TechNation Magazine December 2022

Once an OEM for Dynatech, Datrend is one of the oldest biomedical test equipment manufacturers.

From our Legacy products, the Oxitest and Infutest, Datrend’s focus has been on testing accuracy and assisting biomedical professionals in getting their jobs done with integration that maximizes the technician’s time.

Datrend’s Vision-Pad Technology™ has over twelve integrations with CMMS systems, including EQ2, Nuvolo, and MediMizer.

FEATURED

THE ROUNDTABLE: TEST EQUIPMENT

Just in time for Christmas, TechNation reached out to some of the leading test equipment experts in the healthcare technology management industry to find out what biomed should have on their wish list in 2022.

Next month’s feature article: IV Therapy

COVER STORY: CALL FOR DIVERSITY

The goal of most employers is to have a diverse workforce that represents the local community. Achieving this goal has become more important in recent years.

Next month’s feature article: Mentoring in the Workplace: How to find, or be, a mentor

TechNation (Vol. 12, Issue #12) December2022 is published monthly by MD Publishing, 1015 Tyrone Rd., Ste. 120, Tyrone, GA 30290.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to TechNation at 1015 Tyrone Rd., Ste. 120, Tyrone, GA 30290.

TechNation magazine is dedicated to providing medical equipment service professionals with comprehensive, reliable, information concerning medical equipment, parts, service and supplies. It is published monthly by MD Publishing, Inc. Subscriptions are available free of charge to qualified individuals within the United States. Publisher reserves the right to determine qualification for a free subscriptions. Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of content; however, the information, opinions, and statements expressed in the articles and advertisements herein are those of the writer and/or advertiser, and not necessarily those of the publisher. ©2022

PUBLISHER John M. Krieg

VICE PRESIDENT Kristin Leavoy

ACCOUNT Jayme McKelvey

EXECUTIVES Megan Cabot

ART DEPARTMENT Karlee Gower

Taylor Hayes Kameryn Johnson

EDITORIAL John Wallace

CONTRIBUTORS Roger Bowles

K. Richard Douglas

Jim Fedele

Joie Marhefka Manny Roman Connor Walsh David Witt Steven J. Yelton

DIGITAL SERVICES Cindy Galindo Kennedy Krieg

EVENTS Kristin Leavoy

WEBINARS Linda Hasluem

HTMJOBS.COM Kristen Register Sydney Krieg

ACCOUNTING Diane Costea

EDITORIAL

INSIDE Departments

P.12 SPOTLIGHT p.12 Company Showcase: Southeastern Biomedical p.14 Professional of the Month: Tyler Tryon, CBET p.18 Association of the Month: Healthcare Technology Management Association of South Carolina (HTMA-SC) p.20 Company Showcase: Pronk Technologies p.24 Department of the Month: The South Texas Health System HTM Department

P.27 INDUSTRY UPDATES p.27 News & Notes p.34 MD Expo Re-Cap p.36 Ribbon Cutting: Capital i p.38 AAMI Update p.40 ECRI Update

P.45 THE BENCH p.45 Biomed 101 p.46 Tools of the Trade p.48 Webinar Wednesday

BOARD

Jim Fedele, CBET, Senior Director of Clinical Engineering, UPMC

Carol Davis-Smith, CCE, FACCE, AAMIF, Owner/ President of Carol Davis-Smith & Associates, LLC

David Francoeur, CBET, CHTM, Service Zone Vice President Midwest Imaging - Siemens Healthineers

Jennifer DeFrancesco, DHA, MS, CHTM, System Director, Clinical Engineering, Crothall Healthcare

Rob Bundick, Director HTM & Biomedical Engineering, ProHealth Care

MD Publishing / TechNation Magazine

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P.63 EXPERT ADVICE p.63 Career Center p.64 [Sponsored] Innovatus Imaging p.67 The Future p.70 Cybersecurity p.74 [Sponsored] Medigate by Claroty p.77 Other Side

P.80 BREAKROOM p.80 HTM Jobs p.82 Did You Know? p.84 The Vault p.86 Scrapbook p.88 Save the Date p.90 Where in the World is Ben C.? p.98 I Am TechNation p.94 Service Index p.97 Alphabetical Index

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MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE

COMPANY SHOWCASE

Southeastern Biomedical

Greg Johnson, CBET, CHFM, and Boyd Campbell, CBET, CRES, CHTM, spent over 20 years in the hospital environment as biomedical technicians and managers. After seeing the need for demand in the alternate care market, Johnson and Campbell decided to capitalize on that opportunity.

Southeastern Biomedical started as a part-time company, but as the demand kept increasing, so did this grassroots start-up. The duo’s company is now in a 16,000-square-foot facility headquartered in Granite Falls, North Carolina.

Since 1996, Southeastern Biomedical has been providing customers with a broad range of equipment-related services, including on-site test equipment calibra tion, asset liquidation, maintenance, repair and light/bili-meter calibration. TechNation learned more about the company in a question-and-answer session with Johnson and Campbell.

Q: CAN YOU TELL TECHNATION READERS MORE ABOUT YOUR ON-SITE TEST EQUIPMENT CALIBRATION?

JOHNSON: Southeastern Biomedical is committed to providing convenient, cost-effective on-site calibration and repair service of test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment operated by biomed departments in hospitals. Our on-site test equipment calibration service will:

Greg Johnson Co-Owner

• Eliminate shipping costs and shipping damage;

• Reduce downtime from weeks to hours; and

• Increase productivity.

Our new high-end test devices provide us with a wide range of capabilities allowing us to calibrate and repair a wide variety of manufacturer’s test equipment.

Our calibration management software will:

• Allow us to identify and notify you when your equipment is due for calibration;

• Provide a history of calibration and repair services performed on your test equipment; and

• Provide online customer access to completed calibration certificates.

All calibrations are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Q: I UNDERSTAND SOUTHEASTERN BIOMEDI CAL ALSO OFFERS FLUKE AUTHORIZED SERVICE. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT SERVICE?

CAMPBELL: We are very proud to be an authorized Fluke Biomedical Calibration lab providing customers in our area the same level of technical service as Fluke Biomedical. All of the test standards and procedures are the same as those used at the Fluke Cal lab. Our technicians are also factory trained. This is a compli ment to being a Fluke channel partner in the eight states in the Southeast, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin islands and also government specialists in various parts of the U.S. We feel it is important to be able to provide complete service after the sale.

Q: HOW DO YOUR REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES BENEFIT HTM DEPARTMENTS?

CAMPBELL: In addition to being a Fluke Biomedical Authorized calibration lab, we also offer our customers calibra tion on a wide variety of devices and manufacturers. A few of the things we are most proud of is the amount of devices we can calibrate onsite and our quick turnaround times for depot

calibrations as well. As biomedical technicians, we understand the unique needs of the biomedical departments and the demands for uninterrupted service. As we like to say, “We have been on your side of the bench.” Another thing that sets us apart is that all of our calibration techs were first biomedical technicians. Our calibration technicians having an in-depth understanding of the devices we calibrate is part of what allows us to provide such superior services.

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR COMPANY’S CORE COMPETENCIES AND UNIQUE SELL ING POINTS?

JOHNSON: Our motto is, “Biomeds helping biomeds.”™ We focus on the biomed market completely, selling test equipment in the Southeast. We have a calibration service where we go in and calibrate that equipment, as well. We don’t just make a sale and leave it. We support and guide our customers through the entire purchase process. Something that makes us unique is that we hire experi enced biomeds and train them in metrolo gy. Our calibration technicians completely understand the job our customers perform because they have done that job previously. It gives us a better perspective and we feel it enhances our customers’ experience.

York to Miami and as far west as New Mexico in the south and Wisconsin in the north. We plan to keep expanding our customer base within this footprint and continue to move west as customer demand allows.

the critical nature of the customer’s needs and with a little over a week’s notice we were able to get a calibration technician onsite to complete their calibrations to ensure they stayed compliant with their Joint Commission requirements.

Eliminate shipping costs Reduce down time Increase productivity

Q: I HEAR THAT SOUTHEASTERN BIOMEDICAL HAS MULTIPLE ISO QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS. CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT FOR OUR READERS?

CAMPBELL: Our quality statement is, “Southeastern Biomedical Associates Inc.’s goal is to provide superior customer service, on-time delivery, and verified order accuracy. We are committed to continu ously improve our company through our quality management system to meet or exceed our customers’ requirements.”

Q: WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON FOR YOUR COMPANY?

JOHNSON: We currently service customers along the East Coast from New

Co-Owner

Q: PLEASE SHARE SOME COMPANY SUCCESS STORIES WITH OUR READERS – ONE TIME THAT YOU “SAVED THE DAY” FOR A CUSTOMER.

CAMPBELL: We had a customer that had an upcoming Joint Commission inspection and their current calibration provider notified them that they would not be able to get to them in time and could only offer the customer their services if they would pack up all their devices and ship to them. We understood

Our quality policy is not just some thing we talk about, but a way of everyday life at Southeastern Biomedical. Quality of service is of the utmost importance. We show our commitment to quality by maintaining both ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 certifications. As part of the quality service, we make sure that we do whatever is necessary to ensure that our customers are able to provide the highest level of service to their facility or customers. If you walk through our facility, you will see this posted in all our work areas as an everyday reminder that we never take shortcuts and always make sure the job is done right every time.

For more information, visit sebiomedical.com.

Boyd Campbell

PROFESSIONAL OF THE MONTH: TYLER TRYON, CBET

Traversing Military and Civilian Skill Sets

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

When a boss nominates an employee for the professional of the month honors, that says it all.

“Tyler is professional and I consistently get positive feedback from the hospital employees he serves. Tyler is a very smart person and has a bright future in this field,” says Tyler Tryon’s boss.

Tryon, CBET, is a TRIMEDX BMET 3 at Saint Luke’s Health Systems in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He has been both a civilian and military biomed and leader.

“I initially found out about the profession when rejoining the military. I wanted a military job that had applicability in the civilian sector with

good future job growth. The Army offered me biomed, and after doing some research, it looked like a job that I would really enjoy,” Tryon says.

He says that he spent 10 months at Shephard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas in military biomed training.

“It was 12 blocks of instruction with a theory portion in the classroom followed up by a ‘lab’ portion where you got hands on the various pieces of equipment,” Tryon says.

“On the civilian side I have been a Biomed 1-3, interim supervisor for a year and lead tech responsible for 41 surgical suites,” he adds.

Tryon says that on the military side, he worked as a technician, nightshift

supervisor, Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in charge — which is similar to a supervisor, Section NCO — similar to an entry-level manager or senior supervisor, Company Maintenance Officer as a Warrant Officer 1 and Chief Warrant Officer 2.

More recently, he served as the maintenance officer responsible for all U.S. Military Medical Equipment Maintenance in Afghanistan, while deployed with the Army Reserves from June 2020 to April 2021.

DEVELOPING EXPERTISE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Of the many projects that Tryon has been a part of, there is one in particu lar that he says was instrumental in his growth as a biomed.

“In 2012, I was the project lead for the installation of all medical equipment in a new intensive care unit (ICU) that was being built. The hospital was looking into using a new vendor for patient monitoring and was installing it in this new construction as a pilot to see how well it would work. This created many challenges as many people are reluctant to change and this system was going to result in drastic changes to staff workflow,” he says.

Tryon says that he worked closely with the installation team taking the time to learn as much about the system as possible. He says that, luckily, the lead installer was willing to teach him.

“My intimate knowledge of how the system functioned, its limitations and how to navigate through the screens allowed me to help develop workflows with staff. While the vendor was onsite to train staff and help develop work flows, my expertise became the defining factor in success of the system,” Tryon says.

He says that an individual can only learn so much at one time, and with staff focused on patient care, he was called on many times to show them how to do something, pull patient history or answer questions regarding the capabili ties of the system.

“This project taught me the impor tance of learning more than just the requirements of your job. There were many times that staff needed my help for what would traditionally not be within my scope of work. If they had to call the vendor clinical support line every time for help, the project would not have been successful. It also allowed me to cross train my co-workers, increasing the knowledge of our entire department. As any experienced biomed knows, your knowledge of a system determines how quickly you can get it

back up and running when there is a problem,” Tryon says.

As a member of biomed leadership in the military, Tryon has also faced the challenge of integrating the skill sets of civilian and military biomeds.

“In June 2020, I deployed to Afghanistan with the Army Reserves. I was the Medical Maintenance Officer in charge of the biomed team that main tained all of the medical equipment in the country with the exception of one hospital maintained by Air Force biomeds. While we all went to the same training, each branch of the military does things differently resulting in different strengths and weaknesses,” he says.

Tryon says that the Air Force individuals were active duty and had only ever worked on military equipment, while all of the Army soldiers were reservists and worked in the civilian world working on a larger variety of equipment.

“Active duty and reservists generally do not work well together due to their differing views on what is ‘right’ due to the differing ways military and civilians do things. The military tends to follow what the OEM says, and only uses OEM parts, while the civilian sector will use third-party parts and tends to use alternative maintenance programs when doing scheduled services. I was able to integrate our two teams together bringing the 11 individual biomeds, with differing skills sets and knowledge, into a single team,” Tryon says.

Tryon was recognized as the Distinguished Honor Graduate from his military biomed school in November 2009.

He is married and has an 11-year-old daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his daughter, lifting weights and watching the Seattle Seahawks.

“I am very passionate about my job and the impact we have on patient care,” Tryon says.

Whether working as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 or BMET 3, Tyler Tryon brings a diverse skill set to the work he does to the benefit of the military and civilian health care systems that depend on him.

GET TO KNOW ME

FAVORITE BOOK: Jack Reacher series

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Top Gun,” both original and new one.

FAVORITE FOOD: Smoked brisket

HIDDEN TALENT : Really good at seeing inefficiencies and improving them.

FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BIOMED? Solving a problem for the customer that improves patient care or makes their job easier.

WHAT’S ON MY BENCH? My cellphone, from which I get all of my work orders and emails. My Pronk safety analyzer and SimSlim patient simulator. Black Rifle Coffee to start my day. Wiha screwdriver set that has changeable drivers for torx, Philips, flat head and hex head options.

- Vital Signs Simulator

ASSOCIATION OF THE MONTH:

Healthcare Technology Management Association of South Carolina (HTMA-SC)

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

The southeastern U.S. offers a num ber of benefits to residents. For the outdoors person, mountains and oceanfront are each within easy reach.

South Carolina is the perfect example of a vacation destination. The state’s shoreline includes beautiful beaches and sea islands. It is a mecca for tourists and adventurers. It is also a favorite destination for golfers. The cities of Myrtle Beach and Charleston offer relaxation, history and views of the ocean.

The state is also home to 108 hospitals, as well as many other health care facilities. With all the retirees and tourists joining the state’s population; convenient quality health care is a must.

The army of healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals required to repair and maintain all of that medical equipment are unified by the state’s biomed association; the Healthcare Technology Management Association of South Carolina

(HTMA-SC).

The group has been around since 2010 and current officers include President Dan Paladino, Vice President Shawn Lease, Treasurers Mary Coker and Aaron Brengleman and Secretary Howard Scarver. Board members include Scott Keker, Nathan Tucker, Steven Helms, Joe Howe and Kaylee McCaffrey.

The organization was originally the South Carolina Biomedical Association (SCBA) and was started by Pat Lynch. He has served on the board of many other HTM associa tions as well.

“It was part of a ground swell movement at the time to develop and strengthen the biomedical community across the nation,” Paladino says.

He says that it HTMA-SC has always offered free membership to biomeds.

“South Carolina is a state with a smaller health care footprint over a large geographical region, so bringing together HTM professionals was not an easy task,” Paladino adds.

Paladino says that the HTMA-SC board holds virtual meetings twice a month and tries to meet in person twice a year, including an annual symposium.

“We are looking to grow into having more in-person meetings in 2022, to include vendors, at unique venues that will include education, food and fun,” he says.

The group also makes scholarship opportunities available to members.

“We provide certification scholar ships for our members. This year was our most successful in awarding four $600 scholarships,” Paladino says.

Currently, the group has a relationship with the College of Biomedical Equipment Technology and is looking to partner with others in the future.

SYMPOSIUM IMPROVEMENTS

Through a name-change and a roster of activities for state biomeds, HTMA-SC has endeavored to recognize the efforts of local HTM professionals and help with the recruitment of new biomeds.

“Annually, there has been an educational symposium – also free. This meeting has given an opportunity for HTM technicians, managers and vendors an opportunity to network and learn. As the organization has grown, changed and survived COVID-19, the original mission of providing an HTM communication touchpoint is still at the heart of the association, known now as Healthcare Technology Management Associa tion-South Carolina. HTMA-SC has grown over the years also – offering scholarships, restructuring the annual meeting and developing learning opportunities outside of the annual meeting,” Paladino says.

He says that the group’s member ship includes many members through out the United States. Paladino encourages all HTM professionals to join an association – be it HTMA-SC or a local group.

“We like to be active in all of our local hospitals. We recognize biomed shops monthly on our social media, and help managers with job postings on our websites and LinkedIn. We also promote our corporate sponsors and vendors on all platforms as their support is a key to our growth and success. HTMA-SC partners with

market leading ISOs and OEMs to provide critical ongoing education for our members,” Paladino says.

A big part of the association’s annual events is its symposium.

“We hold our symposium in Columbia, South Carolina every May. We usually have 80-100 biomeds and 25-30 vendors in attendance. We offer nine training sessions and try to have as many hands-on classes for our attendees as possible. In years past, we’ve had vendors bring in equipment such as C-arms, ultrasounds, injec tors, patient monitors, DR plates, etcetera. Last year was our biggest show yet, and moving into a bigger venue was well received by our attendees. The association continues to grow, and we look forward to having our best symposium ever next year,” Paladino says.

He says that the symposium held in May of 2022 was a pivotal year for the HTMA-SC.

“We ventured into a new venue at the Columbia Convention Center, which impressed both attendees and vendor sponsors. There was plenty of space for our exhibitors, nine educa tional sessions, as well as food, snacks and beverages. As 2022 would have it, we had our keynote speaker, Danielle

McGeary, present virtually and her messaging was received very well by our attendees. Based on our feedback, we believe we will use the same venue again in 2023, but possibly look at refreshing the schedule for exhibitors and educational sessions,” Paladino says.

Biomed associations are an important link in the effort to bring new technicians into the field to replace retiring HTM professionals. This effort also helps grow the association’s membership.

“We have several board members including Aaron Brengleman, Kaylee McCaffrey and Nathan Tucker who have been instrumental in promoting and recruiting for the HTMA-SC via social media. We are also looking to partner with neighboring associations to draw in additional talent and membership,” Paladino says.

In the destination state of South Carolina, the beaches are relaxing, the history rich and the HTM profession is made better, thanks to the HTMASC. It’s a good place to live and a good place to be a biomed.

For more information, visit scba.wildapricot.org.

BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL

HTMA-SC holds virtual meetings and an annual in-person symposium where members benefit from networking, education and more.

COMPANY SHOWCASE

Pronk Technologies

Pronk Technologies’ mission is to serve the healthcare technology management (HTM) community by providing innovative products to refine and streamline the biomedical mainte nance and support process. Biomedical engineers in the field need equipment that is portable, affordable, rugged, reliable, and easy to use. Pronk designs and man ufactures specialized diagnostic tools that are tailored for this environment.

Pronk was founded in 2004 by Karl Ruiter, who attended a California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) meeting to learn about innovations in medical devices that would yield the most benefit for the healthcare sector. The attendees strongly expressed the desire for affordable and portable test equipment designed for their specific needs.

“Attending this meeting redefined our direction as a company to provide test equipment solutions that are the most portable, rugged and easy to use,” Pronk Technologies Vice President of Sales and Marketing Greg Alkire says.

“From the very beginning our focus has been on designing palm-sized test equip ment at an affordable price to bring accuracy, speed and portability for biomedical engineers with the goal of each having their own complete set of test equipment,” he adds. “This provides great flexibility in always having their essential tools available and ready to go. Our BMET

Greg Alkire Vice President of Sales and Marketing

PACK PRO with all the Pronk products and standard accessories achieves this aim. We have also recently developed the Pronk Mobilize option for wireless control and data capture of all test results that brings an even higher level of accuracy plus dramatic gains in speed for biomeds in completing PMs.”

Pronk’s desire and ability to connect with HTM professionals is one reason behind the company’s success and contin ued growth.

“Our success is very much centered on staying connected to the HTM community. We include the HTM community in our design concepts and pre-production product evaluations. We rely on their thoughtful feedback and make design

changes they recommend. This has been very critical to our development of new products,” Alkire explains.

“We really appreciate their goodwill and experience, and we make every effort to support every HTM biomedical association and actively participate in their meetings and symposiums nationwide.”

Pronk’s strong relationship with the HTM community continues to result in innovations and new products, including its Mobilize wireless solution.

“We are excited to expand the capabilities of our portable test equipment products with our new Mobilize wireless solution. This is a breakthrough not only in control and data capture mechanisms, but also in taking the headache out of test procedures,” Alkire says. “Biomedical engineers can now perform service on a medical device while having their procedures on their smart devices that communicate wirelessly to the test equipment. For example, let’s say an electrical safety test sequence is required as part of a test procedure. The biomed using the Mobilize App gets to that step on the procedure and simply presses ‘run’ on the app, which then wirelessly transmits the sequence to the electrical safety analyzer and starts it.

“In this way, our Mobilize procedures are tailored to what the customers’ procedures require and will wirelessly instruct the test equipment to perform the necessary steps.

“All the test results are captured in the

app for a complete, detailed test report. Mobilize also integrates to a CMMS, eliminating the need to manually document the service report information.

“We are continuously innovating in all aspects of our business, including product designs, software solutions and customer service,” he adds. “Our design team includes not only the R&D team, but also customers throughout the nation who generously offer their feedback. In addition, medical device manufacturers contribute toward ensuring that our designs will meet their testing require ments. Having these partners involved early in the research process enables us to sharpen the design and features to ensure they will meet the needs of the market. Having high-quality standards are also very critical to our designs. One of the key design factors is our durability design standard, which requires all products to be field-rugged and operational after drop testing them 50 times from three feet without having any failures. Each product must pass all of these quality standards before we will place it on the market.”

Success often includes overcoming

challenges. Pronk is not immune to obstacles and like many companies was forced to deal with supply chain issues amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Supply chain shortages impacted our industry as a whole. We dealt with this very aggressively, and our manufacturing team worked tirelessly, sourcing all the critical parts needed,” Alkire explains. “This included increasing our own inventory levels to eliminate risks, accommodating new suppliers and parts, and solidifying supplier agreements for better management of parts lead times. All of these efforts paid off, and we were able to maintain our customer commit ments on all product orders with zero interruptions.”

Alkire shared an example of the Pronk mindset when it comes to overcoming obstacles to serve its customers.

“We recently received a large, urgent order for our FlowTrax Multi-function Infusion Pump Analyzer where the customer needed delivery in the most expedited way possible. In order to ensure we met the customer’s needs, we

urgently opened multiple shifts in our manufacturing facility, including a third shift. We pride ourselves in consistently rising to the occasion to complete whatever is necessary to meet our customers’ needs,” he says.

“We have a great team at Pronk, and all of our employees are very critical to our success,” Alkire adds. “One of them is our software design engineer, Van Malan, who specializes in the software development of new products and customer software solutions. He received his engineering degree from the University of California. During his career, Van has been awarded several patents for utilizing embedded comput ers analyzing real world collected data. Van also enjoys amateur ham radio and has an extra class license. He works digital modes to communicate around the world and in local emergency exercises. His passion is to keep inventing new products that produce large utility in a small package.”

For more information, visit pronktech.com.

Work Smarter, Not Harder!

Increase efficiencies by connecting your HTM, facilities, construction, and real estate departments

Use Nuvolo Connected Workplace – built on ServiceNow™ – to connect your people, locations, work, projects, and applications in one software solution.

When you eliminate silos and disparate systems, your hospital’s support teams can share information and work seamlessly together to create and maintain an exceptional patient experience.

Learn more and schedule a demo at: www.nuvolo.com/industry/healthcare

DEPARTMENT OF THE MONTH:

The South Texas Health System HTM Department

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

The Rio Grande Valley spans the southern-most tip of Texas and portions of northern Mexico. It is a river delta benefiting agricultural production. The population of the Rio Grande Valley is more than 1.3 million, with Hidalgo County (Texas) account ing for the largest portion. Two wildlife refuges, a state park and South Padre Island attract tourists to the area.

Many “winter Texans” travel to the area during the winter months to enjoy the temperate climate and Spring-breakers flock to South Padre Island on an annual basis.

This ebb and flow of the area’s population requires a robust health care capability. This demand is met by health care clinics and hospitals in McAllen, Harlingen and Brownsville, Texas.

Among the most important health care providers in the Rio Grande Valley is South Texas Health System. The multi-hospital system has facili ties in Edinburg, Weslaco, McAllen,

Alamo and Mission, Texas. The system, or its facilities, are distinguished by a list of “firsts.” It includes the first facility to offer private behavioral health inpatient treatment in the Rio Grande Valley. It boasts the first neonatal surgery center in the Valley. It was home to the first designated Level II Trauma Center in Hidalgo County and the first and only freestanding hospital for children in the Rio Grande Valley.

South Texas Health System McAllen is a 441-bed hospital and was the first Level II Trauma Center for Hidalgo County. The hospital is now awaiting the State of Texas’ Level I Trauma Center designation after being verified as such by the American College of Surgeons. STHS McAllen is also a comprehensive stroke center and an accredited chest pain center. The hospital offers specialized services in maternity, neurosurgery, orthopedics and provides services to area veterans.

Four of the system’s facilities, McAllen, Heart, Edinburg and Children’s are equipped with helipads.

South Texas Health System is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS).

The system’s healthcare technology management department includes 13 members. The group’s director is Monica Garcia, CBET.

Other members include Senior Technician Hector Garza, CBET; Senior Technician Jose Garza, CBET; MSET III Antonio Garces, CBET; MSET III Joe Jackson, CBET; MSET II Christopher Rodriguez, CBET; MSET I Josue Lopez, CBET; MSET I Pablo Vallejo; MSET I Rogelio Tapia; MSET Miguel Gamboa; MSET Luciano Lopez; MSET Jeremiah Rodriguez; and MSET Omar Muniz.

Garza and Garces are imaging specialists. Jackson specializes in anes thesia and ultrasound. Lopez and Vallejo specialize in injectors and ventilators. Gamboa specializes in anesthesia. Garces also services heart/ lung bypass systems.

The team manages surgical instruments and endoscope mainte nance and repairs as well as managing

pharmacy and laboratory fume hood, surgery trace gas analysis and genera tor annual boiler inspections.

The department also manages redeployment of medical equipment. “HTM works alongside with IT and PACS for all EMR integration (imag ing, ultrasound, infusion, monitoring and ECG),” Garcia says.

BRINGING IN EQUIPMENT FOR THE PANDEMIC

The department has taken on projects related to an expansion and to address the challenges of the pandemic. It has also been involved in a large infusion pump project.

“HTM provides the system with life cycle report from our CMMS and assists with capital recommendations and PO requests. HTM rotates daily/ weekly rounds in all departments and facilities. HTMs presence out in the patient care environment is vital to improve patient care,” Garcia says.

She says that the department supports operational planning via weekly hazardous surveillance rounds

at all sites.

One current project is a new $100 million five-story tower (enhanced ER, ICU and rehab departments) at South Texas Health System Edinburg. The tower added 59 patient beds, 16 private treatment bays in the ER and 16 beds in the ICU. It has space for an additional 55 beds.

“HTM has provided support to UHS accounts; Doctors Hospital in Laredo, Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center Eagle Pass and Northern Sierra in Reno Nevada,” Garcia says.

The team has also been involved in a biomedical device integration (BMDI) infusion project. The task involved CareAware-Cerner Integra tion on BD Carefusion 2000 infusion pumps, software updates and QR code creation for each device.

“The infusion project continued with the 400 physiologic monitors and with the integration on 170 vital signs monitors Philips VS4’s and Masimo Roots,” Garcia says.

Garcia says that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t hit Hidalgo County until after the Fourth of July holiday in 2020.

“HTM worked alongside support departments with the startup of COVID-19 units with the relocation and programming of monitoring equipment. HTM managed the sourcing of over 2,000 rental and state-owned medical equipment (ventilators, physiologic monitors, patient beds, high-flow humidifiers, infusion pumps, etcetera) for our system’s three hospitals and included all our free-standing ERs,” she says.

Garcia says that since the onset of COVID-19, the department has added four full-time employees.

“In the last two years, HTM has shown a 53 percent reduction in contract costs by removing imaging,” Garcia says.

This biomed team in the tip of Texas keeps medical devices repaired and running in order to handle any challenge.

THE BIOMEDICAL/HTM PROFESSIONAL

Pictured from left to right are South Texas Health System HTM Department members: Hector Garza, Joe Jackson, Roger Tapia, Miguel Gamboa, Josue Lopez, Antonio Garces, Christopher Rodriguez, Jeremiah Rodriguez, Pablo Vallejo, Luciano Lopez, and Joey Garza.

NEWS & NOTES

Updates from the HTM Industry

MD EXPO HOUSTON, BALTIMORE MIXER ANNOUNCED

MD Publishing, the parent company of TechNation and MD Expo, is bringing back HTM Mixers! Biomeds should mark their calendars for May 11-12, 2023, to attend the next HTM Mixer at the Turf Valley Resort in Baltimore, Maryland.

What are HTM Mixers?

Think of them as MD Expo 2.0 – a slightly modified, small er, shorter-duration and less-crowded event that still provides valuable continuing education, networking and vendor engagement opportunities.

HTM Mixers were created during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic when larger events were not possible. The mixers were a hit and served as a regional conference for HTM professionals eager to earn continuing education credits, explore solutions in an exhibit hall and network with peers.

The HTM Mixer is supported by The Baltimore Medical Engineering and Technician Society (BMETS).

For more information about the Baltimore HTM Mixer, visit baltimore.htmmixer.com.

MD Publishing is coming off a very successful MD Expo in Southern California that attracted more than 700 HTM professionals. More events are scheduled for 2023.

Healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals from throughout the country are invited to attend the next MD Expo. Next is a stop in Texas – where everything is bigger.

The spring 2023 MD Expo is set for April 11-13 in Houston, Texas. The conference is accepting presentation

April 11–13, 2023 • Houston, TX

submissions with registration set to open this month.

HTM professionals can’t afford to miss MD Expo and its top-notch continuing education, packed exhibit hall and unique networking events.

MD Expo strives to provide HTM professionals with a unique, intimate and rewarding conference second to none. Clinical engineers, biomedical technicians, directors, manag ers, procurement/asset managers and others responsible for medical technology will gather in a one-of-a-kind warm and welcoming environment to network with peers, learn the latest technologies and advances in HTM. Find out what everyone has been talking about; this is one event you can’t afford to miss!

Highlights include:

• Industry-leading speakers covering the hottest topics in HTM, compliance, IT, cybersecurity, management and equipment service

• The industry’s most unique networking events to connect and share best practices with other leading HTM profes sionals

• World-class exhibit hall with the latest technology, products and services

The 2023 fall MD Expo is slated for magical Orlando, Florida in 2023.

For more information about MD Expo and to sign up for the newsletter visit MDExpoShow.com.

ECRI ANALYSIS: HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ARE MAIN TARGET OF RACIAL INCIDENTS

An analysis of race-related patient safety reports by ECRI, the nation’s largest nonprofit patient safety organization, shows that both patients and health care providers are frequently on the receiving end of inappropriate comments about race.

A review of more than 500 patient safety incidents related to race showed that 57% were related to patients making inappro priate racial comments or engaging in racist behavior. Racist incidents committed by staff were the focus of 42% of reported incidents.

“As health systems implement diversity, equity, and inclusion plans, the needs of providers of color must be taken into account, as well as those of patients,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, Ph.D., president and CEO at ECRI. “Creating an equitable and safe environment requires recognizing when racist incidents occur and taking action in response.”

ECRI experts say experiencing repeated race-related safety incidents can have an extremely negative effect on providers’ mental health. They may consider leaving health care, a particularly acute threat to hospitals and health systems that are currently experiencing serious staffing shortages.

ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO analyzed a full year of events related to racial or ethnic minority groups and sorted each incident into seven categories:

1. Patient/family making inappropriate comments regarding race or ethnicity: 56%

2. Patient claiming that others are racist or engaged in racist behavior: 22%

3. Patient/family reporting disparate care because of patient/family race or ethnicity: 9%

4. Staff making inappropriate comments regarding race or ethnicity: 7%

5. Staff reporting management or supervisor discriminat ing against them: 4%

6. Patient requesting for provider or staff member based on race or ethnicity: 1%

7. Interpretation or translation services not provided: 1%

“This analysis provides a snapshot into the experiences of racial and ethnic minority groups at every level of care delivery,” adds Dheerendra Kommala, MD, chief medical officer at ECRI. “More needs to be done. ECRI is working with health care institutions to set up organizational procedures to identify, report, and resolve these issues.”

ECRI’s Deep Dive: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Healthcare report details a three-tiered approach to help health systems understand, detect, and reduce disparities and race-related safety events. To learn more, visit www.ecri.org.

FORMER ACCE PRESIDENT DIES IN COLUMBIA

The American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) honored a former president on its website and Facebook page recently posting, “Our Tribute to ACCE’s Former President, Mentor, Colleague, Friend, a Leader to the U.S./International CE Community

Mario Alberto Castañeda Peña

May 20, 1944 - October 01, 2022

ACCE President, 2010 - 2012

Sadly, on October 1, 2022, former ACCE President passed away in Bogota, Colombia at the age of 78. Mario worked for

RSTI NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF SALES OPERATIONS

RSTI has added Kim Rowland as its new director of sales opera tions – connecting Nashville to Cleveland!

“We look forward to combining RSTI’s time-tested approach (37-plus years) for the highest quality, diagnostic imaging training, with Kim‘s 18-plus years of relevant industry experience. Kim’s knowledge and skill set will be a perfect addition to continue our industry-leading training program and imaging parts offerings –growth,” RSTI Training CEO Todd Boyland, CRES, CPSM, said. “We appreciate you helping us in welcoming her aboard!”

over 30 years at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California including many years as the Director of their Clinical Technology Group.

Mario was the founder and president of HealthTek, an international health care technology consulting firm. His rich experience and passion for improving health care tehcnology spans more than 40 years.

Rest in Peace, Mario. Your legacy in Clinical Engineering and Healthcare Technology Managment lives on through the work of all of us who are following in your footsteps.”

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GE FILES FORM 10 REGISTRATION STATEMENT

GE has filed a Form 10 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the planned spin-off of its health care division, to be called GE HealthCare. A copy of the Form 10 is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and can also be viewed on www.ge.com/investor-relations/ sec-filings.

GE Chairman and CEO and GE Aerospace CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr., said, “GE HealthCare is an estab lished leader in large, growing markets with a global franchise that is positioned to deliver patient, customer, and shareholder value. As a result of its planned spin-off, GE HealthCare will have greater focus and flexibility to serve its customers and invest in growth, and this filing is an important step on that journey.”

GE HealthCare CEO Peter Arduini said, “This is a milestone day for the GE HealthCare team, who is dedicated to our mission to create a world where health care has no limits. We believe we have a clear path to deliver precision innovation for our customers and their patients while accelerating growth and optimizing our business as a standalone company.”

The Form 10 includes detailed information about GE HealthCare, including an overview of its business and strategy, historical financial information, and competitive advantages, among other details. Key information detailed in the Form 10 demonstrates how GE HealthCare expects to drive industry-leading precision innovation to deliver better outcomes for patients and customers, with significant opportunities driven by digitizing health care; connecting care across diagnostics, therapy, and monitoring; and serving across care pathways and sites of care.

It has states that it plans to accelerate growth through product leadership and commercial execution. Amid strong global and end-market dynamics, GE HealthCare intends to invest in innovation, pursue a disciplined capital allocation strategy, and enhance its commercial execution to drive sustainable growth.

It states that it wants to optimize its operating model through a simplified, more decentralized structure – including tailoring its business model as a standalone leader in health care, leveraging lean principles, and continuing to foster its purpose-driven, action-oriented culture.

GE HealthCare will be organized into four business segments aligned with the industries it serves: Imaging; Ultrasound; Patient Care Solutions; and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics.

Lighting the Way in Xenon Innovation

Excelitas Technologies has been setting the industry standard with our Cermax® Xenon light sources for more than four decades. The Cermax heritage of continual improvement, superior engineering, and broad technical expertise has produced the widest array of innovative Xenon-based lighting products available today. From our ground-breaking ceramic-body designs, to the robust and super-quiet metal-body VQ lamps, Cermax has consistently provided fresh, unique solutions for the most challenging medical lighting applications. Recognized for its high-intensity, perfect-white, light output, Cermax is used in over 90% of hospitals worldwide for critical illumination in endoscopy, headlamps, and demanding microsurgical procedures.

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MD Expo SoCal

‘Exceeded All Expectations’

BY JOHN WALLACE

MD Expo experienced a return to pre-COVID numbers at the fall conference in Southern California with almost 800 people in attendance. The signature MD Publishing event included 427 attendees and a total of 791 professionals from the healthcare technology manage ment (HTM) industry at the Pechanga Casino & Resort in Temecula, California.

MD Publishing President John Krieg was amazed by the continued industry support for the MD Expo from students beginning their path to a biomed career all the way to C-suite level executives at health care systems and leading companies.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made hosting in-person conferences very difficult. MD Expo SoCal marked a return to pre-pandemic atten dance levels.

“This was an extra special MD Expo for multitude of reasons,” Krieg said.

He listed those reasons as:

▪ First time back in SoCal since the pandemic, where we had one scheduled for April 2020.

First MD Expo where numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels, from total attendees (almost 800) including exhibitors (125+) and sponsors.

▪

▪ One of the best educational line-ups, keynote speakers, variety of exhibit hall vendors, and finale party entertainment, all of which felt like it was back to normal again!

Krieg also alluded to the excitement in the air as hundreds of HTM professionals came together for educational sessions, networking and an exhibit hall offering some of the best solutions from around the industry.

“The energy, environment and overall attitude was beyond exciting,” he said. “We could not be happier with the turnout! See you at ICE in February in Nashville and in April for MD Expo Houston!”

MD Publishing Vice President Kristin Leavoy, CMP, echoed Krieg.

“MD Expo SoCal exceeded all expectations for a successful event! We are so thankful to be able to return to southern California and to pre-COVID attendance numbers,” Leavoy said.

The conference was a huge success

with top-notch educational sessions, a sold out and packed exhibit hall and signature networking events that included the final night party – Lars-a-palooza, sponsored by ShopMedParts.com. The concert featured the Main Squeeze – an American funk band from Bloomington, Indiana.

The educational offerings included subject matter experts presenting on pertinent topics including right to repair, imaging, leadership, staffing and more. The 2022 MD Expo SoCal event was approved for up to 7.5 CEUs by the AAMI Credentials Institute (ACI).

Norton Healthcare DME Quality Engineer (ISO 13485 Leader) Mark Cooksey was blown away by MD Expo.

“MD Expo celebrates healthcare technology management with excellent educational topics that are important to everyone in the field. The training presentations cover a variety of topics ranging from highly detailed repair practices to more broad topics and trends related to the industry’s ‘right to repair.’ The best part is that the presenters share examples of what works in their organiza tions not just theory,” Cooksey said when asked how he would describe MD Expo.

“The MD Expo vendors offer excellent education related to their goods and services. MD Expo celebrates HTM through excellent motivational keynote speakers. Finally, MD Expo celebrates HTM through its themed parties where you can create connections to leaders from all over the country.”

Cooksey struggled when asked to talk about his favorite aspect of MD Expo.

“It’s tough to pick a favorite part because everything was so well planned and executed,” he said. “As a new leader in HTM, the training sessions were my favorite parts of MD Expo. TechNation does a terrific job of vetting the presenters so that participants get the most from the experience.”

When asked to describe MD Expo in three words, Cooksey said, “Celebration, Education, Connection.”

Tedd Koh from Olive View UCLA Medical Center agreed.

“MD Expo is a very informative event for HTM to make networking, get new concepts of technologies,” Koh said.

“MD Expo is an excellent source of information for HTM professionals,” added Ronald Wood, a biomed technician with Kaiser Permanente, Zion MC San Diego, California.

Medygate Inc. CEO Dariush Yaghoubi also shared positive feedback.

“MD Expo is a great professional setting to find reliable resources, find solutions to pending technical issues and see your old colleagues and friends,” Yaghoubi said.

ETALONS-Mexico Director Roberto Benitez went even further in his praise.

“MD Expo is the best medical expo in the U.S.A.,” Benitez said.

MD Publishing is busy planning its next conferences.

The 2023 Imaging Conference and Expo (ICE) is set for Nashville, Tennessee, in February. Find out more at AttendICE.com.

The spring 2023 MD Expo will be held in Houston, Texas. The 2023 fall MD Expo is slated for magical Orlando, Florida.

For more information about MD Expo and/or sign up for the newsletter visit MDExpoShow.com.

– Tedd Koh

“MD Expo is a very informative event for HTM to make networking, get new concepts of technologies.”

Signature networking events and a packed exhibit hall were among the benefits awaiting HTM professionals at MD Expo.

RIBBON CUTTING

Capital i

Capital i LLC is a privately owned healthcare technology manage ment (HTM) solutions company established in 2018 and based in Springfield, Missouri. It is a Ser vice-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) which aims to provide world-class health care to the nation’s servicemembers and veterans through the implementation of effec tive HTM solutions. Capital i’s founders have over 70 years of experience in HTM spanning biomedical and imaging maintenance, data normalization and analysis, program management, equipment planning, information sys tems development and integration and executive-level leadership.

Capital i is dedicated to supporting the three pillars of health care with support from a first-class team of leaders, experts and analysts. Together, the company strives to reduce the cost of health care, increase quality of care and increase access to care. The goal is to help clients optimize their operations and capital spending to achieve all three. TechNation recently learned more about the company from Capital i LLC CEO Tony Danko.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SERVICES AND PRODUCTS YOU OFFER?

A: At Capital i, we provide a full menu of HTM solutions. We assist our clients with developing strategy

Tony Danko CEO

for enterprise solutions as well as augmenting their BMET staff at local facilities. We have senior consultants and analysts that can help your HTM program drill down to the root causes of your challenges and assist with helping you achieve your HTM goals. Our data normalization and master data management offering is a great place for many organizations to start. We scrub through your data and provide you with a clean data set for your organization to gain efficiencies to meet the increasing demand of patient care while having resources squeezed.

most dangerous environments in the world. Our experience started with us on the bench as BMETs and progressed to the most strategic positions in the Department of Defense. We are a small business with the ability to tailor our solutions to fit any HTM need.

Q: WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON FOR YOUR COMPANY?

A: We have turned our focus to supporting the non-federal HTM organization. We are always hiring BMETs and HTM in all phases of their careers. We are focused on growing the field of BMETs with entry-level positions, while providing an opportunity to grow and advance in the HTM career field.

Q: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE OUR READERS TO KNOW?

A: Capital i is always interested in partnering with health systems, other ISOs and individuals to build the best team to support an HTM client’s goals.

For more information, visit www.capitali.us.

Q:

HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY STAND OUT IN THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FIELD?

A: Capital i was founded by U.S. Army veteran BMETs. We have supported HTM programs in the

AAMI UPDATE

Shades of Gray: New AAMI Report Offers Guidance for Medical Equipment Service Responsibilities

BY HEATHER JOHNSON

When a fetal monitoring system goes down in the middle of the night, who do you call? Too often, no one knows for sure. That’s why AAMI’s Technology Management Council (TMC) recently strove to help healthcare technology management (HTM) leaders resolve confusion regarding the “gray areas” of responsi bility for hospital devices.

survey were compiled into a compre hensive report.

“Service responsibility has shifted between HTM, IT and facilities as technology has become more com plex,” Busdicker added. “Devices that used to be considered furniture or non-medical equipment have become clinical devices or equipment.”

inventory control issues.

“In the 40 years that I’ve been in the industry, medical equipment gray areas have been a topic of discussion and an area of confusion,” said Mike Busdicker, CHTM, FACHE, system director, clinical engineering at Intermountain Healthcare. “The TMC Committee saw this as an opportunity to shed light on existing practices and provide baseline guidance.”

To help health care facilities define the scope of inspection, testing and maintenance responsibilities for various medical products, the TMC surveyed leadership representing nearly 200 HTM departments across North America to understand where equipment service responsibilities commonly lie. The results of the

Hospital beds, for example, now connect to electronic medical record systems and contain integrated sensors and software to monitor patients’ movement, weight and other data. In years past, few HTM departments would have serviced hospital beds. Today, about 60% of HTM departments take responsibility for this evolving example of medical equipment, according to the survey.

PATIENT SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE CONCERNS

Regardless of the reason for the gray areas, lack of clarity around equip ment service can cause confusion, frustration and wasted time among busy clinicians. Depending on the product at issue, “passing the buck” potentially extends downtime, which leads to patient safety, regulatory compliance, incident response and

“A malfunctioning desk printer may not cause an adverse outcome, but if a patient lift isn’t working properly, and you have a patient in that room, the malfunction could result in clinicians not mobilizing or rotating that patient at the right time,” said AAMI’s Vice President of HTM Danielle McGeary, CHTM. “That’s one reason responsibility needs to be clearly defined and documented – so we’re not spending precious time figuring this out.”

Because medical equipment falls under mandates of the U.S. federal agency the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), extended downtime of this equipment could affect accreditation. During an audit on behalf of CMS, the Joint Commis sion (TJC) review responsibility agreements and other documentation related to equipment service.

“At the end of the day we’re here for the patient,” said McGeary. “If equipment breaks on Christmas morning, facilities should have a documented plan in place that identifies who should come in and service that equipment.”

WHAT THE RESULTS SHOW

The TMC compiled a list of more than 45 types of medical and non-medical equipment that tend to fall into gray areas. The committee then asked HTM leaders surveyed to select the department responsible for these products. Respondents also had the opportunity to list additional equipment excluded from the list.

Some results came as no surprise. For example, more than 80% of those surveyed reported freezers and fridges for patient food are strictly within the court of the facilities department. Other equipment, however, was more contentious. Both hospital nursery cameras and gaming systems for patient use, for instance, were notably split between HTM, facilities, IT, security or other depart ments.

With help from the Joint Commis sion, the TMC also classified each type of equipment into medical equip ment, utility and other categories. “It was helpful for TJC to provide standardized nomenclature and terminology to the report, specifically within the medical equipment and utility components chapters, which

address direct links to Joint Commis sion standards and elements of performance,” said Herman McKen zie, director of TJC’s Department of Engineering in the Standards Interpre tation Group. “The document will help healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals become better aware of how health care equipment fixtures and devices are managed by health care organizations.”

HOW HTM LEADERS CAN USE THE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

The TMC committee developed the report as a resource for the HTM industry and not as a recommenda tion of service responsibilities. It serves as a guide to help HTM, facilities and other health care leaders standardize their own processes. It may also help rsource-strapped HTM departments take the lead in redefin ing responsibilities if they choose.

“The report may help them justify what they should and shouldn’t be servicing,” said McGeary. “The survey results give them data to back their claim.”

The report makes clear that written documentation of equipment

service responsibility is essential to ensure patient safety and compliance. Regardless of how health care facilities allocate responsibility, “it is imperative to have written policy defining departmental roles and responsibilities for these devices and systems,” the report states.

The TMC committee also recom mends health care facilities review and update their equipment service responsibility document periodically. To help inform those updates, the TMC committee intends to conduct more gray area surveys in the future.

“We intend to resurvey the field to see how things change over time,” said McGeary. “Depending on the response, it may trigger another project. We’d also like to hear success stories on how HTM leaders have used this information to structure equipment responsibilities. We’ve had a lot of interest from the field so far and anticipate this report will be welcomed by the field.”

Members of AAMI can down load Gray Areas of Equipment Service in HTM for free from AAMI ARRAY.

ECRI UPDATE Emerging Technologies for Home Cardiac Monitoring

As health care shifts more and more into the home setting, cor responding shifts are occurring in the medical device landscape. New technologies are entering the market and gaining in popularity; but will they replace older technologies, supple ment them or fade from use? Health technology managers need to keep abreast of the changes. Home-based cardiac monitoring is one area that has been evolving rapidly.

For patients with a suspected cardiac condition, a physician may decide that one or more types of home cardiac monitoring might be useful in diagno sis. Traditional technologies, such as Holter monitors and event recorders, have been around for decades and continue to be used. But new monitor ing devices, including some consumer products, are seeing increased use.

TRADITIONAL HOME CARDIAC MONITORS

Holter monitors, event monitors and loop recorder s are common options for home cardiac monitoring. These devices vary in the method of applica tion, the amount of data they collect

and the manner in which the data is shared with health care providers.

A Holter monitor is an ambulatory ECG monitor that uses three to 12 leads. The patient wears the electrodes and an attached electronic recording device for the duration of monitoring, which typically lasts two to four days. Data is recorded continuously and is analyzed once the recorder is returned at the end of monitoring.

An event monitor is similar to a Holter monitor, except instead of recording a few days of continuous data, the monitor is worn for up to several weeks and records data only when an event occurs. Event recordings can be triggered automatically (using an algorithm), patient-initiated (typically with a button) or both. Recorded events can include a window of time before and after the trigger occurs. Typically, event monitors store fewer than 10 events. Recorded events may be sent to a physician or ECG technician for immediate analysis or transmitted daily via a telephone line, cellular connection or the Internet.

The term loop recorder is usually used to describe a type of event monitor that is implanted next to the

patient’s heart. These devices record continuously on a relatively small amount of memory, overwriting data as needed. The system has two elements: the implanted monitor and a bridge device that communicates wirelessly with the monitor. When an event is detected, either automatically by an algorithm or by patient activa tion (using a button on the bridge device), the system captures the current data as well as data from a few minutes before and after the event. Data is downloaded from the implanted device to the bridge device, which passes the data to the clinician electronically. One common setup is to have the bridge device at the patient’s bedside so any captured loops can be automatically downloaded from the loop recorder every night and sent to the clinician. Loop recorders have to be explanted at the end of the monitoring period.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: FROM HOME TELEMETRY TO SMARTWATCHES

In addition to the traditional technol ogies, newer options like those described below are also available. Significantly, some of these newer devices can be purchased directly by

the consumer – “and that creates challenges for health care providers,” notes Brad Bonnette, a senior project officer in ECRI’s Device Evaluation group. “Organizations have little insight into the condition of the device, the patient’s ability to use it correctly, and ultimately the quality of the information that is made available to the clinician.”

Mobile cardiac outpatient teleme try, or MCOT, refers to a telemetry monitor designed to work in the home setting. It uses three  to 12 leads that are connected to a transmitter the patient wears for the duration of the study (typically up to 30 days). When an event is detected, either by an algorithm or by the patient (who presses an event button on the recorder), data is transmitted wire lessly (typically over the cellular network) from the telemetry trans mitter on the patient to a service center, where experienced monitor technicians analyze the data in real time and respond as necessary. Some MCOT systems can also act as a Holter monitor, recording all ECG data over the course of monitoring and storing that data locally for analysis once the unit is returned.

ECG patches are a newer alterna tive to Holter monitors. Like a traditional Holter, an ECG patch typically records three leads and is worn for the duration of monitoring (usually 2 to 4 days, though some devices can record up to 14 days), and data is recorded continuously and analyzed once the recorder is re turned. Unlike with a traditional Holter, the electrodes and recorder

are one component, which is affixed directly to the patient’s chest via an adhesive patch. The patch can be worn while the patient showers or sleeps. When monitoring is complet ed, the patient removes the patch and mails it to the vendor for analysis. The report is then forwarded to the ordering physician. Some ECG patches have an event button that places a marker in the recording.

Smartp hone-enabled ECG moni tors are FDA-cleared medical devices that can be purchased over the counter and that integrate with a smartphone application. The device is self-contained and comprises two or three electrodes. When the patient detects symptoms, they launch the application and touch the device’s electrodes with a finger from each hand to record a one-lead ECG. If the device has three electrodes, the patient can touch their left leg with the third electrode to record a six-lead ECG. The phone records an ECG for 30 seconds to two minutes, and an arrhythmia detection algo rithm analyzes the waveform and alerts the patient to any abnormali ties. From the application, the patient can email a PDF report, including the ECG waveform, to a clinician. Since the handheld device is purchased outright from the vendor (and typically costs $130 or less) and the application is free, the patient can use the system as long as they want.

Medical smartwatches are con sumer devices that offer nonmedical applications along with one or more FDA-cleared medical applications. A medical smartwatch pairs with a

smartphone for added functionality. The smartwatch is worn on the wrist and has two electrodes for recording a one-lead ECG. Typically, one electrode is on the underside of the watch, in constant contact with the wrist wearing the device. The other electrode is on the front face or side(s) of the watch. When the patient detects symptoms, they launch the smartwatch application and touch the front-facing electrode(s) with one or more fingers from the other hand.

The watch records an ECG for 30 seconds, and an arrhythmia detection algorithm analyzes the waveform and alerts the patient to any abnormali ties. From the paired smartphone, the patient can email a PDF report, including the ECG waveform, to a clinician. As with a smartphone-en abled ECG monitor, the smartwatch is purchased outright from the vendor, and the patient can use the system indefinitely.

TO LEARN MORE . . .

This article is adapted from ECRI’s “Home Cardiac Monitoring Technologies: A Comparison,” (Device Evaluation 2022 Aug 31). Members of ECRI’s Capital Guide, Device Evaluation, and associated programs can access the complete article, along with ECRI’s evaluations of – and product ratings for – related technologies. To learn more about membership, visit www.ecri.org/ solutions/device-evaluations, or contact ECRI by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891, or by e-mail at clientservices@ecri.org.

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BIOMED 101 Time to Upgrade?

BY JAMES LINTON

Today’s world of HTM is very different from the one I remem ber entering nearly 20 years ago. You see, back then it was common for someone to take a 2- or 3-year college course in biomed and quickly find a job in just that; an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday biomed bench tech job. Yet, over time, some of this has changed including the industry itself.

Those Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. jobs at a bench are still out there and they are great places to spend an entire amazingly fulfilling career. As the industry has grown and sprawled into new uncharted territory such as cybersecurity, 3D printing and virtual reality so to have the roles of the once simple biomed. Biomeds now are being increasingly asked to take on new tasks with different technology, expectations and responsibilities. In fact, many HTM staff are now able to move into senior leadership roles that in the past were unheard of. Due to this increasing reliance on medical technology, the changes in medical technology include the need for those in leadership roles to understand this HTM language that many simply never paid attention to in the past.

Due to these HTM and health

care industry changes, general biomeds increasingly are faced with a need to adapt and upgrade. Yes, just as we upgrade our test equip ment to the latest and greatest every few years we need to face the facts that upgrading no longer means just completing more vendor training courses. Biomeds, now more than ever, need to upgrade themselves and their skill sets in a whole new way with focuses on areas that HTM simply wasn’t able to venture into in the past. Now you could say, “Well, I’m happy being a bench tech BME because I make a difference.” And that’s true 100 percent, you make a positive difference everyday. Could we not say the same thing about that 10-year-old defib analyzer sitting in your shop right now?

What do you think would happen to it if suddenly the industry moves away from mono/biphasic shock into some new unforeseen realm? It would be gone! Now, if it was able to upgrade itself, I assume it would because it, like a bench tech, loves contributing to the local communi ty’s health care system, but it can’t. The good news is you can!

So, in an ever changing HTM world with a new “post-pandemic” landscape I implore you to consider the 10-year-old analyzer and its fate.

James Linton

Better yet, think of the chance you have right now to not only enter these newer HTM fields but lead them! For example, as a professor of BME I teach my students the basics of all these new areas. I use virtual reality to assist doing so. Here’s the kicker though, I used VR technology for a grand total of six months before being asked to sit on my first VR expert panel. These are fantastic times if you’re a BME who is able to adapt or eager to “upgrade.” If you’re not, then well I mean the dinosaurs made a comeback when they didn’t adapt to a changing landscape right? Just less of an alive form and more in movie form.

– James Linton , MiM, PmP, Cmbb, AAMIF, is a professor and Coordinator of the Biomedical Engineering Technology at St. Clair College.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE AAMI Healthcare Technology Management Manual

The Healthcare Technology Management Manual is the successor to the Medical Equipment Management Manual. Although previous editions, which were published under a different title, focused on regulatory compliance, the eighth edition covers “all aspects of running a successful HTM department,” from accreditation and standards to HTM opera tions, personnel, and services, according to author Al Gresch, vice president of client success at Accruent.

“Financial pressures in health care today require greater business acumen and good people management concepts to be successful and bring maximum value to your organization,” Gresch said. “In addition to information about regulatory compliance, this edition also provides guidance on department operations and lays the foundation to achieve a higher level of financial and operational performance. It offers recommended practices for developing highly competent, engaged, and productive staff, as well as strategies to help minimize the cost of maintaining the equipment inventory you support.”

For more information, visit https://my.aami.org/store/.

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WEBINAR WEDNESDAY Presenters Share HTM Knowledge

STAFF REPORT

The Webinar Wednesday presen tation “Every Byte Counts – Why Device Detail is the Foundation for Effective Network Security” was eligible for 1 credit from the ACI. Medigate by Claroty sponsored the free webinar.

HTM professionals are tasked with determining the best controls to secure networked connected medical devices. In this webinar, Medigate Solutions Engineer Greg Thomas and Cisco Healthcare Business Solutions Architect Johnathan “Ross” Sweetzir discussed the risks posed from the explosion in connectivity between the cyber and physical worlds.

The best practices in asset manage ment and security are converging around a healthcare-specialized approach to Zero Trust or Least Privilege. In other words, “limit each device’s communication to that which is required to complete its designated function.”

In this webinar, the presenters explained this complex topic into basic, understandable components. They shared the challenges, requirements and solutions essential for HTM professionals to successfully implement this crucial control.

Attendees were also able to ask specific questions during a ques tion-and-answer session. One question was, “How can this joint solution help reduce the cost of managing our medical devices?”

The complete webinar with all of the question-and-answer session is available for on-demand viewing at WebinarWednesday.live.

Attendees provided feedback via a survey that included the question, “Why did you attend today’s webinar?”

“CEUs and to keep up with the constantly changing medical field,” said Lorie Johnson, certified biomed techni cian at a Stanford Children’s Hospital

“Continuously learning more about cybersecurity,” Hoag Hospital Newport Beach Biomedical Engineering Manager Joseph Trujillo said.

“To work with IT on medical equipment cybersecurity,” Nebraska Methodist Hospital Biomed Risk Compliance Manager Paul Collett said.

UTILIZATION OF SECURITY TOOLS

The October 12 Webinar Wednesday presentation “Exploring the Utilization of Security Tools in a Complex Health care System” was presented by HSS Network and Cybersecurity Analyst Dylan Winthers and Cynerio Security Evangelist Chad Holmes. The HSS-sponsored webinar was eligible for 1 credit from the ACI.

Winthers discussed best practices, strategies and projects to better secure data in a health care environment. Attendees gained insights regarding the importance of a security program and how to recognize challenges. The webinar also delivered information about the tools for success and an outline of a successful security program.

During a question-and-answer session, one attendee asked, “If we’re just getting started with securing medical devices, where should we start?”

The presenters said, “make sure, as you’re going through the exercise of discovering all the devices, make sure you

understand how that will extend to protecting them, because just an invento ry, without clear next steps, is something where you know the devices that will be attacked. You just don’t know how to protect them.”

The complete Q&A session is available as part of an on-demand recording of the webinar at WebinarWednesday.live.

Attendees provided feedback about the webinar via a survey that included the question, “What was the single biggest takeaway from today’s webinar?”

“The importance of protecting hospital and patient information,” Crothall Health Biomedical Tech David Scott said.

“Despite much effort on the biomed’s part, hospitals and IT departments are not using them properly for cybersecuri ty,” Advent Health Senior Biomed Robin Faut said.

“Covered information we are working with, so I feel we are on the right track,” said Lino Munoz, BMET II, Trimedx.

REPLACEMENT PLANNING

The Webinar Wednesday session

“Challenges of Clinical Equipment Replacement Planning – An Objective and Simple Approach” sponsored by Nuvolo was eligible for 1 credit from the ACI.

Nuvolo Vice President of Healthcare Industry Solutions Heidi Horn, Nuvolo Executive Solution Consultant Dustin Smith and Nuvolo Product Manager Olga

Leskova-Benitez were co-presenters for this informative session.

Determining which clinical devices need to be replaced, when they need to be replaced, and which equipment are higher priorities for replacement over others has long been a challenging process for HTM departments. If your HTM department is like most, you’re probably using spread sheets to create a list of clinical equipment replacement priorities in a mostly subjective process that takes weeks of work to complete and then quickly becomes outdated. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

Working with HTM leaders, Nuvolo has developed a new application for its Connected Workplace for Healthcare solution called Capital Planning. Nuvolo Capital Planning uses objective criteria in the CMMS to help instantly identify clinical equipment replacement priorities and provides the visibility needed to sort through thousands of clinical devices and see which ones should be budgeted for replacement first.

Attendees gathered additional insights during a question-and-answer portion of the webinar. One attendee asked, “What if my hospital has different criteria, it wants to use in setting the equipment replacement priorities?”

The Nuvolo trio was quick to reply saying that the feature for that process can easily be customized to fit the facility’s needs.

The complete Q&A session is available in a recording of the webinar that is available in the Webinar Wednesday on-demand library at WebinarWednesday.live.

Attendees provided feedback via a survey that included the question, “How would you describe Webinar Wednesday to a colleague?”

“The webinar series can fill the gap between old and new technologies,” said Tedd Koh, MET, Olive View UCLA Medical Center.

“Webinar Wednesday is an excellent

source of networking and education,” shared Christopher Rodriquez, MSET II, UHS of Delaware.

“Webinar Wednesday gives you quick, easy access to HTM ‘hot topics’ and product releases that are directly applicable to everyday work,” said Carol Davis-Smith, president of Carol Da vis-Smith Associates.

“Up-to-date learning tools for our growing field,” Stanford Children’s Hospital Certified Biomed Tech Lorie Johnson said.

MRI COIL INSIGHTS

The Webinar Wednesday session “MRI Coils: Failure Analysis and Strategies to Minimize Support Costs” was popular with healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals. The webinar offered free registration thanks to a sponsorship from Innovatus Imaging. The webinar was also eligible for 1 credit from the ACI.

Innovatus Imaging Director of Commercial Operations Ted Lucidi, CBET, and team memebrs shared failure analysis data from over 3,600 MRI coil repairs spanning the most popular coil models.

Attendees were presented with root cause analysis data on how specific coil models fail, gained insight into minimizing common failures and learned some quick troubleshooting techniques so that costly repairs can be minimized. The Innovatus Imaging team included experts from its coil operations, and they addressed specific questions presented by attendees during the live webinar. A recording of the webinar is available for on-demand viewing at WebinarWednesday.live.

This session covered an overview of MRI coils, methodology, root cause analysis of top-10 coil models, crunching the numbers, six strategies to minimize failures and costs. Attendees left with valuable knowledge including an understanding of frequent modes of

failure, how to determine best practices for troubleshooting coil problems and how to develop a strategy to reduce support costs and downtime.

During the question-and-answer session, one attendee asked if they should worry about coils that are covered under contract?

The complete Q&A is available in the on-demand webinar at WebinarWednes day.live.

Attendees provided feedback via a survey that included the question, “Was today’s presentation worth your time?”

“Yes, early identification of equipment failure is essential to managing mainte nance costs,” said David Green, systems designer, Square One Industries, Texas.

“Yes, worth my time. I can refresh my knowledge about the MR coils,” Guery Diaz, CEO, VEMPA, Panama.

Find on-demand sessions and upcoming webinars at WebinarWednesday.live

Thank you sponsors:

Happy Holidays

FROM BEN C.

Join over 150,000+ registered users on MedWrench to find manuals, ask questions in live forums, and find service companies. medwrench.com

ROUNDTABLE Test Equipment

Just in time for Christmas, TechNation reached out to some of the leading test equipment experts in the health care technology management industry to find out what biomeds should have on their wish list in 2022. Insiders share their thoughts on test equipment features, new devices and more in this month’s install ment of the TechNation Roundtable article.

The test equipment professionals sharing their knowledge and insights are Pronk Technologies Vice President of Sales and Marketing Greg Alkire, RTI Group Vice President of Sales North America Steve Holmes, Datrend Systems Inc. Director of Business Development Owen Liu, Fluke Biomedical Senior Product Manager Michael Raiche, Rigel Medical Category Manager Michael James Walton and BC Group National Sales and Marketing Manager Tim Welby

Q: WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF TEST EQUIPMENT EVERY HTM PROFESSIONAL NEEDS AND WHY?

ALKIRE: With a wide range of vital signs devices, each with their own unique testing requirements, biomedical engineers need versatile and accurate vital signs patient simulators. The portable SimCube Patient Simulation Sys tem with Mobilize is designed to meet medical device manufacturers’ require ments, as well as provide unparalleled flexibility to select from hundreds of simulations very easily from biomeds’ smart devices. In addition, all test results are recorded in detail onto an electronic record that can be exported to a database or integrated with a CMMS.

HOLMES: Your diagnostic imaging X-ray test equipment needs will be based on your X-ray testing requirements. RTI’s Piranha and Cobia family of meters set the foundation while our full line of probes and accessories provide the flexibility for expanding departments. Most recent advancements in imaging, whether it’s test equipment or imaging systems, have been driven by software. As a recognized leader and innovator since 1981, RTI has led from the front beginning in the 1990s with Ortigo software to today’s Ocean Next. There isn’t a more powerful tool in the bag that can improve workflow and remove the hassle of reporting for traceability and compliance than Ocean Next.

users are choosing test equipment with tablets as well. Having the additional screen real-estate, cross-platform integration, and all the technology benefits with a modern device means test equipment is no longer just used for testing, but also helping biomeds get their job done faster and more efficiently.

RAICHE: Every HTM professional should consider a license to a workflow automa tion software. A workflow automation software could allow a HTM profession al to open/close workorders, expedite the testing time, automate reporting and ensure that every member of the staff completes the same PM procedure without missing a step! These procedures can include specific photos of connec tions, of the medical device itself, notes on its location and any facility specific tips and tricks.

Greg Alkire Pronk Technologies Vice President of Sales and Marketing

LIU: CMMS is now widely used in most hospitals, and many have implemented the use of tablets with their software systems. The wider adoption of tablets means more

WALTON: That is a tough one. There are general test tools that are “everyday.” DMMs, oscilloscopes, pressure meters and so on. Rigel Medical and our competitors are more specialists. The most commonly used device is an electrical safety analyzer as it covers all electrical medical equipment for safety. There is debate on the validity of electrical safety testing – my response to this is do we stop testing airplanes for safety because they are safer than yesteryear? The answer is no, parts degrade, devices will fail and will not pass basic safety requirements. Notified bodies often find failures testing to IEC/ UL 60601-1 when a manufacturer wants to bring a device to the market. Any

electrical device poses a threat to patient safety and it is an essential device to have in any biomed shop.

of use with plug-n-play probes, fast set-up time with 100m Bluetooth, multiple tool options for the same task such as measur ing mA/mAs invasively or non-invasively, automated reporting, and customized test procedures to apply less heat to the tube.

LIU: Increased productivity through automation and an intuitive user interface should be on top of this list. With the continuous labor shortages, we need to look for ways to improve our efficiency. Test equipment with automation, whether CMMS integration or automated procedures, will help biomed teams in that direction, plus all modern products should be intuitive, simple to use, easy to train on, yet still rich in modern features to meet everyone’s needs.

“or equivalent” message. My advice is to evaluate. Look at alternatives and demo equipment. Look for reliability, after sales service, the portability of the equipment, robustness, ergonomics, and ease of use.

WELBY: Mobility is a key factor with biomeds. Having a piece of equipment that is easily portable, Bluetooth capability to improve throughput and reduce transcrip tion errors, equipment you have confidence in its accuracy, and an upgrade path versus purchasing a new piece of equipment.

Holmes RTI Group Sales Vice President

WELBY: There are several very important pieces of test equipment, however if I had to choose one, I would pick the Safety Analyzer. This is a very versatile piece of equipment for testing electrical leakage and is used on a wide variety of medical devices throughout the hospital or medical facility.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME TEST EQUIPMENT FEATURES BIOMEDS SHOULD LOOK FOR WHEN PURCHASING?

ALKIRE: Test equipment accuracy specifications are always important to review before making a purchase. It is important to verify that the test equipment does meet the medical device manufacturer’s specific accuracy and testing requirements. Other important areas to consider are reliability, ease of use, compact size, testing automation and a standard 4-year warranty.

HOLMES: Seeing is believing – so our team offers on-site demos or virtual meetings, allowing HTM professionals to focus on features/benefits related to their specific role. I would encourage today’s HTM professionals to review RTI’s new solutions and move away from the days of writing down or typing measured results into Excel. In addition, you should expect ease

RAICHE: In today’s workplace, customers should look for durability, reliability and accuracy. These features are stalwarts of biomedical test equipment. Equipment needs to stand the test of time and hold up to transport from site to site and even the occasional drop (although it should be calibrated after any drop). The other aspect here is accuracy. The end game here is patient safety, so we want to ensure that what we are measuring with is accurate enough to meet the test requirements since, after all, we could be attaching a family member to that medical device.

WALTON: Ease of use. Some test equipment requires an encyclopedic memory of the operating manual – to drive the device it should be an Olympic sport! Saying that, I’d single out specification. Clinical and biomedical engineers are metrologists, medical equipment measures parameters. Some medical devices have specific specification, accuracy and range of measurement and, of course, so do the analyzers and test tools. Medical manu facturers often recommend such test tools and can be brand-specific towards a recommended test instrument in a service manual or other literature. Some of these test tools could be obsolete. I think it is important to understand the underlying

Director of Business Development

Q: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A TEST EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER?

ALKIRE: We at Pronk understand that the way of the future is cooperation and collaboration. This is on full display with our new Mobilize wireless solution that connects test equipment to your smart device so that biomeds can execute the testing wirelessly, including control of the test equipment and collecting all the test results to a smart device. It is also designed to be an open platform, capable of integrat ing other test equipment manufacturers’ products, such as defibrillator analyzers from Datrend and BC Group Intl., for example. This provides great flexibility for biomeds to service medical devices by using a single platform and user interface to complete the service and/or preventive maintenance. We are also in collaboration with additional manufacturers to join with us on the Mobilize platform.

Steve

Owen Liu

HOLMES: Your next investment should include a 3600 solution for routine checks, service-related events and preventative maintenance (PM). There are numerous factors to consider from the initial purchase to long-term support, service, future upgrade paths, and total cost of ownership (TCO). It’s critical that you find a system that is extremely reliable and precise with excellent repeatability. Beyond your purchase, look for a manufacturer with stable equipment, OEM recommend ed two-year calibration cycle, two-year warranty, 10- to 12-day turnaround times (TAT), and an online academy with how-to videos, training and support.

LIU: Product life expectancy and its serviceable life should be considered when purchasing test equipment. Many analyzers and simulators are used for 10-plus years in the field, having equipment to withstand extensive usage and having the ability to calibrate and repair those analyzers is extremely important for budgeting and reducing downtimes during its life cycle.

effective usage?)

• Does your manufacturer allow for global service and calibration? (Are the factory calibration points being measured? Am I sure my device is truly within tolerance? Can I calibrate my device across the globe with local service centers?)

• How long has your manufacturer been in business? (Will my manufac turer continue to be in business for years to come? Do they have a reputation and standing in the industry?)

• Does your manufacturer offer training and support? (Besides equipment, how does my manufac turer help get me up and running? How to operate my test equipment?)

WALTON: Rigel Medical makes it easy to keep people safe. The value proposition goes beyond the device and features. Easy-to-access training, educating the community, having agile reactive support teams, local quality calibration and service. That is how I’d make my decision when investing in a manufacturer. Our test equipment is designed to fit the workflow and application of the job. We have highly portable equipment, but they are equally at home as a permanent bench top device. Handy for mobile and static engineers and that is important to us.

WELBY: Support after the sale; both technical and calibration/service, reputation, user friendly, one that invests in research and development to improve the biomedical industry and having a selection of models to choose from to meet your needs without overspending on unwanted functionality.

the field can be upgraded with Mobilize wireless connectivity. Even if customers purchased many years ago, the existing product can be enhanced with the latest advances. In the same way, our new Mobilize products are intended to serve biomeds far into the future.

Raiche Biomedical Senior Product Manager

RAICHE: Some questions HTM profession als should be asking themselves are:

• Is your test equipment UL listed?

(Does your equipment have all necessary certification for safe and

Q: CAN YOU TELL READERS ABOUT ONE PRODUCT OR UPDATE YOUR COMPANY OFFERS HTM PROFESSIONALS?

ALKIRE: One of our unique contributions is providing biomedical engineers the ability to add new features to their existing Pronk test equipment. We design our products with the capability to have future features added. For example, existing products in

HOLMES: RTI is continually investing in new products, includes free updates to Ocean Next software, and recently released myRTI, personalized cloud-stor age that provides data specific to your equipment. Staying out in front is partially driven by our relationships with major OEMs as they introduce new target/filter combinations, develop new products, and strive to meet current and future regula tions. A few examples include the new scatter and leakage probe that meets the 10 cm² and 100 cm² requirements as well as the new RTI Ion Chamber in 10cm or 30cm. We also released the mA test point cable to promote significant time-savings and replace the need for an o-scope. RTI’s DAP Chamber in 86 x 86 mm and 147 x 147 mm is the perfect tool to meet the expanding need for dose area product measurements within CBCT.

LIU: Datrend is on the verge of releasing our vPad-Reports App. To be made available across our entire vPad portfolio, this App

Michael James Walton

Rigel Medical Category Manager

Michael

will allow technicians to create live signatures to sign off on their test reports, the ability for managers to review and approve reports with their own signatures if desired, and if your tests included graphs or charts generated from the test, they can become part of your report as well.

RAICHE: One newer product in the Fluke Biomedical lineup is OneQA. OneQA is our workflow automation software which enables the standardization of procedures across your facility, enables the customi zation of procedures with pictures, tips, tricks, etc., the automation of procedures with Fluke Biomedical hardware and the ability to create reports with that test data – including the operation, test equipment, calibration date and much more. This solution is much more than just working faster, it ensures you are compliant across your facility.

WALTON: My favorite product is the UniPulse 400, our defibrillator analyzer. So easy to use and do a PM in next to no time. You don’t really need to think about it, very self-explanatory. Products like this enable engineers to not waste energy learning the user interface and are fit for purpose to do the job as it covers all the energy waveshapes other devices cannot measure correctly. The enclosure is nice too, highly portable for on-the-go testing.

WELBY: With Bluetooth capabilities growing in popularity, BC Group has developed Bluetooth Adapters (dongles) for our legacy instruments with commu nication ports. This allows an inexpensive avenue to have Bluetooth capabilities without having a large cash outlay for new equipment for the sole purpose of acquiring Bluetooth technology. As we develop new equipment, we are incorpo rating Bluetooth in these new products.

ALKIRE: Test equipment solutions that can connect biomedical engineers to all the important procedures that they must have ready to access at any moment is a very important focus for Pronk. Capabil ities to (a) access the medical device test procedures from your own smart device, (b) use test equipment that is integrated with wireless communication and control, (c) generate automatic electronic reports, and (d) connect wirelessly to the CMMS greatly improve the biomed’s ability to complete the required service more efficiently and effectively. We are really excited that the Mobilize Wireless Solution offers all these benefits that we believe will advance our industry well into the future.

ized test procedures and images of the proper set-up.

LIU: The RoHS Directive, where electronic products must not exceed a set amount of harmful chemicals used, has been implemented by the EU for some time. Although only some states have enacted similar regulations based on the EU RoHS Directive, it is picking up steam globally. With our advancement in technology, we believe it is important to consider environ mental implications on the products we purchase to help future generations.

RAICHE: Be aware of cybersecurity. Think about secondary backups like OneQA can offer. Having a second site where your assets, procedures and results are managed can be a big help should there be an occurrence. Addi tionally, I’d urge you to think about onboarding and training new biomeds. Passing on your knowledge from old/ senior biomeds to new biomeds can be quick and easy if procedures are built with all of that knowledge and experience. From the get-go, you can ensure your junior techs are running the same procedures as your seniors and ensure that that knowledge and experience is changing hands.

Tim Welby National Sales & Marketing Manager

HOLMES: This is the perfect time to budget and plan your transition to new X-ray test equipment. We still find quite a bit of end-of-life (EOL) or soon to be EOL test equipment being used in the field. RTI’s trade-in program can help reduce acquisition costs and more importantly, upfit the HTM professional with the most advanced solutions. Lastly, the HTM hiring model has changed and it’s more common to hire less-experi enced engineers. Ocean Next software also serves as an internal training tool with inserted hints and tips, standard

WALTON: Rigel Medical is a well-established brand producing quality products, both in the U.S. and globally. We can’t stand still with what we offer, and we will keep developing new and exciting products going forward. The niche world of biomedical engineering can expect some surprises.

WELBY: With the eminent retirement of many baby boomers, the biomed industry is preparing for doing more with less people. This gives way to the topic of how to retain high accuracy without sacrificing throughput. Bluetooth capabilities in testing equipment should play a major part in supplying a tool to accomplish the throughput while retaining high accuracy when choosing equipment.

Q: WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK TECHNATION READERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TEST EQUIPMENT GOING INTO 2023?

#1) BioMed Sta ng - We train and place the best Biomeds in the business from fee-per-service to a fully outsourced BioMed Department.

#2) Medical Equipment Rental - Our unique and holistic approach to servicing our client’s rental needs allows us to provide significant value for any budget.

#3) Hospital Beds - If it's on wheels at your facility we o er sales, service, parts and repair.

CALL FOR DIVERSITY

Casting A Wide Net for New Biomeds

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

One thing that has always made the U.S. unique is the fact that it was been a melting pot of races, ethnic groups, religions and political affiliations.

Look in nearly every city in every state and you will find people of Irish, African, Scottish, Polish, Mexican, Norwegian, Italian, Brazilian, English and/or German heritage. You will find Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, Baptists and Hindus. You will encoun ter liberals and conservatives, libertar

ians and independents.

There will be Millennials, Ba by-boomers, Gen-Z’ers and those from Generation Alpha and even some members of the Silent Generation. The demographics represent a who’s-who of every sub-population that may be found anywhere in the world.

This stratification isn’t only true in the U.S. but in many free, democratic countries. It also includes a mix of people by wealth; including those who are low-income, middle-class and those who are prosperous.

The goal of most employers is to have a workforce that represents the local community. Achieving this goal is often determined by the profession and the candidates it attracts. Con struction workers are more often men and teachers are more often women.

Many of “traditionally male” jobs have seen the lines blurred in recent years as more women enter those professions.

What attracts people to the biomed profession? It is most often an acumen for working with their hands and with tools. There is also

an interest and basic knowledge in electronics that, after training, becomes advanced knowledge. These variables tend to attract candidates to the profession, and in the past, this was most often males. Today, it includes women who share these interests as well.

“Much like recruitment and retention, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) also relies on a great culture which starts with a robust mission/vision. People want a great environment to work in and having clear direction (also known as the ‘why’) and a leader who is willing to work with staff on flexibility, growth and development,” says Samantha Jacques, Ph.D., FACHE, vice presi dent of McLaren Clinical Engineering Services (MCES) at McLaren Health in Grand Blanc, Michigan

A BREAK DOWN OF THE FIELD

A look back at the people featured in TechNation’s “Professional of the Month” feature provides a glimpse into the composition of the healthcare technology management (HTM) profession. It is an eclectic, diverse group of professionals who have been standouts among their peers.

The candidates for the profession al feature come from nominations. Those nominations can originate from biomed managers, third-party service providers, other biomeds or colleagues or other persons within the health care environment.

Those represented in the past five years of professional profiles don’t entirely align with the conclusions the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) found in its 2021 survey of 7,000 HTM professional.

In the AAMI survey, the authors cited findings that “8.5 percent were black or African American, 7.7 percent were Hispanic/Latinx, and just over 10 percent identified as female.” The survey included managers and found that “14% identified as female.”

A review of the TechNation

“professionals” from the past five years paints a slightly different picture of the composition of the HTM community. There were 60 professionals spotlighted during 2018 through 2022. Of the 60, 46 were male and 14 were female.

Forty-two were white, six were Hispanic and three were Afri can-American. Two of the profession als were Arab, one was Indian, two were Pakistani and three were Asian. Nominate a Professional of the Month at 1technation.com/nominations.

The composition of a biomed department should be representative

particular candidate and the field needs new, well-trained technicians to replace retiring biomeds.

Anyone with the required skill set is welcomed. Anyone interested in making the HTM profession a career is needed to fill vacant positions that will arise in the months and years ahead. If a clarion call can go out to the broadest cross-section of candi dates, that will ensure that those vacancies are most likely to be filled.

Men, women, those from minority communities and people from every background should be made aware of the existence of the HTM profession and the need for new recruits.

In this same issue, the Department of the Month highlighted is the South Texas Health Systems HTM depart ment. The department is about 90 percent Hispanic which mirrors the surrounding Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas, which has a Hispanic population of over 91 percent. The department reflects the surrounding community. Nominate a Department of the Month at 1technation.com/ nominations and scroll down the page.

The AAMI survey found that nearly half of all respondents to its survey were 50 or older, so the continued exodus of retiring biomeds is inevitable.

of the local community. The only limitation on this goal is the interests of those who choose to join the profession. Anyone who enjoys working with their hands, has an acumen for working with tools, and has an interest and training in electronics is a potential candidate for the HTM profession. This could be almost anybody and that fact may expand the pool of candidates as more people learn of the profession.

So, while the goal may be to have a biomed department representing the local community, the available candidates come from those who have decided to enter the field. There are no training programs that bar any

The military has always been a good source of well-trained biomeds. Because the U.S. military is so diverse, there is a good chance that any new recruit who is made aware of the biomed profession might choose it as their Military Occupation Special ty (MOS). In the Army, for instance, there were approximately 190 MOS to choose from in 2019.

Many will choose an MOS that they have an existing interest in, but others may find biomed if a recruiter suggests the field, as has been the case with many current biomeds. Those entering the Army, with an existing interest in electronics or a medical profession, may choose Biomedical Equipment Specialist (MOS 68A).

“As it is an issue in many industries, equal pay and opportunities for women are also challenging in the HTM field. I say this because I had personally witnessed disparities in pay and positions between women and men in our workforce. Bridging this gap could serve to attract more women to the industry.”

- Mayra Becerra

The hope is that the diverse demo graphics of the military will help direct more people into a biomed MOS.

AAMI recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor for its BMET Apprenticeship Pro gram. This program offers an opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds to enter the biomed field with a regimented training program and the guidance of an experienced mentor. The path to an HTM career also includes earning a paycheck during the process and the possibility of avoiding student-loan debt.

A NON-TRADITIONAL FIELD FOR WOMEN

Women have been an HTM success story, making up a growing contin gent within the total population of biomeds and managers. Some of the highest profile members of the HTM community are women. The challenge is to find ways to make more women aware of the HTM field so that HTM becomes as well-known as many “traditional” female professions like teaching and nursing.

“From this woman’s perspec tive, I believe it starts with a shared ‘yes we can’ confidence building for females of all ages. People (for me it was my mother, grandfather and several teachers) advocating for and

empowering girls (me) have been key factors in my introduction and attraction to historically male-domi nated technical fields,” says Maggie Berkey, senior BMET in the clinical engineering department at Common Spirit Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska.

Berkey is a former AAMI BMET of the Year and the co-creator of AA MI’s BMET Apprenticeship Program.

“We – all HTM professionals –need to be talking to everyone that will listen to spread awareness and interest in the HTM field. Even just wearing a hat or T-shirt to represent the field can be impactful. When we do have opportunities to speak at middle and high schools, career or job fairs, we can thoughtfully tell a story about women rockstars in HTM,” Berkey says.

She says to help the girls that you are introducing to our field under stand that several females can brag of successful careers in healthcare technology.

“Plan your bullet points or elevator speech in advance. Keep in mind we have resources like ‘HTM in a Box’ available and that’s just one way to get everyone riled up about HTM,” Berkey adds.

“Besides Danielle Mc Geary’s speaking engagements and the development of ‘HTM in a Box’ to promote the field as a whole, I am unsure of how the profession is

recruiting women to the field,” says Allison Woolford, CBET, who is a senior BMET at UNC Rex Healthcare and an adjunct professor at Durham Technical Community College for the biomedical equipment technology program. Woolford is among a small percentage of African-American women in HTM.

“All of the women that I know and have worked with in the biomed world all got their start by stumbling into the field. When we were in school, we were pushed to be nurses or teachers. Working on electronics or using tools was a man’s job,” Woolford says.

She says that nowadays, there is a big push to get women into the STEM fields which will help them to be biomedical engineers, but that isn’t a push for them to be biomedical equipment technicians.

“I believe that push is what is causing the confusion in regards to what a biomedical equipment techni cian is and a biomedical engineer,” Woolford says.

Whether or not some guidance towards a STEM career interests women, or some other aspect of biomed catches their interest, it is important to bring awareness of the field to them at an early age.

“It is key for existing women in the HTM field to get out into their communities and represent our field. Showing high school-aged – and younger – girls that our field is a viable career option for them will help to ignite a flame in some to consider a future in HTM. This representation early on can go a long way for the future of our field because usually by college, students have a clearer idea of the direction they’d like to take their future. It might be too late at that stage to draw budding candidates to our field,” says Jennifer Boudreaux Harrison, CCE, chief, clinical engineering at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System.

Mayra Becerra, BAS, CBET, founder of The BioMedGirl YouTube channel and a biomed in South Florida believes that equalizing pay will incentivize more women to join the field.

“As it is an issue in many industries, equal pay and opportunities for women are also challenging in the HTM field. I say this because I had personally witnessed disparities in pay and positions between women and men in our workforce. Bridging this gap could serve to attract more women to the industry,” she says.

She adds that, “we have to be vocal and explain the potential for having a purpose in the work that we do and giving care is something that could be appealing to women.”

“I see in my hospital now that much of the nursing workforce are women and I think that’s because they are naturally nurturing and want to be able to give care; it’s in our DNA. I think that if you can explain to women that they can also do engineering fields and have purpose without necessarily having to be the one that directly touches the patient, like nurses do, that would be something that could be appealing to a broader or diverse group of women that may not be inclined to want to be directly at the bedside,” Becerra says.

She points out that the HTM field should think about benefits for moms and moms-to-be.

“Finally, a woman that is a mother will be a mother before anything else. So, if we promote family-friendly benefits more women who are mothers or planning to be, wouldn’t have doubts about joining the field and take care of their families at the same time,” Becerra adds.

TAKING THE MESSAGE TO EVERY COMMUNITY

The same challenge exists with recruiting more members of minorities into HTM. There is a serious lack of awareness of the field problem that exists just like with women. Recruitment efforts should be built around taking the HTM story into minority communities, high schools and colleges. The message should be that HTM is a fulfilling profession with good pay and benefits. HTM professionals play an important role within health care.

“To attract more minorities, we just need to make sure we are going into those areas of our towns/cities. There are stereotypes and misconceptions concerning the intelligence of minorities; especially minority women. The exposure just isn’t there. If we can go into the schools and show them the potential in the field, that would be great,” Woolford says.

Woolford also points to the great return on an educational/training investment that is available to biomeds.

“If I would have known years ago that I didn’t need a four-year degree to be where I am today, I would have started right out of high school,” she says.

Information about HTM has to be widely dispersed in high schools in every community – rural and urban.

“For the longer term, recruitment of diverse candidates starts with a diverse pool, which relies on high school recruitment. AAMI has been trying to do more of this through ‘HTM in a Box’ – but we need much more of this grass roots type recruitment,” Jacques says.

This is the future of HTM to reflect the local community in HTM departments through wide distribution of information about the field in every high school.

Editor’s note: Help TechNation shine a spotlight on your favorite biomed. Nominate a Profes sional of the Month at 1technation.com/nominations or email jwallace@mdpublishing.com.

MAGGIE BERKEY

Senior BMET in Clinical Engineering at CommonSpirit Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital

MARYA BECERRA

BAS, CBET,biomed and founder of The BioMedGirl YouTube channel

SAMANTHA JACQUES

Ph.D., FACHE, vice president of McLaren Clinical Engineering Services (MCES)

JENNIFER HARRISON

CCE, chief, clinical engineering at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System

ALLISON WOOLFORD

CBET, Senior BMET at UNC Rex Healthcare and adjunct professor

CAREER CENTER

Don’t Let Job, Supervisor Hinder Mental Health

BY KATHLEEN FURORE

How should a long-time employee in a hard-to-fill position respond when a problem that’s been dis cussed several times with a supervisor and HR rep isn’t resolved soon? They like their job and are afraid to give an ul timatum – but the situation is beginning to impact their mental health. Advice?

“It’s imperative to remember that you have options and don’t need to put up with a situation that’s making you feel sick,” stresses Kimberley Ty ler-Smith, an executive at the career tech platform Resume Worded.

Taking a few steps can help resolve the situation:

• Ask for weekly short checkpoint meetings with HR and your manager. Discuss the progress that’s being made, advises Stan C. Kimer, president of Total Engage ment Consulting by Kimer. “Ask them to come up with a tangible plan and timeline and state that you really want to work through the issue in a positive way and resolve it,” he says.

“Ask each of them about their thoughts to solve this problem and for a firm timeline,” echoes Patrick Kellenberger, COO of Betts Recruit ing, who says to make sure the

situation being discussed is docu mented in writing. “Keep at it and don’t give up; respectfully remind them of the problem and timeline and any action items you need addressed.”

• If things continue to impact your mental health, share that fact with HR too. “One great approach may be to ask them for a week or two of paid leave to nurture yourself so that you can return and continue to be productive,” Kimer suggests. “Also suggest that during this short leave, they can spend time resolving the issue. If your HR and manage ment will not even give you this, this may indicate that they do not value your importance as much as you may think, and it would seriously be time to look for another job.”

Tyler-Smith also encourages reach ing back out to HR and the supervi sor if an on-going problem isn’t being addressed. “You can even reach out directly to the manager or owner of the company if it seems like some thing more serious is happening,” she adds.

• Speak with your supervisor about other positions that might be a better fit for your skillset. Ty ler-Smith suggests doing that if the problem isn’t resolved within a

Kathleen Furore

reasonable time frame. “If there aren’t any available options, I would suggest considering looking for another job outside your organization,” she says. “You can do this by reaching out to friends who may know someone at another company who might have an opening in their department.”

• Issue the ultimatum. “If nothing is being done, it’s better to give an ultimatum than to just give up and quit or to allow your mental health to be compromised,” Kellenberger concludes.

– Kathleen Furore is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has covered personal fi nance and other buiness-related topics for a variety of trade and consumer publications. You can email her your career questions at kfurore@yahoo.com.

20/20 IMAGING INSIGHTS

Rapid Restore

BY TED LUCIDI

Whether it’s an ultrasound probe, MRI coil, IV pump, invasive pacemaker or other Class II medical device, certain devic es just aren’t designed to be repaired in-house. It’s not due to a lack of talent or ability, but typically from lack of availability of replacement parts, a need for specialized test and repair instruments, a detailed knowledge base, clean rooms, documentation or a highly specialized design.

In some instances, devices may be returned to the OEM using a “repair and return” model. Other times, they may be exchanged by the OEM for another identical device from their finished goods inventory. The OEM refurbishes the client’s defective device, and then places it in their finished goods inventory to be re-exchanged with another client. Both the “repair and return” and exchange models for medical devices have existed for decades. These models have also been used by independent service organiza tions (ISOs), but with several challenges as well as a few enhancements. Let’s take a look at the details using an ultrasound probe as an example.

TURN-AROUND TIME

You can’t beat the turn-around time using an exchange model. Most times, the end-user has a solution in-hand next day. The replacement is delivered, and the service technician returns the damaged product to the supplier. Many ISOs, using the repair and return model, provide loaners which greatly increases uptime and end-user satisfaction. Even though a loaner has been provided for next-day delivery, the client still has a variable lead time until their asset is returned.

ADMIN TIME

There might be considerable additional admin time associated with a repair and return model when compared to an exchange model. These days, many HTM teams work using a centralized model. Service techs may have to drive an hour to a remote site, one way, to deliver and test a loaner/exchange, as well as retrieve and package their product. Double or triple that when using the repair and return model. Not only is there both travel to and from the remote site, but there’s additional time required to locate the loaner, possibly wait for the users to complete a study and then clean the probe.

RISK

Lucidi

One of the potential pitfalls with using a loaner is associated with dam age. There’s always hope that the loaner doesn’t encounter any misfor tune, but accidents happen. Prevent able damage can be a very costly reality. Some of today’s high-tech TEE probes cost over $25,000. Not only is there a cost for the repair, but also an additional cost to address a damaged loaner.

There are also risks associated with an exchange model. Typically, aftermar ket exchanges are not new. They’re used. Many ISOs use a harvesting model, which exists in many industries, not just medical. Within the ultrasound modality, dealers purchase entire systems in bulk, including probes. The systems are broken down into smaller units, and the parts and probes are sold at a profit. It raises a few questions. Where did the ISO acquire the device? How old is it? What work has been performed on it? How long will it last? You get the idea.

WARRANTY

Along with the risks above, is the warranty. How long is the warranty and what does it cover? Using the

Ted

Repair & Return ISO Exchange OEM Exchange RapidRestore

exchange model, the entire product is covered under warranty … but coverage almost never includes preventable damage. In a repair and return model, only that which was repaired is covered under warranty. If a strain relief was repaired two months ago, and now there’s a wiring failure, the warranty will not cover the wiring repair.

There are no standard warranty periods in the ISO market. Some providers only offer 30 days, others 60 or maybe 90 days. They’re highly variable. Innovatus does provide the longest warranty periods in the indus try: 12 months on all standard probes and 6 months on all specialty (3D and TEE) probes. The length of a provid er’s warranty period should provide a good indication of the level of confidence in their offering.

COSTS

Generally, costs associated with repair are much lower than that of an exchange. Repair costs are associated with only addressing failed compo nents. That being said, repair costs are highly variable based on the specific ISOs approach to repair. With the exchange model, the ISO

must assume worse case, up to and including the device being a total loss. The result is the exchange cost being much higher than that of repair.

BEST OF BOTH MODELS

What if someone could offer the speed, efficiency, and tip-to-tail warranty of the exchange model, the minimized risk and high quality of a like-new replacement, and do so at the cost of the repair and return model? Well, we’ve been doing just that since 2008! Back then, our legacy compa nies launched TotalRepair and it changed the ultrasound probe repair market. We were the first to offer the “swap at the repair price” program that others have attempted to mimic.

The program enabled clients to take ownership of a like-new probe from finished goods inventory (nextday), for just the cost of repair … not the market exchange price. We started with only 30 probe models but expanded to over 140. We also published a list of fully repairable probe models, something few, if any, others would even consider. Because we had full-repair capabilities on these probe models (including the array),

there was minimal risk to Innovatus, and we passed the savings onto our clients. That original program from 2008 has evolved into RapidRestore. Now, almost any probe model quali fies for “swap at the repair price.”

For more details into the RapidRe store program and how it can improve your budget, uptime, efficiency, patient care and flow and clinician satisfaction, visit innovatusimaging. com/ultrasound-rapidrestore. If you want to arrange for your RapidRe store replacement, contact the Innova tus customer care team at customer care@innovatusimaging.com

For more information , email at TedL@innovatusimaging.com or visit www.innovatusimaging.com/ultrasound.

-Ted Lucidi, CBET, is a clinical, technical and commercial specialist at Innovatus Imaging.

THE FUTURE Looking Back on 2022 and Ahead to 2023

BY JOIE N. MARHEFKA

Ican’t believe that 2022 is coming to an end already. It seems like just yes terday we were celebrating the new year and starting our spring 2021 se mester, and now it’s almost 2023. Time certainly flies! I thought this would be a great opportunity to look back on 2022 – both the good things that happened and the challenges it presented. It is also time to look ahead to the opportunities and challenges that 2023 holds.

One of the best things about 2022, from my perspective as faculty at Penn State New Kensington, was that we were able to have a full year of in-person classes. Although we were lucky to be able to hold the majority of our classes on campus again starting in the fall of 2020, we did have to move them back online for several weeks during the late fall and winter of that year. It was great not having to worry about online lec tures, tests, or especially labs this year. In addition to normal classes, it was great to be able to take field trips again and to have guest speakers on campus. One of the lessons we learned during the pandemic was how to have effective virtual guest lectures, which greatly diversified the speakers and topics. And, while it is great to be able to continue to hear from these various individuals, there is nothing like having speakers in the classroom with the students.

In addition, it was nice to attend an in-person conference again in 2022. Although virtual conferences during 2020 and 2021 allowed me to keep up with the latest trends in healthcare technology management

(HTM) and in education, it was great to be back on site in 2022. I was able to network at the AAMI Exchange, catching up with old contacts and meeting new ones. I also got to check out all of the latest technologies, which is much easier to do in-person than virtually.

While 2022 brought a lot of good things, it also presented some challenges. Supply chain issues, which were aggravated by the pandemic, sometimes made it diffi cult to get the supplies we needed for our labs. The impacts on my teaching were relatively minor, but I can imagine this led to more significant difficulties in the HTM industry.

A bigger challenge for our pro gram is fewer students are enrolling in our courses. This is likely due to a combination of factors. In our area, the population is declining, and high school graduating classes have been getting smaller, giving us less of a pool from which to recruit students. The economy and low unemployment rates have made it less attractive for prospec tive students to enroll in school rather than entering the workforce. In addi tion, we did not have the opportunity to talk to high school classes and offer tours during the pandemic, which made it tougher to familiarize prospective students with our program and HTM careers. I know that the HTM field, as a whole, is facing a similar challenge filling open positions as more employees are nearing retirement age, schools are closing HTM programs, and the number of students graduating from programs such as ours is dwindling.

From my perspective, the biggest challenge going into 2023 is recruiting

Joie N. Marhefka

more students to our program so that we will graduate more students in the coming years, providing qualified candidates to fill the many expected openings in the field. While our class of 2024 appears to be slightly larger than our class of 2023, we would like to see larger incoming classes in the future. This also offers an opportunity for us to get word out about our program and about career opportunities in HTM. I look forward to working with local industry leaders and with local high schools to expose students to the opportunities available in the field. Hopefully, this will help our classes grow beyond pre-pandemic sizes and help to fill employment needs in the industry.

Finally, 2023 offers an opportunity to combine innovative teaching tech niques that we developed out of necessity during the pandemic with in-person instruction. This will lead to the best overall education and experi ence for our students. It will allow them to graduate prepared for successful careers as HTM professionals.

I look forward to what 2023 has to offer and wish you all a healthy and happy new year!

– Joie N. Marhefka, Ph.D., is the biomedical engineering technology program coordinator at Penn State New Kensington.

Accidents

CYBERSECURITY Danger In the Defaults

Securing Microsoft Windows Logins

BY SEAN M. HOULE, CISSP, LOUISVILLE VA HTM Sean M. Houle

We often see warnings to change default passwords, but there are dangerous defaults beyond passwords. We are going to look at a few security issues that may exist in the con figurations of your Windows systems. Our lab environment starts out with a fresh installation of Windows Server 2022.

I chose Windows Server because the setup process is just a little different than the desktop OS. The last step of the installation greets us with an old friend, the built in Administrator account. This will be the only account active when the installation is complete. We configure a password and then we log into the desktop of the built in Administrator account. Since the only account that exists on the system right now is the default administrator, we can keep ourselves from being locked out by creating a second admin account named “MyNewAdmin” and set a password for it.

This is where we will start to explore the danger in the defaults. We create a folder on the computer where we store all our very important docu ments. We attempt to map our drive using the credentials of our new “MyNewAdmin” account, but oops we’ve used the wrong password, 10

times. That’s when we realize we’ve been typing the wrong password put in the correct password and we successful ly map the drive. Wait, 10 times, shouldn’t the account have locked out after that many bad password attempts?

If we look at the Account lockout policies within the local security policy, we see that the default setting of “0” indicates that accounts will never lockout (Figure 1). We changed that to a setting of five invalid logon attempts before lockout. We reattempt five bad logons and see a message stating that the account locked out. We attempt with the correct password and are unable to logon or map the drive.

Excellent work, we have mitigated our first default configuration vulnera bility. Now let’s verify that the same setting works for the default adminis

trator account that we set the password for during installation.

This time we will simulate activity of a malicious actor to test our configu ration. Instead of just typing in a bad password five times, we will use a wordlist to attempt many logons in quick succession. We pipe the contents of the wordlist rockyou.txt into the password section of our net use command (Figure 2). We let it run for several minutes resulting in 9,928 invalid login attempts (Figure 3), but we are missing the message stating that the account is locked it simply keeps repeating that the password is incorrect. Let’s investigate further. We check the account properties in computer manage ment (Figure 4) and breathe a sigh of relief because it states that the account is locked out. If we try the correct password it will fail because the account is locked out right? Wrong, we instead get a message stating that the command was successful, and we can navigate the contents of the shared folder (Figure 5). This is documented behavior of the built in Administrator account to prevent this account from being locked out either on accident or through an

invalid password-based denial of service attack. In the case of stand-alone systems, there has primarily been only one way to mitigate this potential security issue. The account cannot be deleted, so the only option is to disable this account after setting a very strong password in case the account is re-en abled at some point. This was going to be my one and only remediation suggestion until Microsoft announced in KB5020282 that systems with the October 11, 2022 cumulative update will have a new option in the Account Lockout Policy section of Local Security Policy to Allow Administrator Account Lockout (Figure 6). If enabled, this setting will enforce the account lockout policy on the built-in Administrator account.

What’s in a name? Well not much if we’re talking about the built-in administrator account. A common practice is to change the name of the built in Administrator account so that malicious actors won’t have a known username to attack. This can be dangerous however because the real identity of Windows user accounts exist in what is known as the SID, in the case of the default administrator the SID always ends with a RID of 500 (figure 6). Even if the name is changed the account with RID 500 cannot be locked out without the mitigations in place described above. If you don’t see the name “Administrator” in the list of users in computer management it has been renamed and should be identified by examin ing the SIDs of the existing accounts, remem ber the account cannot be deleted.

System hardening is an ongoing task and taking steps to examine the current configu ration of Windows Servers is worth the effort. Account lockout combined with strong passwords can significantly slow down the efforts of a malicious actor and help keep your systems safe as part of defense in depth strategy.

– Sean M. Houle, CISSP, works in the Louisville VA HTM department.

Figure 2

Figure 3

The Healthcare XIoT: Key Concepts to Understand

BY TY GREENHALGH

Historically, medical devices involved in physical processes have been air-gapped, isolated from healthcare IT networks and the Internet. But with digital transforma tion, the growing interconnectivity of cyber-physical systems has given rise to the Extended Internet of Things (XIoT), which encompasses all connect ed devices within a network.

The XIoT presents ample opportunity for efficiency and performance advan tages for healthcare organizations, but it also introduces new types of cyber risk that must be mitigated. To better understand the scope of what needs to be secured, let’s take a look at some key concepts related to the healthcare XioT.

CORE CAPABILITIES

Transducer, interface, and support capabilities are integral to the health care XIoT, enabling productive connec tions between medical devices, building management systems (BMS), operation al technology (OT), information technology (IT), and other devices.

• Transducer capabilities serve as the bridge that enables computing devices to interact directly with the physical world. Transducer capabilities include:

» Sensing capabilities, which provide an observation of an aspect of the physical world in the form of measurement data. Examples include blood pressure monitoring systems and radiographic imaging.

» Actuating capabilities, which encompass processes that execute physical actions. Examples include infusion pumps, cardiac electric shock delivery, electronic door locks, and robotic arms.

• Interface capabilities enable device interactions, encompassing both device-to-device and human-to-device communications. These include:

» Human-user interface, the ability for an XIoT device and people to communicate directly with each other. Examples include touch screens, haptic devices, micro phones, cameras, and speakers.

» Network interface, the ability to leverage a communication network, including both hardware and software. Examples of network interface capabilities include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, and ZigBee. Every XIoT device has at least one enabled network interface capability.

• Supporting capabilities provide functionalities that help enable other

Ty Greenhalgh

IoT capabilities. Examples include device management, cybersecurity, and privacy.

THE ROLE OF THE IOMT AND OT

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) refers to connected devices and applica tions that directly relate to patient care, such as MRI machines, CT scanners, and vital sign monitors. IoMT devices connect to other types of assets within the broader healthcare XIoT.

Unlike conventional IT devices, many IoMT devices interact directly with the physical world and can therefore be considered cyber-physical systems. To provide two examples, infusion pumps regulate the delivery of life sustaining medication, and implant ed cardioverter defibrillators deliver electrical shocks and restore the heart to normal rhythms.

Beyond IoMT devices, other types of OT are also used to support critical healthcare processes, including PLCs, RTUs, and building management systems that control air filtration, power, vaccine refrigeration, and more. Typically managed by facilities engineers, OT often leverages internal connections to engineering worksta tions that can be accessed remotely for maintenance.

THE HIGH STAKES OF DISRUPTIVE ATTACKS

When it comes to securing operations, the stakes are uniquely high for the healthcare sector, given the potentially life-threatening impact of failures or disruptions. For instance, emergency room doctors rely on a CT scanner’s availability and integrity to quickly diagnose stroke patients. A delayed or misdiagnosis due to a compromised CT scanner could easily result in loss of a patient’s motor functions, brain damage, or even death.

In September 2020, the first patient death attributed to a cyber attack occurred at Dusseldorf University Clinic in Germany. Ransomware targeting IT systems containing electronic health records inadvertently impacted OT devices connected to the network. As a result, all ER-bound heart and stroke patients were diverted. The nearest facility was 32 kilometers away, and one patient died in transport.

White-hat hackers have demon strated vulnerabilities in IoMT devices by increasing dosages or manipulating shocks that result in sudden death. Fortunately, such attacks have yet to be carried out in reality. However, the proven feasibility of such an incident attests to the urgency of securing the healthcare XIoT.

COMMON MISTAKES AND KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Amid mounting cyber threats to healthcare, The Joint Commission directed by the Center for Medicare

and Medicaid Services (CMS) to initiate audits on the cybersecurity for medical devices. Unfortunately, many healthcare organizations make one of the following mistakes:

• Attempt to use existing IT security tools. This disjointed approach will inevitably fail, because IT security tools are fundamentally incompati ble with the protocols and work flows used by cyber-physical systems – in many cases, these cannot even identify many assets and devices, let alone help secure them.

• Use disparate, specialized tools to manage and secure cyber-physical systems separately from IT systems. This cumbersome, inefficient approach inevitably creates costly management overhead and visibility gaps.

In your effort to avoid these mistakes, it’s helpful to keep these three considerations in mind:

• Unlike IT, XIoT devices interact with the physical world. This ups the ante for potential risk implica tions, especially in a healthcare setting, where patients’ lives may depend on reliable device perfor mance.

• Conventional wisdom surrounding IT security does not apply to the XIoT. Even the most seasoned IT security veterans should approach the XIoT with a beginner’s mindset.

• Traditional IT cybersecurity tools devices are incompatible with the XIoT, and attempting to use them will likely do more harm than good.

To properly protect their XIoT, healthcare organizations need purpose-built cyber-physical security technology.

THE VALUE OF A UNIFIED APPROACH

These conditions make it abundantly clear that organizations need a new approach for securing this ever-ex panding universe of the XIoT. The ideal solution is a truly unified approach that leverages:

• Broad domain knowledge of the systems and workflows that under pin each vertical and environment leveraged in your organization’s network.

• Deep capabilities, including full-spectrum visibility, risk and vulnerability management, threat detection, and secure remote access controls – all of which should also integrate seamlessly with an organization’s existing technology stack.

There’s not yet an easy fix for ensuring reliable patient care amid security challenges driven by digital transformation and evolving cyber threats. But so long as healthcare cybersecurity teams understand that outside expertise and specialized tools are needed to properly protect the XIoT, they can begin the critical processes of doing so.

– Ty Greenhalgh serves as an Industry Principal, healthcare at Claroty.

THE OTHER SIDE

BY JIM FEDELE

Medical equipment integration issues seem to be all my team is working on – from changing settings and gathering MAC address es to identifying ports and trouble shooting issues. There is daily activity around it. There are many benefits to integration, like X-ray images instant ly uploaded and then quickly read by a radiologist and lab results posted to a patient’s app on their phone. However, connecting to an EMR does add costs to operations. Lately there is a push to integrate every possible device, whether it is diagnostic or therapeutic. I am wondering if the benefit is ever critically evaluated.

local use. No network connection or integration was discussed or originally requested. However, once the units were put into service the customer decided they wanted them to be integrated to the EMR for patient safety’s sake. Working in HTM for over 30 years, I hear this proclamation weekly or more. It is often used by customers to escalate a situation that may not be getting the expected attention. However, has the need and situation been critically evaluated. I find it interesting that a piece of equip ment that has been doing a job successfully for many years without being connected/integrated now is a patient safety issue because it can’t connect to an EMR.

Fedele

To the clinician the integration to EMR has become almost as import ant as the actual function of the device. The benefit is often declared as increased efficiency, more accurate documentation and patient safety. I often wonder what the ROI is? I feel a lot of times it seems like we do things under the umbrella of patient safety without understanding the costs and the value. The integration components have licensing costs, software maintenance and support costs, along with adding another level of complexity to the system that can fail. Resources are needed to setup, troubleshoot, and protect the net works and connections to the devices and the information they send. I feel it might be useful to critically evaluate the value of integrating a device or devices.

Recently, I have been involved with some new equipment purchases that were originally setup for stand alone

I blame salespeople, they romanti cize the functionality of a connected device with the promises of increased efficiency, improved documentation and patient safety. Often omitting the information about the licensing fees, the software maintenance costs, the risks to the network and the labor needed for installation and future maintenance.

I am not saying that integrating to the EMR is not important, for a lot of modalities we are presently enjoying the benefit of integration. Images, lab work and various therapies can be read and almost instantly available to the patient. The data points that can be analyzed now are largely available because we can capture them electronically. I am saying that maybe everything doesn’t need to be integrated for the sake of integration. The expense is not insignificant, for instance we have our in-room basic vital sign units

connected, they cost $2,200. The license to connect them to the EMR is an additional $500. This increases the cost of the device by 23%. Now, multiply that by 200 units and it is $100,000. Is the claimed efficiency gain equal to this amount? I think you would need to account for the users’ time accessing the feature (they must log in) and verifying the data. Also, you must account for the continuous maintenance costs, not just in the licensing fees, but in support labor. Since we have em braced integration, our labor needed to solve problems is probably up 30 percent, especially when you factor in multiple software updates, network configuration changes and general adds. Every time IT needs to update the network, it ripples to my team to get hands on the units and test them.

The landscape for the HTM profes sional is certainly changing. Thankfully, medical equipment has become more dependable, and we don’t need to spend as much time on repairs as we used to. However, the demands on our labor are shifting to more IT-based activities. No doubt integration is being embraced by our customers as a necessary feature, but what cost is it adding to health care? What is it really saving?

– Jim Fedele, CBET, is the senior director of clinical engineering for UPMC. He manages six Susquehanna Health hospitals. He has 30 years of HTM experience and has worked for multiple service organizations.

Jim

Who Thought Integration Was an Innovative Idea?

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS:

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DECEMBER 14 | Cynerio

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From our Ocean Next™ software to the Piranha and Cobia meters, we develop market-leading solutions across all modalities.

Explore our product porfolio online. Contact us to arrange a demo or training event.

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“ ” SAVE the DATE The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center | Houston, TX REGISTER FOR FREE AT HTMJOBS.COM

A BMET II has a good knowledge of schematics and can work independently on repairs and calibrations; maintains accurate and complete service records and coordinates/manages vendor repairs. A BMET II is essential to the RENOVO program in setting an example for junior technicians; demonstrating solid technical, problem solving, administrative and customer service skills. As a BMET II, the individual can build upon experience as they continue to grow professionally.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

Biomedical Equipment Technician

Clinical Engineering Site Manager ($5,000 Sign On Bonus)

The Biomedical Equipment Technician I (BMET I) performs scheduled maintenance and builds a knowledge base of a variety of common medical devices. Examples of these medical devices are; Infusion Pumps, Centrifuges, Suction pumps, Patient Support equipment, etc. The BMET I will also provide the following services; incoming equip ment inspections, installation, recall & alert activities and calibration & repair of medical devices.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

TRIMEDX is an established organization created on the principle of supporting hospital medical equipment service centers with excellence. Today, TRIMEDX is the largest independent med ical equipment service provider with locations in over 40 states and 3,000+ employees. We share a common purpose of serving customers, patients, communities and each other with equal measures of caring and performance.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc., a world leader in diagnostic imaging, is in search of qualified candidates to fill our open positions.

Canon Medical Systems offers a competitive salary and benefits package, we support a diverse workplace and are an equal opportunity employer. We invite you to join and become part of our Canon family.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

Field service on medical equipment at customer sites, some non-imaging, security whole body scanners, planned maintenance (PM) and installation of equipment, growth opportunities include Diagnostic Imaging field service engineer servicing multi-vendor/multi-modality equipment in hospital and other environments.

Focusing on c-arms, Digital Mobiles, x-ray systems and digital capture both DR and CR. Additional modalities to include CT, MRI, Ultrasound, and others.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

Agiliti is a nationwide company of passionate medical equipment management experts who believe every interaction has the power to change a life. We proudly serve within hospitals, health care facilities, and our 90+ local service centers to ensure quality medical equipment is in the right place at the right time for effective patient care. Make an impact in healthcare and grow your career with Team Agiliti!

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

InfuSystem is a growing healthcare service provider, specializing in medical devices and related products and services for patients in hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and other major service centers. We provide direct payer rentals, pump and consumable sales, and biomedical services and repair, serving all 50 states and Canada. Headquartered in Rochester Hills, Michigan, we have Centers of Excellence in Kansas, California, Massachusetts, and Ontario, Canada.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

At STERIS, we help our Customers create a healthier and safer world by providing innovative healthcare and life science product and service solutions around the globe. As a strategic fieldbased leader, you will drive a Customer First culture by providing exceptional Customer service, leadership, and talent management to a full-service district. Responsibilities include developing a high performing service team that drives Customer satisfaction and revenue growth and driving service revenue in a district.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

This position requires familiarity with many classes of medical imaging equipment and may perform maintenance on equipment outside these specialty areas. The Customer Support Engineer II/ III ensures regulatory compliance, assists in inventory, safe use and proper handling of medical Imaging equipment.

VIEW FULL DETAILS www.htmjobs.com

DID YOU KNOW?

THE VAULT

Do you consider yourself a history buff? Are you widely regarded among coworkers as an equipment aficionado? Here is your chance to prove it! Check out “The Vault” photo. Tell us what this medical device is and earn brag ging rights. Each person who submits a correct answer will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card. To submit your answer, visit 1TechNation. com/vault-december-2022. Good luck!

SUBMIT A PHOTO

Send a photo of an old medical device to editor@mdpublishing.com and you could win a $25 Amazon gift card courtesy of TechNation ! DECEMBER PHOTO

NOVEMBER WINNER

TRI-IMAGING’S APPRENTICE PROGRAM

Experience the best in imaging engineer training with our efficient, effective, immersive program where you will have real world experiences that will equip you with the skills necessary to service the “big iron” imaging equipment.

Visit www.triimaging.com or email training@triimaging.com to request the course overview and curriculum. Call: 855.401.4888 | Visit: triimaging.com | Email: training@triimaging.com Located in Nashville, TN • ISO 13485:2016 certified

MD EXPO SoCal SCRAPBOOK

MD Expo SoCal experienced a huge turnout with almost 800 people in attendance. The popular healthcare technology management (HTM) conference included 427 attendees and a total of 791 professionals from the HTM industry at the Pechanga Casino & Resort in Temecula, California. MD Publishing President John Krieg thanked biomeds and companies for their continued support for MD Expo. MD Expo SoCal was a hit with HTM professionals from all levels from students beginning their path to a biomed career all the way to C-suite level executives at health care systems and leading companies.

1. Attendees listen intently as keynote presenter Greg Bennick – a punk rocker, international humanitarian worker, philanthropist and touring artist – speaks to how if you want to build a better future, you have to build a better now.

2. During MD Expo SoCal, MedWrench celebrated eclipsing 150,000+ registered users on the site.

3. Vendors meet with key decision-makers at hospital systems around the country during MD Expo’s annual Reverse Expo.

4. The team at USOC Medical was ready for exhibit hall hours to begin as they eagerly awaited the arrival of attendees.

5. An attendee was excited to win a custom Artic cooler compliments of MedWrench during the door prize giveaway.

6. Corey Frye (center), lead singer of The Main Squeeze, belts out original hits as the headliner for Lars-A-Palooza, the finale event of MD Expo SoCal.

7 Attendees make their way to more than 100 vendor booths inside the exhibit hall.

8. Guests enjoy the beautiful scenery and tempera tures of southern California at the Lars-A-Palooza, concert on the lawn.

BREAKROOM

9. MD Publishing President John Krieg (left) shares a moment with Lars Aagaard of Shop Med Parts, the platinum sponsor of MD Expo and host of Lars-APalooza.

10. Heidi Horn (far left) moderates the “Skills New BMETs Bring to the HTM Department and How to Hire Them” panel discussion.

11. Another packed session takes place from the educational line-up.

April 11–13, 2023 • Houston, TX

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May 11-12, 2023

Caribe Royale Orlando • Orlando, FL

WHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BEN C.? IS BEN C.?

Ben C. at the recent #MDExpo in Temecula, CA.

Anesthesia

A.M. Bickford www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062 33 P

Life Spark Medical smarttanktester.com • 29

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396 92 P

USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762 3

Asset Management

Capital i capitali.us • 417-708-2924 66 EQ2 www.eq2llc.com • 888-312-4367 76

Beds/Stretchers

HERO herobiz.com • 800-834-1122 57 P P Biomedical

ALCO Sales & Service Co. www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282 66

BC Group International, Inc www.BCGroupStore.com • 314-638-3800 BC

Capital i capitali.us • 417-708-2924 66

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions www.qrs-solutions.com/ • 877-254-7086 7 P P

Health Tech Talent Management, Inc. www.HealthTechTM.com • 757-563-0448 56

HERO herobiz.com • 800-834-1122 57 P P

Life Spark Medical smarttanktester.com • 29

Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056 72

PD1 Medical pd1medical.com • 69

SalesMaker Carts www.salesmakercarts.com • 800-821-4140 62

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822 4

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396 92

Cables

PD1 Medical pd1medical.com • 69

Calibration

Rigel Medical, Seaward Group www.seaward-groupusa.com • 813-886-2775 17

Cardiac Monitoring

Jet Medical Electronics Inc www.jetmedical.com • 714-937-0809 93

Cardiology

Southeastern Biomedical, Inc sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010 37

CMMS

Capital i capitali.us • 417-708-2924 66

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions www.qrs-solutions.com/ • 877-254-7086 7

EQ2 www.eq2llc.com • 888-312-4367 76

Nuvolo nuvolo.com • 844-468-8656 23

TruAsset, LLC www.truasset.com • 214-276-1280 66

Computed Tomography

Injector Support and Service www.injectorsupport.com • 888-667-1062 16 P

International X-Ray Brokers internationalxraybrokers.com/ • 508-559-9441 62

RTI Electronics www.rtigroup.com • 800-222-7537 79 Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888 85 P P P

Contrast Media Injectors

Injector Support and Service www.injectorsupport.com • 888-667-1062 16

Maull Biomedical Training www.maullbiomedicaltraining.com • 440-724-7511 97

Defibrillator

SakoMED sakomed.com • (844) 433-7256 51

Diagnostic Imaging

Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com • 73

International X-Ray Brokers internationalxraybrokers.com/ • 508-559-9441 62 Lexicon lexiconmedparts.com • 615-545-8587 92 Mammo.com mammo.com • 32

Probo Medical www.probomedical.com • 3174947872 42

Endoscopy

Cadmet www.cadmet.com • 800-543-7282 79

Endo Technologies, Inc. endoti.com • 866-813-0480 62

Healthmark Industries hmark.com • 800-521-6224 47

Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056 72

Fetal Monitoring

Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056 72

General

ALCO Sales & Service Co. www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282 66 Lexicon lexiconmedparts.com • 615-545-8587 92

PD1 Medical pd1medical.com • 69 SalesMaker Carts salesmakercarts.com • 800-821-4140

Imaging

Health Tech Talent Management, Inc. www.HealthTechTM.com • 757-563-0448 56

KEI Medical Imaging www.keimedicalimaging.com • 512-477-1500 44

Infection Control

Healthmark Industries hmark.com • 800-521-6224

Infusion Pumps

AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions www.qrs-solutions.com/ • 877-254-7086

Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701

Infusion Pump Repair www.infusionpumprepair.com • 855-477-8866 83

Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822

Infusion Therapy

AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755

Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6702

FOBI www.FOBI.us • 888-231-3624

Infusion Pump Repair www.infusionpumprepair.com • 855-477-8866

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822

USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762

IV Pumps

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396

Labratory

Ozark Biomedical www.ozarkbiomedical.com • 800-457-7576

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396

Mammography

International X-Ray Brokers internationalxraybrokers.com/ • 508-559-9441

Mammo.com mammo.com •

Monitors

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822 4

Monitors/CRTs

USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762

MRI

Innovatus Imaging www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100 8

Online Resource

HTM Jobs www.htmjobs.com • 80 MedWrench www.MedWrench.com • 866-989-7057 50

Webinar Wednesday www.1technation.com/webinars • 800-906-3373 78

Oxygen Blender

FOBI www.FOBI.us • 888-231-3624 72

Patient Monitoring

AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755 44

Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com • 73

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions www.qrs-solutions.com/ • 877-254-7086

Jet Medical Electronics Inc www.jetmedical.com • 714-937-0809 93

P SakoMED sakomed.com • (844) 433-7256 51

Southeastern Biomedical, Inc sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010 37

USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822 4

Power System Components

Interpower www.interpower.com • 800-662-2290 99

Recruiting

Health Tech Talent Management, Inc. www.HealthTechTM.com • 757-563-0448 56

HERO herobiz.com • 800-834-1122 57

HTM Jobs www.htmjobs.com • 80

Refurbish

AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755 44

Rental/Leasing

Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com • 73

Elite Biomedical Solutions

elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6703 26

Repair

ALCO Sales & Service Co. www.alcosales.com • 800-323-4282 66

Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701 26

Jet Medical Electronics Inc www.jetmedical.com • 714-937-0809

Replacement Parts

Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701

Engineering Services, KCS Inc www.eng-services.com • 888-364-7782x11 6

Respiratory

A.M. Bickford www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062 33

FOBI www.FOBI.us • 888-231-3624

Software EQ2 www.eq2llc.com • 888-312-4367 76 Medigate by Claroty www.medigate.io • 5 Nuvolo nuvolo.com • 844-468-8656 23

TruAsset, LLC www.truasset.com • 214-276-1280 66

Sterilizers

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396

Surgical

Healthmark Industries hmark.com • 800-521-6224 47

Telemetry

AIV aiv-inc.com • 888-656-0755

Elite Biomedical Solutions elitebiomedicalsolutions.com • 855-291-6701

Multimedical Systems www.multimedicalsystems.com • 888-532-8056 72

Siella Medical siellamedical.com • 888.688.6822 4

USOC Bio-Medical Services www.usocmedical.com • 855-888-8762

Test Equipment

A.M. Bickford www.ambickford.com • 800-795-3062 33

BC Group International, Inc www.BCGroupStore.com • 314-638-3800

Life Spark Medical smarttanktester.com • 29

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions www.qrs-solutions.com/ • 877-254-7086 7

Pronk Technologies, Inc. www.pronktech.com • 800-609-9802 2, 56

Radcal Corporation www.radcal.com • 800-423-7169 76

Rigel Medical, Seaward Group www.seaward-groupusa.com • 813-886-2775 17

RTI Electronics www.rtigroup.com • 800-222-7537 79

Southeastern Biomedical, Inc sebiomedical.com/ • 828-396-6010 37

Training

College of Biomedical Equipment Technology www.cbet.edu • 866-866-9027 11 P

ECRI Institute www.ecri.org • 1-610-825-6000. 68 P

Probo Medical www.probomedical.com • 3174947872 42

Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888 85 P

Tubes/Bulbs

Cadmet www.cadmet.com • 800-543-7282 79 P

Excelitas Technologies Corp. www.excelitas.com • (+1) 510-979-6500 31 P P

Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888 85 P P

Ultrasound

Avante Health Solutions avantehs.com • 73 P P

Innovatus Imaging www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100 8

Probo Medical www.probomedical.com • 3174947872 42 P P

Ventilators

SakoMED sakomed.com • (844) 433-7256 51 P P

SPBS, Inc www.spbs.com/ • (800) 713-2396 92 P

X-Ray

Engineering Services, KCS Inc www.eng-services.com • 888-364-7782x11 6 P

Innovatus Imaging www.innovatusimaging.com • 844-687-5100 8

International X-Ray Brokers internationalxraybrokers.com/ • 508-559-9441 62

RTI Electronics www.rtigroup.com • 800-222-7537 79

Tri-Imaging Solutions www.triimaging.com • 855-401-4888 85

A.M. Bickford 33

AIV 44

ALCO Sales & Service Co. 66

Avante Health Solutions 73 BC Group International, Inc BC Cadmet 79 Capital i 66

College of Biomedical Equipment Technology 11

Datrend Systems and QRS Solutions 7 ECRI Institute 68

Elite Biomedical Solutions ………… 26

Endo Technologies, Inc. 62 Engineering Services, KCS Inc 6 EQ2 76

Excelitas Technologies Corp. 31 FOBI 72

Health Tech Talent Management, Inc. 56

Healthmark Industries 47 HERO 57

HTM Jobs 80

Infusion Pump Repair 83 Injector Support and Service 16 Innovatus Imaging 8 International X-Ray Brokers 62 Interpower 99

Jet Medical Electronics Inc 93 KEI Medical Imaging 44 Lexicon 92

Life Spark Medical 29 Mammo.com 32 Maull Biomedical Training 97 Medigate by Claroty ………………… 5 MedWrench 50 Multimedical Systems 72

Nuvolo 23 Ozark Biomedical 69 PD1 Medical 69 Probo Medical 42 Pronk Technologies, Inc. 2, 56 Radcal Corporation 76 Rigel Medical, Seaward Group 17 RTI Electronics 79 SakoMED 51

SalesMaker Carts 62 Siella Medical 4 Southeastern Biomedical, Inc 37 SPBS, Inc 92 Tri-Imaging Solutions 85

TruAsset, LLC ……………………… 66 USOC Bio-Medical Services 3 Webinar Wednesday 78

Injector

Join us as we celebrate the TechNation community. You - each and every reader, Webinar Wednesday attendee, HTM Jobs user and MD Expo attendee - are the most important part of the TechNation community. Share a photo of yourself, a colleague or the entire biomed team on social media and tag it with #IamTechNation. Then, check each issue of the magazine to see yourself and all of the men and women that are TechNation

Whether

“Going from an inventory tech to a lead Biomedical Technician III has been a massive blessing. I’m beyond thankful for my mentors for helping me get to where I’m at today. We accomplish everything as a team.”

Avinash (Avi) Dhanraj, CAPM & Nicole Dhanraj Ph.D, SHRM-SCP, CSSB, CPPS, GPHR PMP,

Mother-son duo attending the recent #MDExpo in Temecula, CA!

Camilla Brasher, Bench Technician, III, AllParts Medical, LLC

it’s checking a board before testing or replacing a power box on a Shimadzu, Camilla Brasher is always ready to work!

Beatrice Yeboah, University of Ghana Medical Centre

Beatrice Yeboah is a Senior Clinical Engineering Manager at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. She is also a youth mentor for women working in male dominated TVET institutions through World University Service of Canada (WUSC - EUMC) .

Ebony Figures, Biomedical Engineer at John Peter Smith Hospital

Ebony Figures and the team at John Peter Smith Hospital work hard everyday to ensure the safety of equipment.

Landon Fields, Biomedical Engineer | CBET Certified

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