AAMI will unveil its revamped annual conference and expo, now called the AAMI Exchange, this Friday in Cleveland, an event expected to draw thousands of professionals working in health technology and sterilization.

The conference comes at a time when healthcare delivery organizations are under increasing pressure to rein in costs, master increasingly complex and interconnected systems and medical devices, and bolster patient safety and privacy. Medical device manufacturers, meanwhile, find themselves competing on a rapidly changing global landscape with new rules and regulations.

“This event is all about the exchange of solutions and ideas among colleagues in health technology,” says Robert Jensen, president and CEO of AAMI. “We’ve created a dynamic and innovative space in which professionals can come together to learn from—and challenge—one another, helping their own careers and helping to shape the future of the field.”

The Exchange will offer more than 80 education sessions over a four-day period: June 7–10. Many of them are future-focused, with tracks on HTM, cybersecurity, sterilization, regulations and accreditation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, clinical engineering, data analytics, and global trends.

New Experiences

A highlight at the Exchange is the debut of the “Xcelerator” on June 7. This day-long event features expert insights on emerging trends in automation support of clinical decisions and a pitch competition to bring forward cutting-edge ideas in this areas of AI, blockchain technology, deep machine learning, and automated learning. AAMI, BioEnterprise, and The Global Center for Health Innovation are collaborating on this first-of-its-kind event.

On the Expo floor, an Internet of Things (IoT) Xperience will illuminate the challenges and opportunities of IoT for HTM professionals with thought-provoking sessions and live demonstrations. Moreover, a new Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality theater, developed in partnership with GE Healthcare, will showcase the use of these types of technologies in healthcare, such as for training clinicians and HTM professionals.

“Throughout this conference, we want attendees to have an immersive and interactive experience that provides them with insights that enrich and empower them on the job today—and also prepares and inspires them for what’s coming in health technology,” says Sherrie Schulte, senior director of certification and meetings at AAMI.

Other highlights of the Exchange include:

  • A workshop on how HTM professionals can use alternative equipment maintenance programs for efficiency and quality improvement strategies. Frank Painter, professor of the clinical engineering graduate program at the University of Connecticut, and Matt Baretich, president and CEO of Baretich Engineering, will lead the workshop on June 7. Baretich wrote the AEM Program Guide: Alternative PM for Patient Safety.
  • An Expo Hall featuring more than 160 leading medical device companies and service providers, showcasing new technologies and emerging products.
  • Networking opportunities over meals, celebrations, and receptions, including one at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on June 9.