I find that many departments are not documenting their work very completely these days. There are many tips and tricks to making your CMMS work for you. But it all starts with getting good, consistent information into it. Here is a memo I sent to my staff in January 2004. It was instructing them how to document their time, with documentation goals, and reasons why we need complete history records. The entire memo is just as applicable today as it was 12 years ago. I hope you’ll read it and adopt some of the thoughts in it, if you haven’t already.
Author: Patrick Lynch
Just as I was getting ready to write this column, I received an email through LinkedIn. It was from a BMET I don’t know, but who writes me every once in a while for advice. His letter (heavily edited below) is pretty shocking. Please read it and continue with my comments after it.
Everybody leaves their job sooner or later. And when they do, somebody has to take over and continue the job that the departed (not departed as in dead) person used to do. That is why, in hospital HTM departments we generally try to have a system of cross training BMETs to overlap responsibilities and skills. This is especially necessary when different people are on 24 hours on-call, having to cover sections of the hospital where they do not normally work.
Here is a list of things to be included, as a minimum, for a small biomed shop. This is to serve as a list of things to consider when planning a new shop. Obviously, if you can exceed the items listed, you will be much better off. But I consider the items listed to be the absolute least required for a functional HTM shop operation.
There is a problem in hospitals today. And it is one that we can cure fairly simply. It relates to job satisfaction and career advancement by the working BMET. You see, most HTM programs have at most 3 levels of BMET – BMET I (entry level), BMET II (general BMET, and BMET III (the senior BMET). Above this, there may be supervisors or imaging positions. I even saw one shop that had only a single title (and pay grade) for BMET. And some of the BMETs had been at the hospital for almost 30 years.
I have looked at the PM (Preventive Maintenance) practices for many hospitals. I am scared by what I see in many places. As we all know, there are hundreds of different types pf patient care equipment. When you factor in the different manufacturers and models, there are literally thousands of different items which we are asked to maintain.
I attend lots of conferences. Most are local. Many are state. Some are national. I have noticed a very disturbing pattern that I believe is contributing to our profession not being recognized for the value we have to contribute. I am referring to the ability to talk to other people.
For over 25 years, we have been using risk-based criteria to modify manufacturer maintenance suggestions to meet the needs of the real world. The standardized risk-based systems have been refined and accepted by the Joint Commission and every other agency (except CMS). Using these procedures, the HTM community has adjusted the procedures which the manufacturers have written BEFORE the equipment is placed into everyday use in hospitals.
One of my favorite websites is Frank’s Hospital Workshop. It is chocked full of videos and written material that covers the scope of medical equipment. The material ranges from educational offerings, operator’s manuals, service manuals and some do-it-yourself test equipment.
HTM Week is just a couple of weeks away, May 17 through 23. This is the perfect opportunity to reach out to your customers, clinicians and administrators. Why? Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) professionals are vital members of any world-class health care delivery team, according to the AAMI website.
