Jeffrey Cooper, PhD, of Partners Healthcare System Inc and Harvard Medical School, was presented with two awards this year.
The DEVTEQ Patient Safety Award, including an inscribed plaque and a $250 check, was presented to Cooper in recognition of his efforts in patient-safety initiatives. Cooper was also the recipient of the ACCE Lifetime Achievement Award. This new award is presented by ACCE to individuals for their lifetime contributions to the field of clinical engineering. The award includes an inscribed plaque and a $1,000 check.

Other awards presented at the meeting include the ACCE Challenge Award, presented to two individuals who are not ACCE members but have contributed to the field of clinical engineering. This year’s awards were presented to Jeff Kabachinski, a columnist for the journal Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, and Bruce Hyndman, a consultant in the investigation of accidents and incidents involving medical equipment and devices.

From left: Ray Zambuto, ACCE president; Jim Keller, ACCE at-large board member; Elliot Sloane, ACCE past president; and Steve Grimes, ACCE vice president.

The Tom O’Dea Advocacy Award was presented to Kevin Taylor, a biomedical engineer at Stanton Territorial Health Authority, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, for his accomplishments in the clinical engineering field. Taylor manages services that support all health facilities in the NWT and is developing a territory-wide medical technology management plan for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Patrick Lynch, CBET, MBA, of Northside Hospital in Atlanta, received the Professional Achievement in Management Award, given to an individual who has demonstrated accomplishments in managerial areas of the clinical engineering profession.

The Professional Achievement in Technology Award was presented to Kerry Beauchamp, in recognition of his accomplishments in the technical areas of clinical engineering. Beauchamp, although not a professional engineer or biomedical technologist, had the vision to bring full medical technology management services to the Northwest Territories of Canada.

And, finally, ACCE introduced the Best Student Paper Award. This award was inspired by the generosity of Leslie Geddes, PhD, at the 2002 meeting. Geddes, former director of the Hillenbrand Engineering Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind, donated the money he received as recipient of the DEVTEQ Patient Safety Award to fund the best student paper award at the 2002 AAMI conference. The ACCE advocacy committee has decided to present this award annually, and this year’s award, including a certificate and 1-year membership in ACCE, was presented to Umair Siddiqui of the University of Connecticut.

The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has sent out a call for applicants to its Biomedical Engineering Cooperative Program. The program is designed for students interested in learning about medical device evaluation from a regulatory perspective and applying their skills to a variety of device design and performance issues.

The program is a 2-year commitment that includes undergraduate and graduate biomedical engineering students who alternate semesters between CDRH and school. Throughout the course of the program, students will be immersed in such areas as protecting public health by ensuring the safety of medical devices, learning about the FDA’s evaluation process for medical devices, participating in the evaluation of medical device design, gaining practical work experience related to device development and evaluation in both regulatory analysis and laboratory setting, as well as working alongside physicians, engineers, and other scientists in assessing clinical trial data, adverse event reports, and device failures.

Applicants should submit a resumé or SF-171 and a cover letter describing interest in the medical device profession. For more information, visit www.fda.gov/cdrh/mdfp.

Compromises to the security of information stored in biomedical devices and systems can seriously affect patient health, and may be life threatening. ECRI and ACCE developed the HIPAA Compliance Guide to assist health care provider organizations in starting an ongoing process for the management of biomedical technology that will continue after the security’s rule deadline.

“The HIPAA compliance guide will help health care organizations identify and address information security issues,” says James Keller, MS, director of ECRI’s Health Devices Group. “The guide provides tools and resources to use with a security program, including downloadable forms, customizable worksheets, checklists for inventorying and analyzing risks, tools for setting priorities, and implementing a mitigation plan.”

According to ACCE, the guide contains an extensive overview of the HIPAA security rule, reviews necessary compliance measures for medical technology, and provides recommendation on implementing the rules with specific medical technology–related examples.

For more information on purchasing the HIPAA Compliance Guide, visit www.ecri.org or www.accenet.org.

The award commends the company’s development of the patented SuperSwitch technology that monitors incoming power and performs seamless transfers between two AC power sources. Earlier this year, Cyberex released the third generation of its SuperSwitch technology, which increases the mean time between downloading events by 3 million to 10 million hours, which is seven times longer than other comparable products. The system also features an expanded diagnostic event log, enhanced graphical user interface and communications, guided breaker bypass operation, and reduced maintenance time and footprint.

“We are honored to accept the award,” said Nev Carmichael, director of marketing for Danaher Power Solutions, the manufacturer of Cyberex products. “Development of new products, research, and marketing all have contributed to the success of our company and its ability to provide breakthrough power-reliability products.”

Cyberex has been introducing innovative products to the power industry for more than 30 years. In 1971 the company introduced the first stand-alone static transfer switch, and in 1994 Cyberex launched the first DSTS. The manufacturer of Cyberex products, Danaher Power Solutions, offers a variety of power quality solutions, such as industrial UPS and power distribution models. To date, more than 6,000 Cyberex transfer switches have been installed in companies worldwide, particularly those with critical data and communications applications.

Kal Fishman, director of Healthcare Solutions for Silver Train, explained that in terms of adopting information technology, health care is 7 to 10 years behind other industries, allocating less of its budgeted funds to IT growth. Additionally, he reported, there is isolation of various departments within the hospital. According to Fishman, within most medical facilities, IT systems in one department are not able to effectively and seamlessly communicate with systems of another. Fortunately, Fishman said, the current state of inefficiency is changing.

Factors such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations, as well as the need for increased patient safety, data security, increased productivity, and a desire for more patient-centric care are expected to motivate changes in the industry. Fishman predicts that health care will see changes in the IT infrastructure, including adoption of wireless technology. New technologies will include bar coding, Internet-based services, voice recognition, biometrics, HIS/RIS and PACS, point of care decision support, and electronic medical records.

Fishman calls the technology changes within the biomedical industry the "e-Volution," and encourages professionals to stay current on emerging information technologies. The BASW recommends online resources, such as www.himss.org, www.mshug.org, www.jhita.org, and www.healthcareitnews.com, for additional information on the technological advances, trends, and educational opportunities for biomedical professionals.

The BASW will be hosting the Wisconsin State Conference October 6-8 in Milwaukee. For more information, contact BASW at (414) 328-6035.

John Cifarelli has been appointed vice president and general manager, surgical products and will oversee all sales and marketing activities of the business unit.

Eric Halvorson will lead Olympus’ EndoTherapy Products as vice president and general manager, and Rick Harbuck has been promoted to vice president of sales and will be responsible for all medical systems sales activities and supervise the group’s six area vice presidents.

Eddie Garces, vice president, Olympus endoscopy service.

Eddie Garces has been promoted to vice president of endoscopy service. Garces, whose career with Olympus spans nearly 3 decades, will spearhead the nationwide service organization, leading a team of service technicians, engineers, and support staff. He frequently visits Olympus factories oversees and collaborates with counterparts on best-in-class solutions for the repair and maintenance of Olympus gastrointestinal endoscopes and minimally invasive surgical products.