By Patrick Lynch, CBET, CCE, CHTM, CPHIMS, FACCE
I’ve been in the biomedical—now “HTM”—field for 42 years. And, for the most part, I’ve lead one organization or another since 1980. Given that, I have a few observations about the current state of organization of our profession.
We have a lot of very good state biomedical associations. Although they all operate a little bit differently they all offer some sort of networking, education, and newsletter and/or website. One thing they are all lacking, however, is a national presence to make major changes that affect our entire industry.
Patrick Lynch
I have compiled 10 reasons why I believe that we need a national HTM organization— one that is chapter-based, so that the local and state associations can merge under a national umbrella. That way, we can flex our collective muscle to really get something done, instead of just meeting locally to complain about it. Here is my list:
1. We have no representation. The current associations represent only a fraction of the people performing HTM functions in the U.S. If you add up the memberships of all associations, the total number of members (both active and inactive) may reach 13,000. The number of unique members is surely less than that.
At a recent FDA workshop on servicers in Silver Spring, Md., there was exactly one working BMET on the official agenda to speak. The rest were manufacturers, independent service organizations (ISOs), trade associations, government officials, health systems, and the Veteran’s Administration. Not a single association representing the working BMET (unless you count the American College of Clinical Engineering) was on the agenda.
2. No current association is even attempting to represent us at a national level. There is no membership that has a significant numbers of working BMETs.
3. A new association would be much more inclusive. The national association could be designed from the start to have sections for imaging engineers, as well as healthcare IT support technicians. It should also have a manager’s section. It may even have groups for non-technical support people, like administrative support staff or computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) data managers.
4. Many local associations would gladly become a chapter of a national association. Doing this would greatly relieve them of administrative burdens, as well as provide a framework for their operations. A national parent would also bring resources for education, lobbying, legislative monitoring, among other benefits.
5. The industry would gain a national lobbying presence. Right now, none of the local associations performs activities that change the course of the profession. By and large, all the monies spent by local associations are for local networking, local education, vendor education, product presentations, and educational scholarships.
While these are all noble endeavors, they do little to change the political climate of the profession. They do not change laws. They do not change manufacturer practices regarding service materials. A national group that could speak for all of us—instead of only local members—would have much more clout.
6. Regulatory agencies need education to see the world from our perspective. The manufacturers speak to the FDA daily. Large ISOs have the resources to send people to speak to the Joint Commission and DNV GL.
Who from a hospital has the time or funding to travel to these agencies and educate them about the needs of hospital-based HTMs? A national organization would have the centrally collected dollars to prepare a professional, to-the-point, persuasive, educational presentation and fund someone who is polished, professional, and convincing to present it.
7. Volunteers run 100% of the associations today—and that’s a fundamental problem.Continuity of purpose is never guaranteed with volunteers. It seems that life, work, and many other things occur periodically to take priority over volunteer activities. That’s why so many associations seem to rise and fall like a roller coaster; home life and work life often push volunteerism to the side for a while. And backup is usually not available. The solution? A core of paid staff whose paycheck depends upon maintaining the functions of the organization.
8. We are aging. As many of us retire in the next few years, there needs to be a repository of information to keep the profession alive. This information is not just technical—it is also cultural.
HTMs and biomeds have a unique culture; biomeds are different than many others. I think we work harder. We play harder. We care more. About our hospitals. About our customers. About our patients. About our equipment. This attitude of caring is rare today. It is important that we find a way to transmit the culture of caring to the newcomers in the profession.
9. HTM needs to become more data-driven. As the entire world moves toward making decisions by data, trends, and numbers, the HTM field must do the same. The lack of a national standard for the comparison of HTM operations leaves us at the risk of others, who can impose whatever metrics they wish upon us since we have none of our own. A national organization could be more decisive and prescriptive about forcing standards.
10. To evolve, we need to groom future leaders. We have many, many very intelligent people in this profession. But, unfortunately, many of them do not have a forum for sharing their ideas. Many times, local leaders have stars who are deserving of a larger stage for their ideas and leadership. A national association would give them such a place to go—and our profession will be better for it. After all, every new idea moves us further toward a future that we control.
Now that I have laid out my reasons for a new national organization, I would like to hear from all of you—especially the leadership and past leadership of the associations throughout the U.S. Email me at [email protected] with your thoughts, critiques, problems, suggestions, and ideas about how this may or may not work.
I am committed to seeing this idea through to completion. I’m going to find an organization to start a national HTM association, complete with paid staff, chapters, affiliates, lobbying activities, national recognition, and an unwavering support for the values and need of the working biomed. So, are you with me?
Excellent points Pat. I hope you or someone succeeds. Without growth comes stagnation
I could not agree more Pat. This is a great representation of what the HTMA-MW has been saying for the years since I became involved with it.
In my opinion and seeing this first hand within our local association, you have hit on many of the things troubling BMETS and their local associations. Lack of a voice or adequate representation, cutbacks in healthcare which limit continuing education opportunities and perceived unimportance by the powers that be have resulted in the ever dwindling membership in our local societies. I applaud and support any movement that organizes the power of the lowly biomed technician. Let me know how I can help.
Hello my Dear friend Mr. Lynch,
I am with you %110 as we have discussed this problem back in 2009, What can I do to help? Your wish is my command.
It is time to unite and raise the quality of our industry under one roof.
Next step should be fusion of all biomedical society to have a united voice in healthcare technology management professional.
Best,
Farid Eslami CCE, CBET, Biomedical engineering professor, CMIA-OC state board member.
Hi Patrick,
The need is real and your reasoning sound but it occurs to me that this would be a natural extension of the services offered by AAMI. As a proponent and early adopter of HTM, AAMI is uniquely poised with infrastructure and resources to fill this need. No need to recreate the wheel when one lies ready to be repurposed. To quote from the AAMI website “AAMI is a leader in the effort to enhance the development, use, and maintenance of healthcare technology and medical devices—with an emphasis on safety and effectiveness. Through the publication of books, standards, recommended practices, technical information reports, periodicals, and a host of digital products, AAMI has the resources to help you stay on top of the news, trends, challenges, and solutions that matter the most.” – See more at: http://www.aami.org/productspublications/index.aspx?navItemNumber=505#sthash.2iL2YSET.dpuf
Adding national representation to that purpose statement could greatly enhance and expedite this call to broader and effective representation.
Most Respectfully,
Phil Englert
Thanks for all of the kind words. I have received similar encouragement from the many associations that I have spoken with in person and over the phone, most recently at Indiana’s Annual Meeting this past weekend. I will be visiting Mr. Robert Jensen and Steve Campbell of AAMI on Friday to see if we can take this to the next level. Pat
Pat,
I agree with your comments and suggestions. My first thought while reading was that AAMI should act in this role given they already have the infrastructure on a national level. The trick is to ensure that if it is a sub-section of AAMI, that it remains the voice of the HTM community and not big business. Thanks for your continuing efforts to facilitate the health and well being of our profession!
Chris (Treasurer, Washington State Biomed Assoc.)
PS: Perhaps this letter should be send directly to the AAMI Associations list?
As a HTM/CE professional for almost 20yrs I have often wondered what could be accomplished if we establish ourselves like nursing for example. The ability to shape our profession would bring about limitless possibilities in helping our Hospitals deliver care and to us in being seen as true professionals. The ISOs and Mfg. most times aren’t delivering the quality they boast about or even provide good documentations of services rendered, yet they have the ear of those who impose regulatory oversight. National is the way to go!
The American Hospital Association is an excellent place to start. Hospital Engineers have ASHE and Environmental Services has AHE under the AHA umbrella. As a member of both, I can state that they are excellent associations with a wealth of information, education and support.
Hi Mr. Lynch,
I’m with you in principle. You have made the case for the need, and advantages of a national BMET org. very well. You also seem like the one uniquely qualified (having vision, and broad experience), to lead this endeavor.
Just like at what AAMI went through in trying to identity what Biomeds want to be called. the longer that process went, the bigger the title became. But in the end, we are Biomeds, preferring simplicity so the right focus can be on the right things: safety, customer service, cost savings.
Best regards, Dennis Blandino, CBET
My fiance and brother were talking about the BMET programs and the effects they have. Knowing that these important people are only volunteers makes me a little nervous for the same reasons mentioned. Without these hard workers, we are left with nothing good and need to keep them around.