By AAMI
Big Changes Coming to AAMI’s Annual Conference in 2019
It’s only been a few months since the doors of the Long Beach Convention Center closed on the AAMI 2018 Conference & Expo, but event organizers already have big plans for next year’s conference in Cleveland, Ohio, including the launch of what will now be known as the AAMI Exchange.
“AAMI is launching a new brand for our annual conference – the AAMI Exchange. That’s what the conference will be called starting in 2019 in Cleveland because it’s all about relationship exchanges and the exchange of knowledge,” AAMI COO Steve Campbell announced to attendees on the last day of AAMI 2018.
But this change is “so much more than just a name,” Campbell added. “We’ll be introducing new programs to attract other key stakeholders in healthcare technology – stakeholders who are key to how you do your jobs.”
The Exchange promises to have a program that will engage not only the healthcare technology management community but also all of the other professionals who fall under the health technology umbrella. This will include additional programming for industry professionals starting in 2019.
“We’ve reimagined the annual conference to provide expanded offerings to guide thought leadership, business engagement, and industry growth, as well as new ways to engage with colleagues,” said Sherrie Schulte, AAMI’s senior director of certification and the annual conference. “This is about the hustle and bustle of a diverse group of people coming together for a common purpose. The range of information, insights, and ideas that will happen – both formally and informally – at the AAMI Exchange will make this a ‘can’t miss’ event. People will leave feeling it was a rewarding time.”
The first AAMI Exchange will kick off in Cleveland on June 7, 2019.
For more information, visit www.aami.org/aamiexchange.
Don’t Let Your ACI Certification Expire!
Is your AAMI Credentials Institute (ACI) certification expiring soon? To maintain your certification, you will need to accumulate at least 30 continuing education units (CEUs) over a three-year period and submit a continuing practice journal, which records your certification activities.
There are several ways to earn the CEUs you need for your journal:
- Participating in online webinars
- Attending in-service training sessions
- Joining a biomedical society and actively participating in its meetings
- Assuming leadership roles in committees, workgroups, or appointments that are HTM or healthcare technology related
- Taking college or university courses
For more ways to accrue your 30 CEUs, visit www.aami.org/recertification.
AAMI Resource Takes Mystery Out of Developing an AEM Program
In the healthcare technology management (HTM) field, a lot of confusion surrounds three little letters – AEM – starting with what the acronym even stands for, according to Matt Baretich, president of Baretich Engineering based in Fort Collins, Colorado.
“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS] (the originator of the AEM concept) says that AEM is an abbreviation for ‘alternate equipment management,’” Baretich wrote in the introduction to his new AEM Program Guide. On the other hand, “The Joint Commission [TJC] says it stands for ‘alternative equipment maintenance.’ … And that’s just the beginning.”
In the AEM Program Guide, Baretich, who has been consulting on HTM-related issues for two decades, seeks to address AEM-related terminology, offer ideas for practical implementation, and explain how to remain compliant with applicable standards and regulations.
“Unfortunately, there is not yet a consensus on exactly how to create an AEM program,” Baretich wrote. “Some of the proposed AEM policies I have seen are, in my opinion, simply not compliant with CMS and TJC requirements. That’s why the AEM Program Guide goes into such detail about those requirements.”
Eventually, the field may get a formal AEM standard – one is currently in development – but many HTM departments need guidance now.
“This valuable document is designed to bridge from where we are today (limited resources) to a project that is just beginning and sponsored by AAMI: development of a formal standard focused on AEM,” George Mills, TJC’s former director of engineering, wrote in the foreword to the guide. “This document should begin to assure those curious enough to read it that implementing an AEM program is not only possible, but will result in improved HTM program management.”
Those improvements? Saving time or money, or both, according to Baretich.
“When we can reduce our costs while achieving the same level of safety, we should do it,” Baretich wrote. “Adopting an AEM procedure is not an academic exercise; it’s good business.”
The AEM Program Guide can be purchased from the AAMI Store at www.aami.org/store.
