TMC

Increased Recognition Emerges as Top Priority

AAMI’s Technology Management Council (FMC) is launching an effort to educate healthcare executives and the public about the important contributions that biomedical equipment technicians, clinical engineers,and other technology managers make in healthcare institutions across the country.

At a recent meeting,the TMC identified five top priorities that the Council will tackle over the next year. In addition to publicizing the profession, the TMC also decided to:

The effort to publicize the medical technology profession is not only meant to recognize biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs), clinical engineers (CEs), and other technology managers, but the project may also help attract more engineers and technicians to the field to help relieve staff shortages.

“By defining and recognizing the contributions of these healthcare specialists, we want to elevate the field and give engineers and technicians the recognition that they deserve for the important resources they bring to patient care,” says Ray Laxton, chair of the TMC and vice president of operations at ARAMARK Healthcare Management Services.

“There’s no doubt about it—this is an important undertaking and something that will benefit all of us,” adds David E. Francoeur, CBET, a member of the TMC’s Executive Committee and vice president of service operations at TriMedx Healthcare Equipment Services.

These specific projects were determined in large part from the results of an AAMI survey that evaluated the needs and wants of the technology management segment of AAMI’s membership.

The 21-member TMC—which was created by the AAMI Board in 2004 to serve the interests of CEs, BMETs, and others who provide medical technology management and support services—accomplished several projects during its first year and made major progress in other areas.

For example, TMC members helped create a new area of the AAMI website where technology managers can share best practices, policies, job descriptions, forms, and other resources; published a special magazine focused on issues of mutual interest to biomeds and nurses;and launched two new regular columns in AAMI publications about JCAHO guidance.

Over the last year, the TMC also laid the foundation for other major undertakings, including a benchmarking survey. TMC members and AAMI staff are in the process of evaluating proposals submitted by consultants who would conduct the survey.

In the first phase of the work, the benchmarking consultant will evaluate the feasibility of the benchmarking project, outline the project parameters, and identify practices that could or should be benchmarked and assign measurable indicators for these practices. If the benchmarking project is determined feasible, the consultant would then develop and conduct a benchmarking survey in the second phase.

The project is designed to identify areas for benchmarking that will help validate and enhance the value of medical technology management and provide metrics for assessing key areas of program, departmental, and employee performance. The benchmarking results will seek to provide a basis by which different technology management departments of varying sizes and with varying levels or resources can identify and assess avenues for improvement.

In addition to the five priorities for 2005–2006, the TMC members and AAMI staff are also in the process of:

“We’ve made good progress on several issues in a short time,” says Laxton, “but we have a busy year ahead. The projects that the TMC members are working on now will make a valuable contribution to the field for years to come.”

Source: AAMI News, Vol. 40, No. 7, July/August 2005

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