The COVID-19 pandemic affects every member of the AAMI community, from front-line healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals supporting vast amounts of equipment, to sterile processing personnel working to reduce the spread of this disease, to medical device manufacturers racing to produce the technology that clinicians need.
These free virtual town hall events are designed to help you respond to this pandemic safely and effectively by helping to provide expert advice and answers to your questions. The recordings and transcripts are posted on this page shortly after the event.
COVID 19 Lessons Learned: HTM, Sterile Processing, and Infection Control
November 24, 2020
This panel session brought together representatives from healthcare technology management, healthcare sterile processing, and infection prevention to discuss how these disciplines have responded to and learned from the COVID-19 crisis and highlight areas of alignment for patient and worker safety. This webinar presents a multidisciplinary approach and lessons learned in each area and across the organization.
Emergency Use Authorizations for the Decontamination of N95 Respirators
May 4, 2020
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for select sterilization systems that will allow N95 or N95-equivalent respirators to be decontaminated. The sterilization systems will help address the shortage of these vital masks used by healthcare workers to protect themselves from exposure to the novel coronavirus.
This webinar features an expert from 3M who addresses the 3M perspective on the decontamination of N95 respirators and shares important caveats about doing so, as well as representatives from STERIS, Battelle, Advance Sterilization Products (ASP), and Sterilucent, each of whom have systems covered by EUAs. Following the expert presentations, is a Q&A session.
Systems covered under EUA that are addressed include:
- STERIS: STERIS V-PRO 1 Plus, maX, and maX2 Low Temperature Sterilization Systems
- Battelle: Battelle CCDS Critical Care Decontamination System
- ASP: STERRAD 100S, NX, and 100NX Sterilization Systems
- Sterilucent: Sterilucent HC 80TT Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilizer
N95 Mask Decontamination and Reuse Webinar
April 24, 2020
With limited availability of N95 masks, many institutions have been forced to develop their own policies and procedures for mask decontamination and reuse. This webinar reviews three decontamination methods supported by academic research and provide clear and unbiased explanations of the pros and cons of each. Hosts: N95DECON, AAMI, AORN, and IAHCSMM.
- Samantha M. Grist, Ph.D., UC Berkeley and N95Decon.org
- Margaret L. Gardel, Horace B. Horton Professor, Physics and Molecular Engineering Director, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center University of Chicago
- Jill R. Crittenden, Research Scientist with Prof. David E. Housman and Institute Prof. Ann M. Graybiel Massachusetts Institute of Technology
HTM COVID Town Hall - Getting Through the Pandemic Together
April 22, 2020
Industry experts share information about medical equipment supply chain, medical equipment planning for expansions and how to effectively divert equipment and staff in times of need.
- David Brennan, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at PartsSource
- Michael Ahmad, Vice President, HTM Business Development at ABM
- Steven Rubino, HTM Project Manager at Scripps Health
COVID-19 Town Hall: What HTM Professionals Need to Know
April 8, 2020
Experienced healthcare technology management (HTM) leaders shared advice, best practices, and pertinent information HTM professionals should know when navigating the COVID-19 health pandemic, including onboarding, managing, and maintaining the massive
amounts of new equipment required.
- Danielle McGeary, vice president of HTM at AAMI (host and moderator).
- Mike Busdicker, HTM system director at Intermountain Health
- Karen Waninger, HTM Executive Director at Franciscan Health Network
- Jared Wilson, chief technology officer at Insight HTM
- Stephanie Domas, executive vice president at MedSec
AAMI and IAHCSMM Town Hall: Sterilization and COVID-19
March 30, 2020
Sterile processing professionals shared their insights, experiences, and questions about the COVID-19 virus and its implications for the healthcare delivery environment. The town hall addresses the challenges and questions about processing instruments and medical devices that have been exposed to COVID-19 as well as providing guidance in relevant sterile processing standards for these unprecedented times.
This event was hosted by AAMI and the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM). As of this town hall, there were more than 732,000 cases worldwide and more than 143,000 cases in the United States.
- Amanda Benedict, director of AAMI's sterilization standards program (host and moderator)
- Damien Berg, immediate past president of IAHCSMM and the regional manager for UC Health and direct manager for Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospitals in Northern Colorado. Berg has spoken at sterile processing conferences around the world and has written several articles on sterile processing leadership.
- Sue Klacik, IAHCSMM clinical educator, has served as IAHCSMM's representative to AAMI for nearly 20 years and has authored articles, lesson plans, and textbook chapters, as well as presented educational sessions for IAHCSMM.
Health Technology Alliance HTM/IT Coronavirus Town Hall
March 24, 2020
HTM and IT professionals shared their insights, experiences, and answers to your questions about the COVID-19 virus and its implications. This event was hosted by the Health Technology Alliance a
coalition between ACCE, AAMI, and HIMSS, dedicated to bridging the gap between IT and HTM
professionals by providing solutions to common challenges and sharing relevant information between the two communities.
- Danielle McGeary, vice president of HTM at AAMI (host and moderator).
- Jeff Ruiz, HTM director at Holland Hospital, a small community hospital in rural Michigan.
- Michael Marchant, a health information technology director at UC Davis Medical Center, a large teaching hospital in Northern California, which had the first identified case of COVID-19 from community spread.
- Mark Manning, HTM director from the Mayo Clinic, a large health delivery organization that spans across many regions in the United States.
- Yadin David, providing an update about the steps the World Health Organization is taking to combat this crisis and assist HTM professionals internationally.
- Umberto Nocco, an HTM professional working on the front lines at a major hospital in the Lombardia region of Italy. Lombardia had been one of the hardest hit regions of Italy, making up nearly half of Italy's total COVID-19 cases.