One of the downsides to the annual AAMI conference is that with such wide offerings available, you simply can’t be everywhere at once. The AAMI 2016 educational lineup revolves around six core themes that address the essential skills, duties, and challenges of the field: future trends, management of technology and people, patient safety, imaging, cross-departmental collaboration, and professional development.

The eye-catching sessions below promise to be particularly noteworthy. But don’t stop here—check out the complete listings on the AAMI Web site to plan which picks are right for you. Too many choices? Coordinate with a colleague (or two) to cover sessions in tandem.

Future Trends

Monday, June 6, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Leveraging Learning Technologies: Tools to Address an Impending Workforce Shortage and to Train a New Generation
Before long, twice as many people will be retiring from the HTM profession as entering it. This session addresses how to accelerate the training of new healthcare technology managers amid the cost pressures that are slashing training budgets. Led by Linda Yaeger of GE Healthcare, this session will present new approaches to training and demonstrate a new mobile training simulator for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

IT & Cybersecurity

Saturday, June 4, 12:30 – 1:00 PM
Deal with IT—The Case for Networking Certifications
Considering pursuing an entry-level information technology (IT) certification? Clarice M. L. Holden of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System will explore the benefits of having a certification and applying it to interactions between clinical engineering departments and IT departments. She’ll provide an overview of some of the basic IT certifications, including CompTIA Network+ and Security+.

Monday, June 6, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Patient Safety at Risk: Responsible Disclosure and Incident Response Management in the Face of Security Breaches
As today’s healthcare technology becomes ever more complex, healthcare facilities are left struggling to keep pace. They now face unprecedented challenges in protecting patients’ personal information. Led by Michael McNeil of Philips Electronics – North America, this panel will highlight high-level strategies to prevent security breaches and tactics to ensure an efficient, timely response should they occur.

Equipment Management

Saturday, June 4, 7:00 – 11:00 AM
ACCE Clinical Engineering Symposium: Impact of MDI on Medical Device Assessment & Acquisition
The interconnectedness of technologies in the healthcare environment has changed the risk landscape for the safe selection and support of medical systems. This symposium will take a critical look at the impact of medical device integration (MDI) on the device assessment and acquisition processes, covering a wide range of topics from data security to software support costs. Attendees will learn about best-practice assessment and acquisition considerations to ensure successful deployment of medical systems and will also hear first-hand accounts of success (and failure) stories from the field.

Sunday, June 5, 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
An RCM-based Solution to the “Great Debate about PM”
Following the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ infamous December 2011 and 2013 memos about how healthcare facilities should maintain their equipment, several members of the HTM community formed an ad hoc maintenance practices task force to clarify the basic relationships between planned maintenance and patient safety. In early 2015, AAMI agreed to lend its support to the project. Malcolm Ridgway will provide a progress report on the task force’s efforts to put the “great debate about PM” to rest once and for all.

Leadership Tools

Sunday, June 5, 3:30 – 4:00 PM
Leveraging Lean Principles in HTM
Led by Connor Walsh of the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, this session will cover lean principles and how to apply them to everyday operations in healthcare technology management. Attendees will explore how to create and implement an area improvement center within their organization to promote process efficiencies and support evidence-based decision making using real-life case studies.

Monday, June 6, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Best Practices in HTM Personnel Recruitment
Recruitment of qualified healthcare technology management personnel (including both clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians) is a big challenge for HTM managers these days. Led by a panel of industry veterans, including 24×7 editorial board member Arif Subhan, this presentation will share the best practices in attracting, screening, and selecting qualified HTM staff. The presenters will discuss how they have used unique recruiting ideas to identify under-the-radar candidates and cultivate a network of qualified applicants.

Patient Safety

Sunday, June 5, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
It Takes a Village: HTM, SPD and IP Working Together for Safe Patient Care
Cross-department collaboration between Healthcare Technology Management, Sterile Processing, and Infection Prevention and Control all play a critical role in patient safety. George Mills of The Joint Commission and Rose Seavey, MBA, of Seavey Healthcare Consulting LLC will review the standards and guidelines for care and share ways to improve and strengthen interdepartmental communication.

Imaging

Saturday, June 4: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Robotic Surgery: Unique Hazards and Training Development
Robotic surgical systems have added new complexities to operating room procedures that introduce a host of patient safety risks. Representatives from ECRI Institute’s accident and forensic investigation group will discuss how proper training, teamwork, and an appreciation for human factors can reduce the hazards associated with these devices. Recommendations to prevent adverse events and updates on the current status of robotic surgery training and credentialing will also be presented.

Professional Development

Monday, June 6, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Transitioning Perspective: From HTM Supervisor to HTM Leader
Led by Barrett Franklin of the VA New England Healthcare System, this presentation will aid attendees in making the transition from healthcare technology manager to healthcare technology leader. Topics covered will include improving communication with C-suite leaders and gaining their buy-in to support your HTM organization, financial management, communicating needs, and negotiating expectations.

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