Successful AAMI 2013 Conference & Expo Wraps
New friends and old colleagues bid goodbye to Long Beach, CA Monday after three days of networking, educational sessions, and inspiring speakers at the AAMI 2013 Annual Conference & Expo.
Several major themes were apparent at the conference. One was that the healthcare technology management (HTM) community has a big role to play in ensuring the effective management of clinical alarms. Another was that HTM professionals must position themselves as the technology experts at their facilities, so that they can thrive in a healthcare environment that’s changing rapidly.
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| AAMI President Mary Logan addresses the “Manny Meeting.” Also pictured Jim Keller (l) and Manny Furst. |
“Technology has become a survival strategy for healthcare,” advised Russ Branzell, president and CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). With that in mind, he said, “You all are an unbelievably vital link in this process.”
Even before the conference, many attendees were busy. The standards committees met the week prior to the conference to work on vital patient safety issues, including wireless questions and medical device security.
The AAMI Annual Conference also was the site of the 29th Annual Conference on Clinical Engineering Productivity and Cost Effectiveness. The get-together known affectionately by many as the “Manny Meeting,” proved again to be a popular event, with such challenges as clinical alarm management, medical device integration, and analytics from computerized maintenance management systems discussed. The meeting’s nickname is a tribute to organizer Manny Furst, a longtime leader in the clinical engineering community.
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| Board Chair Ray Laxton welcomes attendees at the opening reception. |
The conference itself featured several new elements, including an entire track of sessions devoted to alarm management, an opening reception, and an AAMI Lounge for attendees to relax, brainstorm, and network.
In his keynote address, James Mault, MD, vice president and chief medical officer at Qualcomm Life, described how healthcare will change in the future. As Mault noted in his speech, patients are being discharged from the hospital faster than ever. He views this as a challenge to for the coordination of care, as some patients will require the aid of caregivers, dieticians, and other providers. Often there is no coordination, but rather “silos of behavior,” with each provider rendering care without talking to the others. Until the incentives change to encourage better coordination, this situation will remain in place, he said.
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| Attendees were allowed to try out the CPR trainer from Laerdal. |
Attendees also flooded the Expo floor to see new, innovative technologies from manufacturers and vendors. The expo also included a simulation lab, where Norway’s Laerdal Medical was demonstrating its CPR training robot, which transmits information wirelessly and allows trainers to evaluate how students are doing. The simulation lab is in its third year.
Meanwhile, speakers at educational sessions sought to provide information on the issues affecting healthcare technology professionals today. A packed agenda awaited attendees. One of the most popular sessions was The Joint Commission update from George Mills, which once again was divided into two segments. The second part was a 90-minute question-and-answer session, during which Mills provided guidance on a host of specific issues.
A pressing area of concern for many in attendance was clinical alarms, particularly ahead of TJC's 2014 National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on alarm management. If approved, the NPSG would require healthcare facilities to make alarm management a top priority. Mills discussed alarms and the NPSG as hospitals try to eliminate alarm fatigue.
Next year’s AAMI Annual Conference & Expo will be in Philadelphia, May 31 - June 2.
Posted: 06.05.13