration in research methods, measurements and evaluations to serve as a radiologic science educator. •

FUN FACTS FAVORITE HOBBY: Avid lawn mower and audiobook connoisseur FAVORITE SHOW: “Brooklyn 99” FAVORITE FOOD: Homemade pierogi FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: Bordeaux, France 1 THING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST: Go on a medical missions trip SOMETHING YOUR CO-WORKERS DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU: I have amassed a small library of antique books spanning 6 different languages … I can only read one of them.

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SPOTLIGHT

IN FOCUS GREGG JACOB

BY JOHN WALLACE

G

regg Jacob, FACHE, MBA, CRA, BSRT, R, MR, LSSYB, is the director of radiology, cardiology at MFM Clinic at the Sky Lakes Medical Center. He recently shared more information about his career.

Gregg Jacob uses his college athletics experience to be a better imaging leader.

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Jacob said he started his radiology adventure at a relatively early age.

“In high school, I had multiple sports injuries which lead to having imaging studies performed like X-rays and CT scans which intrigued me as I wanted to serve the public in some fashion,” Jacob said. “I was lucky enough to obtain a football scholarship at the Oregon Institute of Technology which also had one of the top imaging programs in the country. It was a good fit after I fractured a ver-

tebra in my spine and then was able to concentrate on imaging as a major.”

His time as a college athlete and being a part of a team is something Jacob uses as an imaging leader.

“Building teams to create one of the nation’s largest imaging companies across the eastern United States along with leading teams to build the world’s largest hospital (at the time) at Parkland Medical Center in Dallas, Texas,” are what Jacob considers his greatest achievement. “Also, re-developing an imaging IT team to assist and re-build the IT radiology infrastructure after a major ransomware attack.”

“Decreased a six-month MRI backlog down to same day in first year of employment,” he added.

“Received 100% customer satisfaction score.”

His accomplishments may be a result of the fact that he loves his job.

“I love assembling teams through coaching and leadership to develop ‘best practice’ templates and workflows to improve the services to the community, patients and providers along with trying to break down barriers through increasing partnerships and collaboration with vendors and fellow hospital leaders,” he explained.

He has an open ear when it comes to his leadership style. He says that he is always walking around, listening to the technologists and radiologists (end users) to find out how to make their jobs easier, safer and more efficient to promote improved work-life balance.

Jacob’s leadership style has been influenced by mentors over the years.

“Alan Finley, COO at Conway Regional in Arkansas who provided faith-based leadership and challenged me to produce a 1-, 5- and 10-year professional plan to further increase my career,” is one mentor he mentioned.

Scott Flowers, COO at SJMC in Houston, was another of Jacob’s mentors. He described him as “a good listener” and someone who “tried to help, but mostly was able to ‘talk me off the ledge.’ ”

Achievements and accomplishments are often the result of hard work. Jacob added the following to his acheivements.

“I was able to turn-around underperforming departments to reach and surpass financial, operational goals in record times and increase MRI safety through soliciting national safety experts to provide multiple-day seminars free of charge in Dallas and to the state of Arkansas MRI technologists,” he said.

He also served on National Children’s advisory board and has served as a director of multiple services including radiology, cardiology, non-invasive cardiology, radiation oncology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, maternal fetal medicine, hospital outpatient imaging departments, endoscopy and women’s imaging.

Away from work, one of Jacob’s biggest accomplishments is celebrating three decades of marriage.

Jacob has been married for 30 years to, Monica, who is also an imaging professional. She holds multiple imaging registries in MRI, mammography, breast ultrasound and bone density. He has two children, Austin and Ashley. •

GREGG JACOB

Director of Radiology, Cardiology at MFM Clinic at the Sky Lakes Medical Center 1. What is the last book you read? Or, what book are you reading currently? “Leadership for Great Customer Service: Satisfied Patients, Satisfied Employees” by Robert J. Cates and Thom A. Mayer 2. Favorite movie? Anything related to the holidays and what the family is watching.

3. What is something most of your coworkers don’t know about you? I assembled a team which was approved for $75 million to purchase an outpatient imaging company which had 20 centers.

4. Who is your mentor? Alan Finley who was a great leader and related through faith-based leadership skills. Scott Flowers utilized his human resources management through partnership and collaborations and caring about his personnel. Kent Cochran who was a strong leader who understood people.

5. What is one thing you do every morning to start your day? I wake up at 5 a.m. every day and run a few miles and work out at the gym, eat a healthy protein shake and drink lots of coffee.

6. Best advice you ever received? College professor mentioned that success was easy: Just do your job … and a little bit more.

7. Who has had the biggest influence on your life? Alan Finley challenged me to develop a 1, 5, 10 year career plan and introduced me to the author and leadership style of John Maxwell along with faith based leadership style. Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church (which I attended in Houston, Texas) who continues to fill my faith-based motivational bucket.

8. What would your superpower be? I don’t know if this is a superpower, but bringing teams together to listen to each other’s ideas, negotiate for a common goal/success.

9. What are your hobbies? Meal prep cooking. I am lucky enough to have a professional grade kitchen with three dishwashers. That’s a lot of dishes! Work out, eat healthy, make pizzas from scratch in the pizza oven. Hiking, kayaking, crabbing, attending college football games (Oregon Ducks and Arkansas Razorbacks), traveling, attending Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet concerts.

10. What is your perfect meal? Margherita pizza and a jammy red wine with friends and family.

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SPOTLIGHT

Rad idea

BY SHARON MOHAMMED, RT(R), CT, ARRT

COVID AND ITS IMPACT ON RADIOLOGY - PART 2

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part 2 of a two-part submission.

R

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adiology is an important medical specialty, driven by limitless technological advances. Various imaging modalities are now central to diagnosing and treating various diseases for patients all across the globe. Despite the recent changes in the radiology landscape caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for imaging services will continue to increase.

Moving forward, radiology leaders must develop new approaches and strategies to define the pathway forward.

workstation virtualization and screen sharing solutions over a virtual private network. When trainees accessed the session from a remote location using the virtual private network, they were able to interact and had full access to departmental WebEx (Cisco Systems, Milpitas CA) to allow for screen sharing, cursor/input control.

Virtual platforms proved to be an excellent way to connect teams on a higher level. The utilization of a virtual classroom for a daily huddle enabled leadership to conduct conversations that achieve intended educational goals.1

RADIOLOGY EDUCATION The lack of in-person interaction between radiologists, trainees and technologists had a negative impact on education. Also, a large percentage of hospital inpatient volume had consisted of chest imaging for COVID-19 patients. Decreased outpatient imaging volume impacted the training and education of radiology residents and technologists. The value of seeing and performing a wide array of examinations, a vital component of technologist training, had been markedly diminished due to the significant decrease in imaging volume and breadth of pathology for the majority of radiologic technologists.1 Several innovative strategies were developed to compensate for these limitations and enhance the educational experience of residents and technologists during the height of the pandemic.

Additional didactic conferences and virtual case conferences led by quality control managers and teams were developed. To ensure that trainees would not lose the daily clinical experience for an extended period, innovative teaching opportunities were created.

This required a collaborative effort of radiology leadership, quality managers and lead technologists. Tasks that needed to be completed included: the selections of topics to discuss, comprising of the right mix of technical and clinical information; the development of an “educational” environment and the ability to conduct these sessions either on-site or remotely while maintaining the appropriate social distancing and keeping staff fully engaged.

Trainees were expected to sign in for the duration of the presentation and participate in a question-and-answer session at the end.

A crucial element to consider while creating these CE sessions was maintaining social distancing between the presenters and session attendees. Access to the environment was provided using

CONCLUSION Radiology departments remain on the forefront of identifying COVID-19 in patients. The radiology market and environment are constantly evolving. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on radiology practices and will command how health care and radiology services are delivered in the future. It is critical for team leaders to find ways to support the culture of the department both on the individual level and on the broader organizational level. It is more important than ever to cultivate professional and personal connections. A positive and proactive approach to employees’ well-being is essential.

Workflows must be able to keep pace with internal and external developments, or risk becoming unable to fit the constantly changing needs of patients, the organization and its’ employees. Radiology leaders must track and measure new workflows, decipher pain points and operational bottlenecks.

Each workflow must run with optimal efficiency. This includes efficiency and productivity in clinical processes, patient satisfaction, regulatory compliance and the engagement of all stakeholders in the radiology workforce. •

ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

Share your RAD IDEA via an email to editor@mdpublishing.com.

References 1. Mohammed, S., Molvin L.Z., Enhancing Technologist Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Creation of Technologist Educational In-Services, Radiologic Technologist, Radiologic Technology, forthcoming 2022.

2. Mohammed S, Molvin L.Z., Team building and productivity among technologists., AHRA, Radiology Management, MAY/JUNE 2021, p.17-21 ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

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radley Spieler is a native New Orleanian through and through. Born, raised and educated in the city, he describes its essence as being inextricably tied to having a good time, and creating an environment in which people of all ethnic and cultural stripes can celebrate one another, and be celebrated in turn. In defiance of the typical American mythos of culture as a melting pot, in which differences are dissolved into a uniform mixture, New Orleans, he said, is a gumbo steeped in the richness of which those individual flavors persist. And its traditions from the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival, to epic Mardi Gras celebrations, to second-line parades are encapsulated in the love residents share of the New Orleans Saints.

Spieler, a radiologist who lived outside of New Orleans for the first time 16

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as a residency student completing his schooling at New York University, said his love of the city and championing of its culture is impossible to suppress, if somewhat difficult to explain to outsiders. His love of the city also motivated him to create a nonprofit to benefit those who call New Orleans home.

“I think anyone I met in New York within a few minutes of meeting me knew I was from New Orleans,” Spieler said. “I would say, ‘I’m going home for Mardi Gras,’ and one person said, ‘Aren’t you a little bit old for that? He thought it was like going on spring break. But it’s beyond football and beyond the parties; it’s cultural.”

“The thing about sports and music is it brings people together,” Spieler said. “On some level, we’re all part of the same fabric and network, and I think you really see that during Jazz Fest, during Mardi Gras. That’s the layer that people don’t see superficially; that’s really what New Orleans is built upon.”

Big Easy culture “really rests upon a celebration of life,” Spieler said, and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city in 2005, its

NFL franchise embodied that spirit in a way that surprised longtime diehards who had only associated it with a culture of lovable losing.

The earliest days of the Saints franchise were steeped in disappointment. Spieler’s father, who attended the very first Saints game at Tulane Stadium in September 1967, was on-hand to witness their auspicious start: rookie John Gilliam’s 94-yard return of the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams en route to a 27-13 win. It was one of only three victories the team secured that year. The franchise opened with 20 consecutive non-winning seasons, and in 54 years, have only posted 17 winning seasons and seven in which they finished with a .500 or better winning percentage.

Younger fans of the franchise may not have been so intimately connected to the hardships of Saints fandom, which Spieler describes as “the dark days for most of my life.”

“It was a long and really, really tough time for us,” he said. “People used to go to the ’Dome and wear bags on their heads. It was a consisADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

Dr. Bradley Spieler worked with Shiptracks LLC CEO Charles Riley (far left) to secure 500 face shields for UMCNO in conjunction with his Spirit of Charity Foundation affiliated program, Saints Fans Being Fans. Pictured, from left to right, are Charles Riley, Anne-Marie Crifasi, Bradley Spieler, Victoria Gilberti, Amanda Colvin, James McKenna and Ben Sinnott.

Bradley Spieler (middle), Sonia Malhorta (left) and Jon Robertson (right) deliver gifts to a family during Christmas at UMCNO.

tent string of disappointments. You expected them to lose.”

Nonetheless, the city cheered them on, mostly in keeping with its desire to support its own. But when quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton moved to New Orleans, along with their families, the team took that spark on the field into the storm-ravaged community and ignited a rebirth that repaid fans’ enthusiasm tenfold. The Superdome, which had been repurposed as a tent city to house storm refugees, became a literal shelter for the community. So, after the team won the 2010 Super Bowl, the Mardi Gras that followed became known locally as “Super Gras,” with Payton bringing the Lombardi Trophy to the Orpheus Ball, the parade party thrown by native son Harry Connick Jr., and telling fans, “This is for the people.”

“It was amazing how it charged the city,” Spieler said. “That really galvanized the connection between the team and the city. For a lot of people in New Orleans, myself included, the Saints have represented that spirit of community, that spirit of resilience in the city. A lot of people who are true Saints fans may not know a lot about football, but they’re cheering for New Orleans.”

Emblematic of that rush to the victory was Spieler’s own visit home from New York in November 2009, when, in celebrating a Saints win over the rival Carolina Panthers, he discovered a plastic owl atop a parking garage on Fulton Street, WWW.THEICECOMMUNITY.COM

in the city warehouse district. The carousers “liberated” it from its perch and brought it with them throughout their travels; Spieler took it back to New York with him, and it became the centerpiece of a shrine to the city in his apartment there. The group christened it Whoody Da Owl, named after the “Who Dat?” chants familiar to Saints fans.

Suddenly, Whooty developed his own social media presence, as Spieler took him on various travels, photographing him in locations as far-flung as Dubai, the Maldives, Ibiza and Iceland. Whooty became a photo-opportunity fixture for Saints superfans, like the Big Easy Mafia, who named it their official mascot.

In turn, Spieler, seizing on the good luck that Whoody had brought the team, searched for a way to leverage it into a force for good.

“I do a lot of work with the biggest Saints fan groups here in New Orleans, and I thought to myself, can we transform and use this platform to help people?” he said.

With a group he christened “Saints Fans Being Saints,” Spieler partnered with staff at Louisiana State University Medical Center Spirit of Charity Foundation to donate money and gifts-in-kind to patients being cared for at the Level I trauma center.

“It sucks to be a kid in a hospital, and it can suck even more to be a kid not in a children’s hospital,” he said.

“We partner with the palliative care team to cater to children and make an overall better experience for them.”

During COVID-19, Spieler led efforts to round up N95 masks for hospital staff. He coordinated auctions of work from local artists to benefit patients and their families. He helped bring in black-and-gold (the Saints’ colors) Santas to hand out gifts to children in the hospital during the Christmas holiday, and to donate musical instruments to local schools.

And the support of his efforts from Saints fans has been its backbone.

“As a physician, I do my best to try to get younger physicians and trainees involved with these things, and keep them grounded, particularly in radiology. It can be easy to lose sight of the patient, but you’re not just looking at an X-ray, or an MRI, you’re looking at a person.”

“In a weird way this silly little plastic owl has helped me spawn this stuff,” Spieler said. “This is my little homage to the Super Bowl and championing the spirit of that city at the time. It’s a link to that common bond we all share; a love for one another and a celebration of life.” •

Individuals can scan the QR code to donate to the Saints Fans Being Saints organization.

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NEWS

Imaging News

A LOOK AT WHAT’S CHANGING IN THE IMAGING INDUSTRY

PHILIPS EXPANDS HEMODYNAMICS ACCESS AT POINT-OF-CARE Royal Philips has expanded its ultrasound portfolio with advanced hemodynamic assessment and measurement capabilities on its handheld point-of-care ultrasound – Lumify. With the addition of Pulse Wave Doppler, Philips has greatly expanded the utility of its handheld ultrasound – Lumify – enabling clinicians to quantify blood flow in a wide range of point-of-care diagnostic applications – including cardiology, vascular, abdominal, urology, obstetrics and gynecology. Also new to Lumify are obstetric measurements to help in early assessment of gestational age and the identification of high-risk pregnancies.

Pulse Wave Doppler ultrasound provides clinicians with more information, in addition to 2D and color imaging, to assess hemodynamic patterns to differentiate between arterial and venous blood flow and quantify hemodynamic function. The resulting hemodynamic measurements can enhance diagnostic confidence and timely clinical decision-making in virtually any care setting, including cardiology and emergency medicine. With these latest features, Philips’ easy-to-use fully integrated handheld ultrasound system – Lumify – brings together imaging tools across ultrasound platforms, leveraging the company’s expertise in cardiology and radiology. The Lumify system also provides clinicians with advanced analysis software and reporting tools, and access to tele-ultrasound capabilities (Lumify with Collaboration Live powered by Reacts) for live communication support to connect clinicians around the globe for real-time collaboration.

“By applying Philips’ expertise in cardiovascular care, imaging and patient monitoring to Philips Handheld Ultrasound – Lumify – we are committed to deliver a dedicated, innovative point-of-care portfolio, enabling clinicians to quickly assess hemodynamics – including cardiovascular

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function, organ perfusion and fetal assessment – in a daily routine, to identify abnormalities and intervene quickly,” said Matthijs Groot Wassink, general manager of point of care ultrasound at Philips. “With the addition of Pulse Wave Doppler and enhanced obstetrics measurements, we have increased the number of markers on which diagnoses can be made, to deliver high quality imaging and enhance the evaluation and effectiveness of treatment in real-time.”

In addition to adding Pulse Wave Doppler for hemodynamics, Philips is the first and only point-of-care ultrasound solution with B-lines (B-line quantification tool for ultrasound lung imaging) software and intelligent algorithms to enhance heart and lung assessments, which is critical when dealing with severe COVID cases.

The pandemic has shown the relevance of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia, one of the most common complications of COVID-19.

AI-enhanced automated algorithms looking for B-lines in lung fluid can help provide more objective data and interpretation. •

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

CARESTREAM SMART NOISE CANCELLATION RECEIVES FDA 510(K) CLEARANCE Carestream Health’s Smart Noise Cancellation (SNC) technology has received FDA 510(k) Clearance for its dose reduction capability. The artificial intelligence (AI)-based feature allows a user to reduce dose without loss of image quality. SNC provides improved diagnostic quality, preservation of fine detail and better contrast-to-noise ratio for images acquired at clinically nominal exposures.

“Carestream is continuously focused on reducing radiation dose without sacrificing image quality,” said Ron Muscosky, worldwide product line manager at Carestream. “The results of this reader study are another proof point of the quality of our high-performance image capture systems. This improved capability to optimize radiation dose will be especially valuable in neonatal and pediatric diagnostic imaging, where imaging at the lowest possible dose is crucial for young patients.”

SNC addresses a long-standing challenge in medical imaging of separating noise from an image.

Traditional noise reduction introduces blurring, which degrades image sharpness and might remove important anatomical information. Conversely, the more an

image is sharpened, the more noise may be enhanced.

Carestream’s SNC overcomes this gridlock by isolating noise to produce images that are significantly clearer than with standard processing.

“Our AI-powered Smart Noise Cancellation gives radiologists another important tool to adjust the amount of noise cancellation and exposure to meet their desired imaging quality to aid their diagnosis,” Muscosky added.

When combined with SmartGrid software, Smart Noise Cancellation technology promises benefits in gridless imaging where the removal of scatter typically leads to an increase in noise appearance. •

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NEWS

ARGON MEDICAL DEVICES CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY Argon Medical Devices Inc., a manufacturer of medical devices for interventional procedures, announces its 50th anniversary.

“This impressive milestone speaks to the dedication of the company’s employees who take pride in the impact their contributions make on patients around the globe,” a news release states. “Headquartered in Frisco, Texas, Argon offers a broad line of best-in-class products for interventional radiology, interventional oncology and vascular surgery procedures. Thanks to outstanding service, reliability, and quality, Argon maintains loyal strategic partnerships with physicians, clinicians, medical device distributors and strategic OEMs.” Argon was founded in 1972 producing procedural guidewires, gradually expanding to introduce disposable packs, special procedure kits and trays for cardiology and critical care procedures.

In 2009, Argon’s strategic direction shifted to focus on products for interventional radiology. This led to further expansion of the product portfolio through acquisitions of companies and products in the interventional vascular, interventional oncology areas, including clot management, biopsy and drainage segments. More recently, the company bolstered its research and development capabilities, leading to introduction of organically developed products including the Scorpion Portal Vein Access Series, Halo single-loop snares, BioPince Ultra Full Core Biopsy Instrument, and Single- and Triple-Loop vena cava filter retrieval kits. •

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DARK-FIELD X-RAY METHOD POSSIBLE WITH CT For the first time, a team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has integrated the dark-field X-ray method into a CT scanner suitable for clinical use. Dark-field imaging provides additional information to conventional X-ray imaging. With the new prototype, it is now possible to produce three-dimensional dark-field X-ray images.

Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most important clinical methods for precise and fast diagnostics. By combining multiple X-ray images three-dimensional images of the patient are generated.

With dark-field imaging now additional information on fine tissue structures, in particular in the lung, is accessible. Until now, technical challenges have prevented the integration of this new technology into clinical CT scanners to examine patients.

A team of researchers working with Franz Pfeiffer, professor for biomedical physics and director of the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering at TUM, has developed a CT scanner that combines both X-ray technologies.

“For the first time, we showed that dark-field X-ray technology can also be integrated into a clinical CT scanner. Although this technology is in its early stages, pre-clinical studies with mice have demonstrated clear benefits from dark-field CT scans, especially for capturing images of lung tissue,” says Pfeiffer.

The new CT prototype has already been used successfully with a thorax phantom, a model of a human upper body and is large enough for the intended applications with real patients. •

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

FUJIFILM SONOSITE UNVEILS ‘PREMIUM’ POCUS SYSTEM, TRANSDUCER FUJIFILM Sonosite Inc. has added to its POCUS portfolio with the launch of its new, premium Sonosite LX system, featuring the company’s largest clinical image and a monitor that extends, rotates and tilts to enable enhanced, real-time provider collaboration. The clinical display features touchscreen controls to enable an optimized heads-up workflow, allowing clinicians to keep their eyes on the image while making adjustments.

Designed to be used with the Sonosite LX and Sonosite PX, the company has also launched a new T8-3 transesophageal transducer and cardiac resuscitation exam type, to assist clinicians in using transesophageal ultrasound (TEU) at the point of care.

Sonosite LX has a large, adaptable 21.3-inch clinical display that extends, rotates and tilts to accommodate the varied clinical environments at the bedside. The system’s small footprint and adjustable display foster collaboration, allowing for real-time image and information sharing with the patient, other clinicians, residents and other hospital staff.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of natural death in the U.S. according to American College of Emergency Physician guide-

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lines transesophageal echocardiogram allows the emergency physician to maintain the standard of an ultrasound-informed resuscitation in the scenario of cardiac arrest, where transthoracic echocardiogram is significantly limited. With TEU patients can benefit from more accurate and efficient chest compressions while being evaluated with ultrasound, potentially making the response to a cardiac emergency more effective.

FUJIFILM Sonosite developed its new cardiac resuscitation exam type to address this need, leveraging insights from physician-leaders in POCUS and the strength of Sonosite as the company that launched the point of care ultrasound category.

Responding to expressed customer need, Sonosite developed the T8-3 transducer, enabling clinicians to provide TEU at the point of care by: • Enabling repeatable cardiac imaging regardless of patient condition or body habitus.

• Providing a lightweight handle and flexible shaft for easy manipulation and a small tip for ease of insertion.

• Enabling low power consumption to maintain temperature while monitoring over time.

• Delivering FUJIFILM Sonosite’s most advanced image clarity.

Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis recently purchased six T8-3 transducers to aid in cardiac resuscitation throughout their hospital. •

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NEWS

NEW TOOL FOR TSA PLANNING RSIP Vision has announced a new tool for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) planning. This tool performs segmentation of the shoulder bones from a shoulder MRI scan, which is usually performed in shoulder health care. The segmentation output undergoes super-resolution enhancement to overcome inherent MRI resolution limitations. The end-result is a high-quality, 3D model of the shoulder bones, which allows exceptional planning for TSA, without the need for a CT scan for planning. This new vendor-neutral technology is available to third-party MRI manufacturers and viewer solutions, allowing an accurate and radiation-free method for TSA planning.

“Shoulder MRI scans are common in shoulder pain management health care, usually for soft tissue analysis,” said Ron Soferman, CEO at RSIP Vision.

“Deep learning (DL) algorithms can be developed for accurate segmentation of the shoulder bones. Neural networks are trained to process the resulting segmentation into a CT-grade segmentation, improving the original MRI resolution. Further down the line this tool can be altered to segment soft tissue, as well as other anatomies. This tool improves shoulder health care as it removes the need for a CT scan and its accompanying radiation and cost.” •

DYAD MEDICAL SECURES FDA CLEARANCE FOR CARDIAC IMAGE ANALYSIS PLATFORM Dyad Medical,Inc., the developer of the cloud-based AI technology for cardiac image analysis called Libby, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Libby IAAA through the 510(k) pathway.

Libby IAAA offers image analysis used for viewing and quantifying Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IVOCT) images. The clearance provides health care professionals another important tool to automate intravascular investigation, or the ability to see the inside of blood vessels.

“Dyad Medical is proud to offer hospital systems,

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imaging centers and researchers a tool to conduct cardiac image analysis in a fraction of the time,” said Dr. Ronny Shalev, CEO and co-founder of Dyad Medical. “This new milestone indicates the FDA’s trust in Dyad Medical’s work and enables broader adoption of imaging AI as an integral part of value-based care.”

A leading research hospital has already signed on to use Libby IAAA. Dyad Medical is a member of QualComm’s XR Enterprise Program, the NVIDIA Inception Program and the MassChallenge Boston Accelerator Program. •

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS ACQUIRES DANISH MANUFACTURER Canon Medical Systems Corporation President Toshio Takiguchi announced that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire Nordisk Røntgen Teknik A/S (NRT), a Danish company, with advanced technology for the development and manufacture of diagnostic X-ray systems, with the acquisition being completed following the necessary approval procedures. Through this acquisition, Canon Medical opens up access to European-based technology, development and manufacturing for advanced multipurpose and motorized digital radiographic imaging solutions.

NRT is a Danish high-tech medical equipment manufacturer with a more than 45-year history, engaged in developing and manufacturing multipurpose X-ray fluoroscopy systems and general radiography systems. The company’s strength lies in its

product portfolio, focusing on user-friendly high-end systems and constant innovation with medical staff and patients in mind. These quality offerings are key to NRT’s recognition in the health care market and continuous business expansion across Europe, which will continue with NRT maintaining operations under its current name.

NRT’s CEO Mogens Ravn said that NRT is looking forward to becoming part of the Canon Group and contributing to global health care by offering its advanced technology to the global market.

Takiguchi said, “With the addition of NRT’s highend segment to our lineup, we will be able to offer our customers even more attractive, flexible and user-friendly products. We also expect that the synergy with NRT’s advanced technology will provide even more value.” •

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NEWS

CHEERS TO ICE 2022 IMAGING PROFESSIONALS ENJOY EDUCATION, NETWORKING

BY JOHN WALLACE

I

maging leaders from throughout the United States, many readers of Imaging Community and Exchange (ICE) magazine, came together at the 2022 Imaging Conference & Expo (ICE) in Napa, California. The conference lived up to its reputation by once again delivering top-notch education, an exhibit hall filled with a variety of products and solutions as well as signature networking events.

Hundreds of imaging professionals from radiology directors to equipment service experts to hands-on technologists brought the Imaging Community & Exchange to life, according to one attendee.

Sky Lakes Medical Center Director of Diagnostic Imaging Gregg Jacob was among those

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who praised the conference. He especially enjoyed the ability to meet and interact with his peers.

“The interaction between the radiology leaders was presented in a forum which solicits feedback for any challenge that a radiology department may be having. I loved the opening night ICE breaker where, as a newcomer, it was nice to be able to meet the attendees in a relaxing atmosphere and enjoy an exceptional meal and adult beverage. The quality of the education lectures was pertinent to the industry along with excellent speakers. I made many great connections and future friends.”

“The conference is definitely a go-to conference for those leaders who want to network and make longtime friends with other directors and vendors,” he added.

John Beall, health system specialist/strategic planner with

the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, echoed Jacob’s comments.

“This is awesome. People are very kind and it’s up close. You’re interacting with people like you, and you can learn from your peers.

It’s like doing LinkedIn, but in person,” Beall said.

Banner Health/ENTECH Vice President of Technology Management Perry Kirwan said ICE stands out as the conference where one can make valuable connections with business owners and peers all in the same place.

“I like coming to this conference for a few reasons, one it is small and intimate. You really get to meet and network and interact with everybody at this conference,” Kirwan said.

He added that it is wonderful for technology management professionals to have access to clinicians and imaging department administrators.

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

“It makes the conference very, very unique. I can’t find that anywhere else,” Kirwan said.

Intermountain Healthcare Clinical Engineering Director Mike Powers agreed that the ICE conference offers unique opportunities that are very valuable.

“I come to the ICE conference because it’s an opportunity for service people and patient care providers to interact and share

best practices – to commiserate over some common struggles and learn from each other and in a way that most conferences don’t provide,” Powers said.

When asked what the conference offers imaging directors, Powers explained that it builds relationships and encourages teamwork.

“I think the conference delivers a sense of intimacy that many conferences don’t.

ICE allows the ability to build a collaborative relationship with HTM professionals, to build collaborative relationships with other radiology directors and share best practices that might otherwise go unheard,” he said.

The dates and location for the 2023 Imaging Conference & Expo are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Visit AttendICE. com for updates. •

ICE 2022 featured great interaction between business representatives and attendees in the exhibit hall as well as topnotch educational opportunities and entertaining networking opportunities like the finale party sponsored by HTM Jobs.

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NEWS

EXPERT ADDRESSES X-RAY TUBE ARCING STAFF REPORT

T

he recent ICE webinar presentation “How Can You Decrease X-ray Tube Arcing? What You Should Know About Its Causes and Prevention” was sponsored

by Dunlee and approved for 1.0 ARRT Category A CE credit by AHRA. Rolf Behling, founder and owner of XtraininX, provided an in-depth analysis of one of CT scanning’s most persistent yet unpredictable problems. X-ray tube arcing can cause image artifacts and system damage.

Understanding its causes and how to prevent them can help increase uptime and how to get the most out of CT scanners.

In this webinar, attendees were able to learn about how arcing (high-voltage discharges in X-ray tubes) impact a CT scanner. Behling discussed the most important components and technologies impacting arcing and reviewed the physics and material science behind this phenomenon. He also helped attendees understand how to prevent arcing and mitigate the effects of an arcing incident. In addition, attendees gained understanding on how to assess equipment and technology in terms of how they impact arcing.

Attendees gained additional insights via a question-and-answer session immediately following the informative presentation. One attendee asked if a new tube should be returned if it is arcing.

Behling suggested giving the new tube a chance.

“A new tube is always a little bit more unstable 26

ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

than a tube which has been in operation for years.

One of the reasons is that the gas pressure inside, believe it or not, is better when the tube is old than it is when it is new,” he explained before going more in depth.

Another question was, “Why do people call arcing tubes gassy? How much gas is in them?”

Behling explained that tubes do not have much gas unless it is a defective tube that has a vacuum leakage. He said tubes may seem gassy because the arc rate is high and the old terminology was to say that it seemed to be related to gas. He provided more information and answered additional questions before ending the webinar.

Attendees provided feedback regarding the webinar via a survey that included the question, “Overall, how satisfied were you with today’s webinar?”

“Very knowledgeable about the subject,” Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist M. Misouria said.

“Very satisfied,” Advanced Imaging System Engineer K. Walker said. • For more information, visit ICEwebinars.live.

Thank you to our sponsor

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PRODUCTS

Market Report PACS, RIS MARKETS ON THE RISE STAFF REPORT

A

ccording to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) market will reach $2.5 billion by 2027.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) was estimated at $1.9 billion in the year 2020 and is projected to reach a revised size of $2.5 Billion by 2027, according to a ResearchAndMarkets.com report.

Mini PACS, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 4.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and reach $1.5 billion by the end of the analysis period. After an early analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Enterprise PACS segment is readjusted to a revised 5.4% CAGR for the next 7-year period, according to the report.

The PACS market in the U.S. is estimated at $545.3 million in the year 2020. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of $450.9 million by the year 2027 trailing a CAGR of 4.4% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027.

Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 4.5% and 3.7% respectively over the 2020-2027 period.

Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.9% CAGR. In the global Mid End PACS segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 4.6% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounted for a combined market size of $212.4 million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of $291.7 million by the close of the analysis period.

China will remain among the fastest growing in this

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cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach $292.7 million by the year 2027.

Mordor Intelligence reports that the radiology information systems market was valued at $809.8 million in 2020, and it is expected to reach $1.315.6 billion by 2026. The predicted growth is expected to register a CAGR of nearly 7.3% during the forecast period of 2021-2026.

COVID-19 is expected to have a significant impact on the radiology information system market. According to a research article published by the Radiological Society of North America, policy measures adopted to slow the transmission of COVID-19 were decreasing the demand for imaging services. The guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to postpone non-emergency outpatient visits during the height of the pandemic had a great impact on screening services such as mammography and lung cancer screening, and the impact has been observed throughout the sector, including interventional procedures.

This is likely to have slowed the demand for radiology information systems as they are used to analyze data from radiology units. The market is expected to see a positive trend in upcoming months.

The major factors for the growth of the market include an increase in the incidence rate of chronic diseases, improved access to healthcare information technology systems and an increase in government funding for cancer-related research. The burden of chronic diseases is on the rise across the globe. The increase in the aging population and rising prevalence of chronic diseases and lifestyle-related disorders – such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular, and diabetes – are some of the primary factors responsible for the growth of this market. •

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PRODUCTS

Product Focus

1

PACS & RIS

INTELERAD IntelePACS

IntelePACS brings simplicity and scalability to complex environments, providing a robust platform for storing, retrieving and routing medical images for high-volume, disparate organizations. Combining secure communications and compression technology, IntelePACS maximizes productivity and security, enabling greater patient care.

Highly customizable and known for its interoperability, IntelePACS is available in the cloud to elevate productivity, security and agility.

*Disclaimer: Products are listed in no particular order.

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ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

2

ROYAL PHILIPS

Vue Motion

Philips Enterprise Viewer – Vue Motion – has won KLAS Research’s “2022 Best in KLAS Universal Viewer (Imaging)” award. The Philips Enterprise Viewer module eliminates the need to download software for medical data or image viewing. The viewer can be embedded in the EHR and patient portal to enable authorized users across the enterprise to quickly and easily view patient data and images with a single log-in. It can be integrated with industry standard DICOM archives or XDS repositories to ensure clinicians have access to current or prior images, reports, video and waveforms studies and other patient data whenever and wherever needed.

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SECTRA PACS

The first Sectra PACS installation was in Sweden in 1993 and now, the company has more than 2,000 sites worldwide. The radiology module is an integral part of Sectra’s enterprise imaging solution, also comprising VNA and imaging modules for cardiology, orthopedics, ophthalmology and digital pathology in one single system. The radiology module, Sectra PACS, has been named “Best in KLAS” for the ninth consecutive year in the U.S., third consecutive year in Canada, and for a firsttime in Asia/Oceania.

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COVER STORY

MRI: A Reputation for Safety Isn’t Enough

By Matt Skoufalos

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ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

COVER STORY

F

or all the benefits associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, the modality is largely safe and effective, albeit not entirely riskfree. Although it’s been 20 years since a litany of institutional failures led to the death of six-yearold Michael Columbini while he was undergoing an MRI at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, procedure volumes continue to increase annually as MR systems likewise grow in complexity. As both patient volumes and the underlying technology that supports them advance, some observers within the medical imaging space argue that the safety measures associated with MRI should be tightened up at the same time.

In exploring the depth of this need for increased safety metrics around MRI, Tobias Gilk, founding principal of Gilk Radiology Consultants of Overland Park, Kansas, posits that observers should consider the framework within which MRI technology has evolved in the past two decades or so since Columbini’s death.

At the turn of the century, Gilk noted, an MR device with a 3-Tesla magnet would have been available in “ivory-tower research [settings] only,” whereas today, 3T scanners represent the fastest-growing segment of the clinical market for MR. There are also systems built around magnets more than twice the strength – in 2020, researchers in the UK worked to harmonize neuroimaging sequences and protocols across five sites using 7T scanners – in dozens of clinical settings around the world.

“I think we easily overlook the technological, operational and clinical changes that have taken place in MRI, the overwhelming majority of which increase the risks [related to the modality],” Gilk said.

“We’re emphasizing faster acquisitions and greater signal-to-noise ratios, which all mean greater radiofrequency (RF) energy. We keep pushing not only what is

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minimal but what is feasible in a current hardware system.”

The increased power and intensity of the MR systems of today also brings with it increased risks of adverse effects as compared with the market-available systems of 20 years ago. More intense time-varying gradient energy yields greater potential for peripheral nerve stimulation, and increasing use of RF energy for scans corresponds with FDA reports of patients encountering tissue burns. Other patients have reported concerns ranging from tinnitus, which can occur due to the volume of mechanical noise produced during an MRI study, or physical discomfort from pinching or compression of the patient during positioning in the unit.

TOBIAS GILK

founding principal of Gilk Radiology Consultants of Overland Park, Kansas

“I think we easily overlook the technological, operational and clinical changes that have taken place in MRI, the overwhelming majority of which increase the risks [related to the modality].”

The power of an MR magnet can also generate energy fields that can produce additional complications for patients, be they related to implanted medical devices, foreign bodies embedded within the skin or other metallic objects drawn into the magnet. Dr. Emanuel Kanal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who’s studied extensively patient safety vis-à-vis MRI studies, noted in a 2014 American Medical Association commentary on MR interactions with cochlear

implants that “what may be considered safe by some may well be unsafe or unacceptable to others” — a reminder that patient cohorting across a variety of categories is a necessary pretext to any imaging study.

“Not only are the magnets and the system hardware producing additional risk, if we’re doing the same study we did 20 years ago, the likelihood the patient has complications based on what’s in their body has increased,” Gilk said.

“Today we’re seeing MR used as a stroke assessment tool for cord compressions, for emergent and urgent scans, for post-surgical patients. The patient cohort for MR has shifted quite rapidly.”

Gilk also notes that, concurrently with that shift, reimbursement rates are plummeting, leading to an increase in less-experienced MRI technologists – or simply fewer techs – on the job. He fears that a reduction in the patient-care supervisory capacity or knowledge of the people who comprise “the boots on the ground in charge of implementing MR safety” is another cause for concern about patient safety.

“The accumulation of all of these minor risk factors, and the compounding of risks; when we begin multiplying these small incremental risks together, things can change in terms of a risk profile fairly significantly,” Gilk said. “The idea that MRI is today what it was 20 years ago is a mythology that we need to shatter, and we need to look at MRI in 2022 with a very different set of perspectives than we did 20 years ago.”

To Gilk’s thinking, health care professionals have embraced their own narratives about the relative safety of MRI technologies over other forms of medical imaging (largely on the basis of its lack of exposure to non-ionizing radiation) so much so that raising questions about improving MR safety can become questioned as a waste of time and effort.

But without dedicating a comprehensive, professional-driven response to specific responsibilities around the use of MR, he fears the problem will continue to be compounded.

“The PR campaign that MRI is ‘the

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COVER STORY safe modality’ has been so effective historically that it runs the risk of making MRI dangerous,” Gilk said. “People can’t get past the branding of MRI as ‘the safe modality’ to recognize the ways in which it is distinctly different [from other forms of imaging].”

“Our organizations as much as, if not more than, anybody else have bought the PR campaign hook, line and sinker,” he said. “Today it boils down to the individual MRI provider to follow best practices or not. It’s entirely possible for a facility to be accredited, and follow each of the explicit criteria [for MRI safety], and be an environment where dangerous and deadly accidents can happen.

Despite the fact that we know how they occur and what would prevent them, those preventions aren’t actually explicit criteria in accreditation standards.”

Gilk argues that although “ionizing radiation in the clinical setting has been dropping like a rock for the last 25 years,” MR technologies have seen steady increases in adverse patient effects over the last two decades at about two to three times the rate of growth of MRI procedure volume. To him, that suggests that, in the past 20 years, more patients are experiencing adverse effects as a proportion of total patient volume just in terms of raw numbers. According to his analysis of FDA adverse event reports, 100 to 200 such events are catalogued as MRI-related; however, those reports may be limited or confused by the classification process that could attribute such an event to an implantable medical device, for example, rather than to the imaging system.

“It’s anathema to think that the more experience we get, the more knowledge we have, the more published papers and accounts of accidents and events, the worse we do,” Gilk said.

Gilk posits that “the notion that everybody is responsible for MRI safety” has created a broad culture implying that “someone else will pick up the slack.” In the absence of clearly designated roles and responsibilities – having a certified MR Safety Officer (MRSO); enacting clinical policies, procedures and

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practices around MRI safety – can give individuals “both the responsibility and authority to make choices in furtherance of MRI safety,” and thereby drive improvements that create a safer environment. Including that as a requirement in other accreditation surveys is another way to certify those considerations are being made.

ANGIE BUSH

radiologic director at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas

Effective MRI safety requires “hard stops” in the clinical setting, including holding patients to strict boundaries “even if it’s a dissatisfier.”

“If I could write a dozen performative rules for MRI safety that everybody, whether they bought into them or not, could understand and perform on a case-by-case basis, I would do that in the snap of a finger,” Gilk said. “I think we put too much hope and expectation in a culture change alone in terms of what it can do, or that it’s the only legitimate way to go about making these changes, when there are these rather straightforward implementable steps that could be taken that could pretty significantly reduce the most preventable types of harm.”

“We keep kicking the can down the road on things that could be, should be, effective preventions,” he said. “Let’s not fail to act on the simple-to-resolve questions because there are complex questions lurking out there.”

Angelic Bush, radiologic director at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, said that as MR utilization continues to increase considerably, so too do the operational

challenges around its safe management. To Bush, policies by themselves aren’t sufficient to intercept potential problems. Instead, she said, effective MRI safety requires “hard stops” in the clinical setting, including holding patients to strict boundaries “even if it’s a dissatisfier.”

“I see the most near-misses at the external-to-the-patient clearance,” Bush said. “It’s the devices that go in, the clothes they’re wearing, the lead the nurses didn’t remove attached to their original gowns. We’ve got an uneducated patient base, and we need to hold the line.”

To Bush, one of the most significant needs prior to an MR study is for patients to don dressing gowns. Even if patients remember their pacemakers, or the shrapnel in their knee, if they don’t strip down completely, they could be at risk from the very fibers in their clothing, which have become more complex as 21st century textiles have evolved, and may include elements that can interfere with the operation of the magnet.

“One-hundred percent removal of all garments is absolutely critical,” Bush said. “There’s so many materials now that patients have no idea about. Your jogging pants may have metallic fibers woven in.”

Bush said that further complications can arise from extra-departmental staff entering the imaging suite to retrieve a piece of equipment, or to leave something behind. She described striping the devices with tape in a candy-cane fashion and tethering it to the wall with clear plastic loops to create visual cues that it must remain where it is. Nonetheless, she’s encountered the occasional confusion with staff who may be following their own protocols for equipment management.

“We are religious about training our anesthesia and MRI team, but respiratory might not understand what the line on the floor means,” Bush said. “By tethering it to the wall, we keep them from moving it further than they should. Some of the carts aren’t MRI-safe; they’re MRI-conditional, and they can only come

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

COVER STORY

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, uses bright yellow chains to restrict the movement of some medical devices within the MRI suite.

within so many feet of the magnet.”

Bush said she’s also “stopped a lot of near-misses that the patients themselves are not aware of” by ensuring that technologists consider the entirety of their patients’ medical imaging histories, as well as holding to an internal MRI safety document that recommends two staffers per scan to avoid problems related to fatigue or being overworked.

“The 2020 ACR MRI Safety Manual has finally put teeth behind safe staffing per scanner by changing the word recommended to MINIMUM! Without that every institution across the country continue to fight productivity standards of only one person per scanner. This is a huge step forward and we must fight to enforce this,” Bush said.

Along the same lines, UTMB has an MR safety officer (MRSO) for the entirety of the health system, which creates a shared resource for every technician who has a concern or question.

“Instead of every MRI tech doing their own research for every patient, they send the MRSO a message, and he can access the images and talk to the faculty immediately,” Bush said. “We standardize it through one filter so we have consistency in how patients are being screened because not every tech does it the same way.”

Despite the risks implicit in an MR study, radiologist Dr. Thomas Gilbert, MRSO and chief clinical officer at Rayus Radiology of Minneapolis, Minnesota, believes it remains “the best modality for numerous conditions,” and that the responsibility for safe utilization of MRI

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rests solely with the imaging center and radiologist performing the imaging study – “not on the referring doctor, and not even really on the patient.”

“It’s our responsibility to make sure the patient gets their imaging in a safe environment,” he said. “Patients are counting on us to ensure their safety.”

To provide that level of patient safety, Gilbert said Rayus follows MRI safety guidance that he authored two years ago, and policies that were updated even more recently. Its technicians complete MRI safety courses, an MRSO is appointed at every location, and each group includes a physician MR safety officer and an MR safety advisor, which adds depth to its safety protocols.

In addition to offering access to a variety of medical imaging modalities, Gilbert believes that imaging professionals must also command a fundamental understanding of physics in order to cultivate the highest standards of patient safety.

“You’ve got to know what are the dangers and how did the dangers come about,” he said. “Say you have a gunshot wound that left bullet fragments in the body. You’ve got to figure out, is that ferromagnetic? Is it near a vital organ?

Is it smooth or sharp? A round BB in the middle of the muscle might be OK. A piece of jagged shrapnel sitting next to an artery or a nerve, that’s not OK.” In addition to stringent in-house protocols and a solid understanding of medical physics, Gilbert said imaging staff must be trained to navigate the thorny process of gathering information from

patients. Relying on patients’ memories or anecdotal experiences of prior MRI studies is insufficient, he said; moreover, those risks can be compounded in different imaging environments.

“The number of implanted devices, electronic and non-electronic, is proliferating,” Gilbert said. “We’re continually running into new devices that may not even be tested. We check and re-check with patients to make sure that they don’t have anything in their body that they were not born with.”

He described the “different flavors of mistakes” associated with different imaging environments, from outpatient medical histories to interdepartmental crossover concerns in inpatient settings.

“In the hospital, there’s another whole level of issues because when a patient comes down from a floor, they may have catheters, assisted ventilation devices, electronic monitors for their heart or oxygen levels,” Gilbert said. “Those all come down with cords and wires and monitors. You’ve got to make sure that you have an MR-safe way to scan those patients.”

In each of those settings, Gilbert said, the most important takeaway is a necessity for safety protocols and systems that rely neither on patient memory, nor on the referring physician’s understanding of medical imaging modalities, but upon a chain of professionals following proscribed guidelines.

“You can’t take the word of anybody that something is safe,” he said. “You have to have the documentation in there. You need a team of people.” •

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The Customer Support Engineer II installs, inspects, troubleshoots, repairs, calibrates and verifies the performance of medical imaging equipment including, but not limited to: MR and CT systems, general radiographic rooms, portables, mammography, ultrasound, bone density and supporting equipment. This is not an entry level role.

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An Imaging Service Specialist (ISS) performs and documents planned maintenance and repair of medical diagnostic imaging equipment and associated systems with under the supervision from service management to perform the required duties. The ISS must demonstrate an advanced working knowledge of and ability to use the required test equipment and have the electronic and mechanical knowledge and skills.

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INSIGHTS

DIRECTOR’S CUT

BY BETH ALLEN

MRI SAFETY REMAINS IMPORTANT W

e have all heard the horror stories about the tragedy that can occur when our MRI safety program fails. Whether it is due to human error, equipment malfunction, misinformation, or negligence, one event is too many. There are rules in place to try to keep our team members as well as our patients safe. We have policies and procedures, strict screening practices, physician, team member and patient ongoing education but we are still at risk.

There are many things that can cause an MRI technologist anxiety. There are more and more implanted devices every day.

It takes time to research these devices to ensure the patient is safe to scan. Is the patient completely cleared or is the device considered conditional? If it is conditional, can we safely meet all those conditions?

There is always the scare that the patient forgot to tell us something. Patients may think a significant detail is irrelevant.

It is important to follow the ACR MRI Zones and adhere to the safety recommendations for those spaces. The MRI team is the gatekeeper to Zones III and IV. There is a lot of multitasking going on while being the gatekeeper. This and anxious patients may be the biggest MRI

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safety hazards that we don’t often consider.

Throughout the work shift, it may become chaotic. It would be wonderful if each MRI control area was in a constant state of Zen; allowing a peaceful experience for the MRI team to only do one thing at a time. No phones, no physicians, no TEAMs messages, no implant research to be done, no schedules to review or questions to answer. Picture a spa like experience with calming music, soothing sounds and lavender scents. Plenty of time to do each patient. No patients show up late. None are anxious, claustrophobic or angry about the parking situation outside.

This scanning utopia is not likely to happen. However, we have technologists with different levels of skill prioritizing tasks and remaining calm. Some come by it naturally and others can be taught. A training program can be part of a strategic plan so that we can work to improve our work environment. We can set some goals around stress and time management. By finding solutions to controlling the chaos, it shows our teams that we understand how crazy it can be and we will find a way to help.

The primary focus should be the patient on the table. Two patient identifiers are used to make sure we have

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

the correct patient. The order is reviewed. Thorough screening is performed and verified. Once the patient is on the table, we need to make sure that the accurate sequences are being acquired and the patient has our full attention. We need to check in and update the patient on the progress of the scan and encourage them to continue to be cooperative. Every effort is made for the patient to feel safe and that together we are a team.

The other distractions that may take place can wait.

Nothing is more important than the patient in front of us. As long as we can continue to focus on the current patient, other tasks can still be accomplished during the scan acquisition. This is where the teaching may come in since not everyone has this skill set. We need to think ahead and anticipate what we are doing in order to get enough time to accomplish all the tasks that need to happen each day.

Take ownership of your workspace.

Plan the day.

Identify the most efficient way to complete the schedule review or implant clearance lists.

Do not do redundant work.

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Eliminate any unnecessary steps.

Control any interruption. It is OK to ask someone to wait for attention as long as it is not our patient.

It is OK to delegate certain work to assistants or reach out to a manager or another technologist for help if necessary.

It is definitely OK to stop for a second and regroup.

The most important skill in a chaotic environment is self-awareness.

The anxious patient is also a hazard since they can be unpredictable, but as long as we are controlling our own environment, we can give those frightened, worried, stressed humans our full attention and ease them through the experience.

There will always be stressful days. Some more than others, of course. We need to control what we can control and keep everyone safe.

Thanks for all you do! • – Beth Allen, RT(R)(CT), CRA, is the director, clinical operations at Banner Imaging.

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INSIGHTS

BY IRENE MATHIEU

SPONSORED CONTENT

ENGAGE AND INSPIRE IS THE WAY TO GO A t Banner Imaging, we’ve developed a list of Wildly Important Goals, otherwise known as WIGs. One of them is “We’ll attain top decile in team member engagement because we must engage and inspire.”

To attain top decile in team member engagement, recognition and appreciation are key.

Recognition is one of the top drivers of employee engagement, and lack of it is high on the list of reasons people leave their jobs.

In Banner’s VOICE survey, we have employees rate the following: • I know my contributions are valued at Banner Health. Imaging score was 68%; 1% above the Banner system.

• My leader recognizes the outstanding performance and accomplishments of our team. Imaging score was 85%; 2% above the Banner system.

These results show that we do an excellent job with leader appreciation and recognition and we still have some room for improvement.

DO YOU APPRECIATE AND RECOGNIZE YOUR COLLEAGUES AS MUCH AS YOU COULD OR SHOULD? Before you can answer, we need to distinguish between the two concepts, as they are not the same. Recognition is about giving positive feedback based on results or performance. It can show in various formal and informal ways: awards, bonuses, promotions, raises, written or verbal “thank you,” all of which we find pleasing and perhaps motivating. H Jackson Browne Jr. says, “Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.”

Appreciation is about acknowledging

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a person’s inherent value, their worth as a human being and a colleague. So, in simple terms, recognition is about what people do, and appreciation is about who they are. It builds trust and connection. It creates more loyalty and improves team culture. How do you feel when you are recognized and appreciated?

As mentioned above, there are many ways we can show our gratitude to others, and at Banner, we have a program to help with that’s called MVP. You can recognize and celebrate your team members using MVP ecards; send them to one another for great work, safety, leadership, innovation, teamwork, encouragement, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and more. Leaders can take this a step further with the MVP+ program, where they can recognize the outstanding efforts of our team members by awarding points that can be exchanged for gift cards or tangible gifts.

Many times we might feel someone on our team deserves our appreciation or some kind of special recognition; think about what you do personally to acknowledge that. Here’s an example of heartfelt appreciation I received last year when I helped a former colleague of mine with a presentation for a job interview. It felt so good.

“Irene, thank you so much for jumping in and helping me with my presentation yesterday; I know it took more time than we thought. I really appreciate your efforts to make sure it was perfect. I couldn’t have done it without you!”

Here’s to making someone feel valued today in your special way! • – Irene Mathieu is a human resources consultant in BMG and Ambulatory Services for Banner Health.

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INSIGHTS

DIVERSITY

BY VERLON E. SALLEY

RADIOLOGY EXECUTIVE SHARES PERSPECTIVE I

have been fortunate to work with and mentor some great techs that have become even better executives. One of my former mentees shared their thoughts with me on diversity in radiology. She is an African American radiology executive at Integrated Delivery System in the Southeast.

How do you feel about diversity in radiology?

HER ANSWER: There are a lot of areas for opportunity, just like any other service line. If we continue without a lack of focus on diversity in radiology then operations, staffing and the patient experience will worsen over time. For example, I once managed a mammography location where we did not pay attention to the cultural differences in our market area. There was a population of Middle Eastern women living in our community that lead to a change in how we delivered care. We had a male radiologist performing breast ultrasounds.

I had to point out to the male radiologist that we needed to start asking women if they were “OK” with a male examining their breasts. Of course, the radiologists asked why? Therefore, the cultural differences had to be explained, and we realized it was a smart to-do for all of our female patients that our male radiologist examined.

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How can radiology tech school help?

HER: Radiology does not have the political capital and recognition that a service line like nursing has. Therefore, we need to consistently recruit at the high school level.

Schools and the ASRT should consider bridge programs to accept students with GEDs that just want to learn a trade and earn a living wage. This is where you can find a lot of the diverse intellectual capital in our country because of the socioeconomic structural racism causes.

Do you think we need to recruit high school kids?

HER: Yes, we need diverse radiology leaders to go into highly populated minority high schools for career day and let them know about a career in radiology. We need to speak to the kids about our backgrounds and let them know how we evolved and achieved through education. They need to see us to visualize that they can do it, too.

What was your motivation to go into radiology as a rad tech knowing you would face disparities amongst your peers?

HER: First, I did not know the disparities existed to this extent. I originally wanted to be a physician, but I was convinced by a physician at a summer program that it was going to be difficult to be a woman physician and have a family simultaneously. Also,

ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

I knew I wanted to be in health care, but I also knew I did not want to be a nurse. A counselor then convinced me to consider becoming a radiology technologist. In summary, I stumbled upon this career. There was no recruitment process that I encountered.

What are some things that pushed you into the world that you are in now as a radiology executive?

HER: The excitement of learning and the thirst to learn more. In radiology, you had to learn how to service different cohorts and populations of people. I imaged people with gunshot wounds, was a part a cancer care plan and helped solve internal mysteries of the body. Eventually, I had the opportunity to become a supervisor, manager, director and more. What ultimately pushed me here, was that I wanted to be a person that opened more doors for people (women and minorities) to make other lives better.

experiences. So, I would ask different stakeholders (techs, supervisors, radiologists, and referring physicians) three questions. As for as our current processes and procedures – What do you like? Dislike? Feel is unsafe? After presenting these findings in a presentation, I resolved the top five issues within my first 90 days.

What advice would you give your younger self?

HER: To be more honest with asking for help and to be more courageous when opportunity knocks. I had opportunities in the past that I passed up. Others had more faith in my abilities and were proposing opportunities that they thought were good for me.

PROOF SHEET The conversation ended with her telling me of an initia-

What advice would you give your younger self?

HER: Stop underestimating yourself. Stop second guessing yourself. You are, in fact, capable! You are, in fact, worthy!

What are some of the things you felt you had to do to excel?

HER: I knew I had to get buy in from everyone before I made changes. I knew we needed to better our patient

tive they have implemented at her facility to recruit more rad techs. They are sending recruiters to career days at local high schools to recruit students as tech aids. Then, if an individual chooses to go to rad tech school they can get tuition reimbursement and a retention bonus. She has insured that minority high schools are a part of the pool, now. • – Verlon E. Salley is the vice president of community health equity at UAB Health System.

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ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

INSIGHTS

PACS/IT

HEALTH CARE ‘HOME WORK’

BY MARK WATTS

I

am as guilty as the next overworked health care leader. I called an employee into my office. “Joe, I have a log that shows you were late three days out of the last 10. I cannot have this because you are letting the rest of the team down and the shift communication hand-off is missed. I must write you up and consider this a verbal warning. I need to run to a budget meeting now, I hope you listened to me and correct this behavior.”

There is my point of view of the “behavior” that I wanted to be changed.

If any of you have tried to lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking or lower your blood pressure you know behavior change is hard.

Well-meaning organizations in health care have started “hospital at home” programs. They plan to move the care that is performed bedside in an office or hospital into the home. This is a type of “home work” that needs planning a number of resources, equipment and personnel. This moves the location but uses the same model to address the patient’s needs. Like I did in the opening of the article, these hospital to home programs used data to justify the actions taken, late for work or uncontrolled AC1. These behaviors are unacceptable and must be corrected.

Will this employee/patient change?

Clinicians need to work with patients to understand not only what’s the matter with their biology, but also what matters to their biography.

Before we rush in with an answer, that reduces cost and improves outcomes, we should ask better questions. One in three middle-aged Americans has a chronic health condition, the average Medicare patient has three.

We should be able to leapfrog the current health care system model to meet the needs of this chronic conditions population with new and innovative tools. The shift of the labor cost of care can be moved to the patient by proper system designs. This move makes the patient an active participant and a vested partner in their individual wellness journey.

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We must adapt available tools like smartphones, text messaging platforms for patient engagement, education, and medication adherence with the option to reach a caregiver via telemedicine with questions. The average cost is $60 a month.

We need to do this before a flair-up that causes a 911 call/ ambulance/emergency room visits – average cost $16,000.

To help correct the behaviors we want patients to correct, we must engage in the causes of this behavior and give them motivational coaching to change.

Some tough but quick questions to ask via text may include: • Do you have access to your medication?

• Do you understand the medication user instructions?

• Do you understand why you are taking this medication?

This shift from resource-intensive bedside care to individualized remote care collaboration with patients is a model for cost control and healthier communities.

Asking the right question at the right time can make all the difference.

“How are you?” is something I should have asked the employee from the example I used to start this column. And is something we should be asking our patients at home.

A simple open-ended question that allows the patient to drive the engagement and alert you of changes to conditions and/or reinforces the caring part of health care. This research-proven technique has prevented human suffering and saved countless lives in HIV treatment adherence in Africa.

If I had started there with “Joe” in my example, he could have told me that his daughter was going through a divorce, and he loaned her his car to her so she could look for jobs.

He could have told me that he has been riding the bus to and from work. He could have explained that the bus sometimes runs late due to traffic.

I did not ask, at first, I just needed him to change his behavior without doing my homework.• - Mark Watts is the enterprise imaging director at Fountain Hills Medical Center.

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INSIGHTS

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

BY DANIEL BOBINSKI

WHAT FLAVOR IS YOUR MANAGEMENT TEA?

W

hen it comes to choosing between coffee or tea, I’m a coffee guy. Straight coffee with cream. Once in a blue moon I’ll order a decadent cup of what I call overly priced coffee-flavored milk, but mostly I opt for a plain old cup-o-joe.

What I’m getting at is I’m no expert in tea, but there’s one thing I like about watching people make tea: it’s symbolic. You put some leaves in hot water and the water changes. Sometimes the water turns green, or yellow, or orange, or any number of colors. Some leaves make the water sweeter; some make it bitter. Others just give the water a gentle flavor. Sometimes the change is dramatic, sometimes it’s mild. I like the symbolism involved, because just like tea leaves, people tend to act in different ways when they, too, get in hot water.

So, here’s the question. When you find yourself in hot water, what effect do you have on the environment? In other words, “What flavor is your management tea?” When you find yourself in hot water, do you become bitter and turn your surroundings bitter as well? Or are you soothing, with a corresponding ripple effect on those around you? Is the effect mild so nobody knows there’s anything wrong, or can people tell from far away what kind of atmosphere you’re generating?

If you care at all about how deeply your coworkers engage, it behooves you to get feedback on how you handle yourself when a crisis hits, or when you’re in hot water, so to speak.

Over the years, I’ve found that many people have no idea how they’re coming across and what kind of effect they have.

THE POWER OF A 360-FEEDBACK REPORT Perhaps the best tool to get information on how you’re coming across is a 360-feedback report. Yes, they’re touted by some and scorned by others, but I believe the usefulness of a 360 feedback is hard to beat – if it’s done well.

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For those who’ve not heard about them before, 360 feedback reports gather information from multiple coworkers about a person’s effectiveness. The “360” means you’re getting a “full circle” view, in that feedback is gathered from all the perspectives around you.

Typically, people surveyed include superiors above you, peers alongside you and those who are “under” you on the corporate ladder. Some 360 versions also ask for the opinions of customers!

A lot of people in management and leadership don’t like 360s because they’re likely to hear some not-so-pleasant things. As an executive coach, I say unless we hear where the pain exists, we can’t identify the underlying cause and work on eliminating it, if possible. The purpose of a 360 is to get feedback on one’s strengths and weaknesses as perceived by others and evaluate that feedback with an assumption that perception is reality. A particular observation made by a group of employees may not be the intention of the person being evaluated, but it is perceived reality for the people assessing the manager.

REAL BENEFITS OF USING 360S Think of it this way. Jack may think he’s behaving a certain way, but if everyone around him perceives him to be acting otherwise then Jack’s perception of himself might be a little off.

Example: Jack thinks he’s an idea-generating catalyst who brings innovation and valuable momentum to a team. However, his 360-report reveals that the people who work around Jack perceive him to be an arrogant, egocentric grandstander who ignores or belittles the input of others, especially when the pressure is on.

It’s not always easy to swallow painful news like that, so getting a coach is always a good idea. Which is what Jack did, because the above story is real – saving that his real name is not Jack. The point is that Jack slowed down enough to realize ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

he had work to do, but he probably wouldn’t have known it was necessary without getting actual feedback presented in a professional way.

Through working with his coach, Jack also became aware of why his coworkers no longer offered their opinion to him.

It wasn’t because they no longer lacked ideas or suggestions, which is what Jack had surmised. Instead, Jack learned they were tired of being castigated publicly whenever Jack didn’t think their ideas could work.

Another example is the woman who wanted to be seen as a critical thinker. She analyzed proposed solutions and pointed out what needed to be fixed to make them as effective as they could be. The problem? She never complimented others on their ingenious solutions. Her one-sided emphasis on what was not correct led others to perceive her only as a Negative Nellie.

ADVICE FOR USING 360S A 360 profile can measure perceptions in many areas, such as communication, performance, integrity, teamwork, and customer service, just to name a few, and many good reasons exist for their use. For anyone choosing to get one, I offer the following advice: • Don’t be hasty in choosing one. Do a little research on what’s available and choose carefully.

• Maintain anonymity for all contributors. The more anonymous the input, the more accurate the 360 is likely to be.

• I shouldn’t have to say it, but I’ll say it: maintaining anonymity is paramount.

• Have the results delivered in private by someone trained to do so.

• The purpose of conducting a 360 should be to create plans for growth, development and/or improvement. A “safe” environment for completing one and reviewing it is vital. Perceptions, however painful, should not be glossed over; but results should not be delivered with callousness either.

Bottom line, it is emotionally intelligent for people to know and understand their personal tendencies and adapt as necessary for optimal success. It’s kind of like beverages.

Not everyone likes tea, and not everyone likes coffee. A good manager, like a good host or hostess, ensures a variety of beverages are available if they want people to stay around and be engaged. And how a manager acts when something goes wrong can also influence whether someone stays. • - Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing.

Reach Daniel by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or his office at 208-375-7606.

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ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

INSIGHTS

THE ROMAN REVIEW

REMEMBERING THE DAY

MANNY ROMAN

I

often receive nuggets of wisdom while watching television. Sometimes these nuggets cause me to think more deeply about the meaning behind what I heard. Recently I found one that did just that. Here is the quote: “Until the day is completely over there is a chance it can be remembered for something else.”

I found this to be fairly profound when examined. When the events of any particular day will cause the memory of that day to be received as negative, undesirable, troubling or any other disturbing way, there is still a chance to find a more positive memory for that day. Obviously a truly devastating event may prove too dominating to even think of searching for a positive end of the day. The quote, in my opinion, applies to less devastating events.

I believe that the option to look for and create a good ending to every day is probably a very good thing. It provides gratitude for the day’s end and a calmer opportunity to relax for the remainder of the day. Let your subconscious dwell on the troubles of the day and a solution may present itself.

I was prepared at this point to speak on making this a habit. The conventional speak on habit-forming is that it takes 21 days to make a habit, either good or bad. I was curious as to how this 21-day thing was determined. I was surprised by the answer.

It seems that a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz discovered that it took his patient about 21 days to become accustomed to the surgical changes. A nose job or an amputation took about 21 days for the patient to adjust. He noticed that it also took him 21 days to adjust to a new habit.

In 1960 he published a book called Psycho-Cybernetics and sold over 30 million copies. Referring to what he observed in his patients, he said in the book, “These and many other commonly observed phenomena tend to show that it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.” Voila!

Everyone, including the “self-help” professionals ran with

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the 21-day number; “It takes 21 days to from a habit.” I have been guilty of advancing this myth myself.

Now 21 days is short enough to be encouraging and inspiring. It is long enough to be credible. It also is not very truthful. Dr. Maltz said, “about 21 days” and it was not a scientific experiment. It was an observation regarding specific circumstances around him. So how long does it actually take to form a habit?

Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at the University College of London, published a study in the European Journal of Psychology that presents one answer to the question. The study proposes that it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Also, this number is dependent on the particular behavior. In her study, it took from 18 days to 254 days for a new habit to be formed. Also of interest is that missing an occasional day had little effect on the formation of the habit.

So what are the takeaways? If you try for the three weeks and still struggle, it just means that it is a habit that, for you, will take longer. It is ok to mess up occasionally as long as you continue the effort. Realize that habits are a process not an all-or-nothing event. Having a realistic expectation that incremental improvements are part of that process will aid in maintaining and stabilizing the process. As they say, all journeys begin with the first step. In the case of forming a new habit, understanding that it is a process and having realistic expectations are two crucial steps.

So… back to the origin of this long-winded column.

Practice ending as many days as possible with a good, positive, grateful, and whatever other words you want to use to make the day a good memory. While we are at it, upon awakening each day, make a conscious decision to have a positive attitude. Attitude is a choice and goes a long way in determining how the day will progress. I use a nice glass of wine, to end the day, not to start it. • - Manny Roman, CRES, is association business operations manager at Association of Medical Service Providers.

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CARTOON

“What you do makes a difference, and “Quote you have to here.” decide what kind Attribution of difference you want to make.”

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ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

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NEWS

ICE SCRAPBOOK I

maging leaders are toasting the 2022 Imaging Conference & Expo (ICE) recently held in Napa, California. Hundreds of imaging professionals from throughout the United States converged on Napa for exceptional continuing education, outstanding networking events and a diverse exhibit hall featuring top products and solutions. The availability of extra features like a leadership summit and CRES study course added to the value of this annual must-attend event. For more information, visit AttendICE.com.

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ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

1. The 2022 ICE exhibit hall featured the latest products and solutions for imaging professionals.

2. The finale party sponsored by HTM Jobs included the opportunity to network while bowling. Delicious food and drink were also provided.

3. The reverse expo is a popular “speed dating” experience where businesses and health care professionals can find out more about each other.

4. Tobias Gilk and Robert Junk delivered an informative educational session titled “Capitol Planning for Radiology Facilities.”

5. Northern Arizona Healthcare Systems Director Nicole Dhanraj poses for a photo with Chill – ICE’s official mascot.

6. Lars Aagaard from Shop Med Parts and Aaron Bassham are all smiles at ICE 2022.

7. Foosball was another popular game at the finale party.

10. HTM Jobs was just one of many companies to provide freebies to attendees.

11. An attendee experiences virtual reality at the Imaging Academy booth inside the exhibit hall.

12. Maull Biomedical Training President Steve Maull delivered an educational session titled “Introduction to Contrast Injectors.”

8. The ICE18 dinner featured a unique experience that resembled being on the set of a cooking show.

9. ICE staff members welcome attendees to the 2022 conference.

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ICEMAGAZINE

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INDEX

ADVERTISER INDEX AMSP p. 48

AllParts Medical p. 15

LENDING A HELPING HAND AT EVERY STEP.

CM Parts Plus p. 41

MedWrench p. 55

Metropolis International p. 44

MW Imaging Corp. p. 5

Diagnostic Solutions p. 54 PM Imaging Management p. 43 HTMJobs.com p. 36

Diagnostic Solutions is a customer service based parts provider that specializes in all imaging modalities and manufacturers. Created to offer hospitals and ISO’s a cost effective and time saving solution for ordering imaging replacement parts, equipment moves, ultrasound probe repair and on-site service.

ICE Webinars p. 27

Injector Support and Service p. 28

Ray-Pac® Ray-Pac p. BC

Summit Imaging, Inc. p. 23 TECHNICAL

PROSPECTS

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Technical Prospects p. 4 KEI Medical Imaging p. 43 Tri-Imaging Solution p. 3

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KMG p. 19

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Maull Biomedical p. 47

330.296.9729 Medical Imaging Solutions p. 9 54

ICEMAGAZINE | APRIL 2022

Mammo.com p. 2

W7 Global, LLC. p. 41 ADVANCING THE IMAGING PROFESSIONAL

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