By Keri Forsythe-Stephens

From a personal—and professional—standpoint, 2018 has been a year to remember so far: I settled into a new house, my second child was born, and 24×7 Magazine—my other baby—celebrated 22 years in circulation.

Keri Forsythe-Stephens, Chief Editor

Keri Forsythe-Stephens, Chief Editor

2018 has also been a big year in the HTM field. In May, the FDA ruled that there was insufficient evidence at that point to “justify imposing additional/different burdensome regulatory requirements” on third-party service companies before announcing five months later that the agency would be hosting a public workshop to differentiate between medical device servicing and remanufacturing.

In addition to the FDA’s focus on device service, other key issues that have dominated headlines in 2018 include medical device cybersecurity and the greying of the HTM field—both of which are explored in the December issue of 24×7 Magazine. The cover story—“Medical Devices in the Spotlight”—sheds lights on the FDA’s latest approach to cybersecurity and discusses steps healthcare facilities can take to promote a cyber-secure environment.

The latter issue—the aging out of the HTM field—is explored in detail in December’s Focus On article: “HTM Expert Roundtable.” Here, six of the top leaders in HTM—all of whom serve on our editorial board—sit down with me to discuss what they perceive to be this year’s most pressing issues in HTM. Let’s just say that you need to read the article for yourself.

Rounding out the editorial in December are two articles that delve into charitable donations—a subject that is especially timely during the holiday season. The first article, Pat Lynch’s “Your Charity Checklist” unveils a number of ways that HTM departments can turn their “trash” into someone else’s treasure—particularly those in developing countries—while the second article, Giving Back: “Inside ReLink Global Health,”profiles one charitable organization.

Helping those less fortunate is something our editorial team deeply values, so expect to see more Giving Back columns in 2019. And if you are personally involved with an HTM-related philanthropy, please email me at [email protected] and share your story. We just may feature your organization in an upcoming issue.

Speaking of upcoming issues, the January issue of 24×7 Magazine will be a particularly exciting one: We will be unveiling the results from our annual job compensation and salary survey. How does your salary measure up to your peers? You will find out very soon.

Also, if you haven’t taken the salary survey yet, take it here.

Keri Forsythe-Stephens is chief editor of 24×7 Magazine, Questions and comments can be directed to [email protected].