J. Scot Mackeil, a CBET in Plymouth Mass, recently sparked some conversation on the Biomedtalk listserv regarding credentials for BMETs. He acknowledged right off the bat it can be a sore subject but he has been working on an article on this topic and said he has been struggling with seeing the other side of this coin—what do we gain by being uncertified and unregulated?

We invite your comments—what do you think?

Scot said: “Fellow biomeds, consider this, aircraft and medical equipment are devices on which peoples’ lives depend. In some cases, hundreds of lives can depend on a single piece of hardware. In order to repair and sign off on the repair of an aircraft or sign off on an annual inspection, one must be must be a certified airframe and power plant mechanic. The qualification process for an A+P makes the CBET or CCE look like 5th grade. These professionals, their training, support, and qualifications are strictly regulated by the FAA. No pilot would ever think of taking a jet off the flight line with an expired inspection sticker on it or not complying exactly with maintenance and repair reporting protocols. Why is the manner in which medical equipment maintenance in health care implemented and practiced, almost completely the reverse of the airline industry?”

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At some point we all come into contact with a manager we would all like better communication with. Randell Orner, a manager at an OEM, is looking to gather data to improve communication satisfaction within the biomed community. He has a short survey he invites all BMETs and CEs to take, which will help him develop best practices in this area.

The survey is free and just takes a few minutes—here’s the link and Randell thanks you in advance: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q9JWTDK

 

In the January issue of 24x7, the article, “The Art of the Deal,” covered negotiating tips to help secure the best prices on device purchases, as well as ideas on how to know what to include in a contract.

For example, Arthur Bartosch, CBET, director of biomedical engineering services, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY, advises that the skill level of in-house personnel will always play a role in what kind of service contract to obtain. Knowing what his techs can and cannot do determines what is mission-critical and what fosters the highest return on investment.

When Bartosch eventually gets to the negotiating table he then makes sure that he is getting everything he needs to fully support the device. Some questions include: What are the hours of coverage? Is glassware included? Is it a 24/7 gold, silver, or platinum contract? After determining all that, it is time to talk about a reasonable price.

Have tips of your own? Share them now on by commenting on this blog.

Did you watch the Grammy Awards last night? There are a lot of good things about these types of shows and last night one of the things that stood out for me in this celebration of music was how influential musicians are on another's career. The awards honored many musicians on a larger scale, but more specifically and personally individual artists acknowledged various musicians and the impact these artists had on their career.

How about you? Did you have a mentor or someone you admired who gave you advice that has helped you in your career? I invite you to share it with your colleagues and comment here. Of course, if you’ve got some of your own good ideas you’d like to share on a “larger scale,” please e-mail me at jkirst@allied360.com and I’ll post it on your behalf. Thanks!

 

The article “20 Ways to Save” in the December 2009 issue had great tips from biomedical/clinical engineering managers on how to stretch those tight budget dollars.

Tips such as flex your schedule, rethink your service strategies, and expand your reach are only a few of the 20. Did you implement any of them? Did they help?

We hope you’ll share some of your own ideas and we invite your comments.

 

If you’re looking for a new job and you’re headed to trade shows or career fairs, here’s a best practice shared by Jennifer Brown, national talent acquisition manager for ARAMARK, clinical technology services.

Jennifer said: “When you go to an event and you’re looking for a career opportunity, even though the event may be casual, come dressed professionally. And, bring a completed resume.”

Jennifer, an expert in her field, added that this will help show that you're serious. Do you have any tips that have worked for you? Comment here to share them.

And, our thanks to Jennifer—who always looks very professional.

 

 

When you (or your department) need more—whether it’s training, flexibility, autonomy when ordering parts, money, or help—how do you go about asking for what you need? Do you develop a plan, layout the cost benefits, and schedule a meeting?

What works for you as an individual and as a department? Share your best practices and help your colleagues meet their needs too.

 

At the NCBA show in North Carolina, biomed Gordon Radke of Carolina Healthcare and I were talking about communication and getting to the root of the problem when it comes to figuring out what's wrong with a device. Gordon shared this best practice that has yielded positive results for him:

Gordon says: "The more familiar your face is, the more comfortable your customers are in asking a question, even the 'stupid' questions, which can help you figure out what's really wrong and can improve the level of patient safety in the hospital. The more confident they are in your abilities, the more the nurses can focus on their jobs, which is taking care of patients."

Have you found this too? We invite your comments and also your best practices. Send your tips to me at jkirst@allied360.com and thanks!

It is my pleasure to welcome our guest blogger Todd Cooper, president of Breakthrough Solutions Foundry Inc, San Diego. Device connectivity affects everyone working with medical devices, and your comments and participation are important, as you’ll see from Todd’s post below. We hope you'll respond to this blog and also click on the link he provides to submit your ideas. Thanks in advance!

From Todd Cooper: In the midst of the health care reform debate, passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009/Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (ARRA/HITECH) legislation earlier this year, and even discussions about the “health Internet,” the question has been asked: Where does device connectivity fit into all this? To answer that question, the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) was chartered to look at the broad landscape of device connectivity and the ever increasing role it plays within the health care enterprise, and to create a plan of attack over the next few years that would culminate in “medical device interoperability” by 2015. A HITSP working group of subject matter experts has been developing a technical note over the last 2 to 3 months that provides just such a multi-phased roadmap for establishing open standards-based device connectivity solutions that would be ready for deployment by 2013/2015, as well as the technology gaps that need to be filled in order to get there.

Recently HITSP published HITSP/TN905 Device Connectivity Technical Note for public comment and is asking for review and feedback over the next few weeks. The document is available on the HITSP Web site and the public comment period closes December 18, 2009. The comments will then be reviewed and a final draft created and submitted for approval at the HITSP meeting scheduled for January 25, 2010. This is your opportunity to provide input into the roadmap, ensuring that your concerns and needs are heard and taken into consideration!

Also, if you are interested in working on the final draft to be submitted for final approval by the HITSP at its January 25, 2010 meeting, please contact either Todd Cooper (t.cooper@ieee.org) or John Donnelly (jtdonnelly@intepro.biz).

 

On 24x7’s Facebook page someone asked how to go about finding work. I’ve also heard of some layoffs recently in the field, so in these tough times I think it would be great if you could share your best tips for finding a job.

Is it through networking with colleagues? Through your local association? A specific Web site? Looking forward to your comments and thanks!