Well, I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, “tell me, where are you going?”
This he told me
Said, “I’m going down to Yasgur’s Farm
Gonna join in a rock and roll band
Got to get back to the land
And set my soul free”
This lyric clip above was written by the great Joni Mitchell and was a theme song associated to one of the greatest “Love Fest’s” of them all – Woodstock! Though I was just a young child in the 60’s, the aura of “Love Fest” gatherings still resonate today, in my opinion at least. The sharing of ideas and ideals, friendship building (i.e. networking) and the opportunity to absorb like a sponge the knowledge that free flows through such events – “far out man!”
This year’s 2015 AAMI Conference which finished up last week in Denver Colorado was for me another one of those “Love Fest” gatherings. Reuniting with many “old friends” and meeting so many new ones, listening to the ideas and ideals of our many colleagues and absorbing knowledge being shared by the “Love Fest” presenters was not only inspiring but grounding as we all continue to learn how to navigate this new healthcare delivery industry.
So you may ask, “what were my favorite presentations – what did you learn?” As I tried to hit as many as possible my lean was towards the following sessions;
“Joint Commission Revised Requirements for Diagnostic Medical Imaging” – Andrea Brown, Ph.D
“Meet the Generations” and “Communicating Effectively with your Customers Face to Face” – Abbe Mehan
“Practical Strategies for Complying with the New CMS and Joint Commission Maintenance Requirements” – Malcolm Ridgeway Ph.D., Matt Baretich Ph.D., Arif Subban and Stephen Grimes
“Biomeds in the DNV GL –Healthcare Hospital” – Randy Snelling
“The Joint Commission Update” – George Mills
What I learned and gleaned from each of these sessions is that as experienced and knowledgeable as I may be, this changing healthcare landscape challenges us not to rest on our heels! I left each of these sessions better informed as to how we as HTM service professionals have to deliver each and every day which in turn impacts our ultimate customer – the patients we serve. Peace Out!