For the past several years, AAMI has asked members of the healthcare technology management (HTM) community to nominate exemplary professionals as part of its HTM Week celebration. This year, it was as if the floodgates were opened. Supervisors wrote about employees whose dedication dazzles them; colleagues described peers whose expertise and energy inspires them; and team members commended bosses who make them proud.
Mary Jackson
Meet the “Queen of Biomed,” Mary Jackson, the biomedical engineering account manager at Colquitt Regional Hospital in Moultrie, Georgia.
“Talented and personable, she is so valued by the facility that when The InterMed Group took over the in-house HTM program, the hospital felt very strongly that a special clause be written into the agreement allowing her to stay,” wrote Don Fletcher, vice president of clinical services for InterMed. “Mary unfailingly demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of regulatory statutes, personnel management, equipment life cycle management, and proactive maintenance.”
Added Scott Nudelman, COO for InterMed: “In my 31 years in hospital technology management, I have rarely experienced such a complete employee and teammate. Her focus and energy is contagious, and the combination of technical knowledge and passionate delivery defines Mary as one of our best.”
Kelley Galletti
He’s not a braggart, but he is a fighter. So says one team member about Kelley Galletti, the lead biomed at Peacehealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, Washington.
“Kelley is doing an amazing job as our lead technician,” wrote Eugene Sobovoy, a biomedical equipment technician with Peacehealth. “Since our manager covers two hospitals in different cities, Kelley does most of the ‘managerial stuff’ in our hospital. Besides that responsibility, he is a real leader in our shop, withstanding any challenges that come his way. He helps other biomeds succeed in their careers by teaching them from his great experience and fights for us in the managers’ meetings. Although he is CBET and CRES certified, he does not boast about that, and he takes on routine items, such as preventive maintenance for IV pumps, himself. I’m really thankful for him and proud to work under his leadership.”
Adrian Best
According to his boss, Adrian Best, manager of clinical engineering at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, lives up to his family name: the best. “I’m proud of him and want to recognize the work he does every day,” wrote Samantha “Sam” Jacques, the director of clinical engineering at Penn State Health. What does that work include?
“He exemplifies incredible integrity by being consistent and fair to all staff and having the courage to ask hard questions of himself and others,” Jacques explained. “He does the right thing, always, regardless if it is easy or not.”
Jacques added that Best’s expertise in contract utilization has saved the organization more than $500,000. Best, she said, also is committed to seeing his staff develop and thrive. “He is perpetually kind and keeps a positive can-do attitude, even in trying situations,” she concluded.
Wesley Reid
Holding the rank of master sergeant (MSG), Wesley Reid is the healthcare technology manager at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. In saluting Reid’s work, Elizabeth Gum, chief of the logistics division at the center, offered a list of impressive statistics.
Reid, she said, has helped to reduce the hospital’s maintenance budget from $9 million in 2013 to less than $4 million in 2016; productivity increased from 5,000 completed unscheduled work orders to more than 10,000 every year after 2016; his team strategically replaced more than 1,400 aged medical devices valued at more than $70 million, increasing readiness and reliability for more than 200 customer departments; and a new radio frequency identification (RFID) system reduced monthly average “unable to locate device” reports from 18 to two.
“His expertise is sought throughout the region as the subject matter expert for healthcare technology management in healthcare systems,” Gum said, adding that she “cannot recommend MSG Reid highly enough for recognition in our industry.”
Michael Lane
The associate director of the Technical Services Partnership (TSP) at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Michael Lane is likely a familiar name to regular readers of BI&T, AAMI’s peer-reviewed journal. The work of that department has been profiled several times as a “Bright Idea.”
That’s just one of the many reasons that Lane’s boss, Tobey Clark, the director of the TSP, nominated Lane for recognition. Among the other reasons: Lane was the first member of the 50-plus person department to earn the title of certified healthcare technology manager (CHTM); he’s presented at several AAMI annual conferences; and he is responsible for a multimillion dollar maintenance insurance program.
“Michael is a true HTM professional who takes on difficult challenges with a can-do attitude; displays professionalism with healthcare customers, peers, staff, and other stakeholders; routinely works extra hours; and makes the proper efforts, despite any difficulties, to meet the needs of our organization,” Clark wrote. “Mike leads our service and support teams, which has resulted in continuous growth over the nearly 25 years of his tenure.”
Visit www.aami.org/HTMWeek to read about other HTM professionals who are helping set the standard when it comes to the service and support of healthcare technology – and bringing value to their organizations.
Fall ‘Horizons’ to Focus on Cybersecurity in Healthcare Technology
AAMI will devote the fall 2017 edition of its award-winning journal supplement, Horizons, to the topic of healthcare technology cybersecurity and is seeking experts to contribute research articles, systematic reviews, case studies, and commentaries.
Submission could cover an array of topics, including electronic health records, mitigating the risks and effects of cyberattacks, securing the cloud, cooperation and collaboration between hospitals and vendors, the role of HTM professionals in healthcare cybersecurity, and software flaws or defects.
Interested authors should email Editor Gavin Stern at gstern@aami.org and briefly describe the topic of the proposed manuscript and how it will add to the literature on the subject by June 22. Initial manuscript submissions of 3,000 words or less will be due by July 15. Manuscripts will then undergo peer review to determine whether they will be accepted for publication.
For more information, visit www.aami.org/callforpapers.