The first round of interviews for AAMI’s new president and CEO took place in early August. A second round with the finalists is expected this month. The search is being led by Korn Ferry, with the assistance from members of AAMI’s Executive Search Committee..
Mary Logan, only the second AAMI president and CEO in AAMI’s 48-year history, will be retiring at the end of 2016. Her departure will come almost eight years after she took the helm of the association.
“Mary has done a remarkable job of leading AAMI since 2009. She brought new life and energy into AAMI and has helped position the association for a strong future. Now it’s up to all of us to find that perfect person who embodies the spirit, energy and skills needed to lead AAMI through this next phase into the future,” Phil Cogdill, who chairs both the AAMI Board of Directors and the search committee, wrote in AAMI News.
The search for AAMI’s next president has generated considerable interest in trade publications that cover the healthcare technology and association industries. Reporters and other interested parties are making calls, trying to determine who is in the running.
With input from AAMI staff, the Board of Directors, and other volunteers, Korn Ferry and the search committee developed a leadership profile that outlined the qualifications and qualities the next CEO of AAMI needs to help the association grow and thrive at a time of incredible change for healthcare technology and healthcare in general.
Cogdill described this person in his essay as “someone who is a proven strategic thinker, capable of anticipating challenges and trends, a credible executive with stature and presence, and a ‘servant leader’ who will gracefully navigate the unique dynamics of working with a diverse membership, volunteer board, and staff.” This person will also have proven business and financial acumen, strong negotiation skills, a sense of diplomacy, and a track record of recruiting, developing, motivating and retaining staff.
Fitting this profile is more important than having experience in any specific field or industry, according to Cogdill.
“AAMI’s new president could come from any number of career paths with experience as a hospital senior executive, industry senior executive, seasoned association executive, or someone from a unique sector that aligns well with AAMI’s core businesses,” he added.
The committee plans to have a new CEO firmly on board before the end of the year. Ideally, search committee members would like to have some overlap between the start of the new president’s tenure and the end of Logan’s.
New Video Takes Charge of Device Battery Management
The batteries used to power medical devices are increasing in variety and complexity. AAMI surveys of healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals consistently show that the management of batteries is a top medical device challenge. A failure in battery management can result in a loss of power, leakage, overheating, fires or explosions.
To help HTM professionals better understand and manage batteries, AAMI has released an instructional video, Battery Management and Medical Devices. The video, released in June, covers the most commonly used battery technologies, the benefits and drawbacks of different battery types, how to develop a battery management plan, as well as procurement, testing, and safety.
“Each hospital should have at least one person who really knows what’s going on and can be used as an in-house resource,” said David Marlow, CBET, a senior biomedical technician for the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor and a consultant for the video. “People need to realize that all batteries are perishable items. They’re going to die. How you treat them determines how long they’ll live.”
According to a small survey by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), up to half of service calls in hospitals are related to battery issues, as detailed in the March/April 2014 cover story of BI&T.
In an interview with AAMI, Alan Lipschultz, president of HealthCare Technology Consulting, said that keeping batteries working requires a defined plan and staff education.
“There is a much greater variety of batteries available than in the past, and their chemistries and characteristics vary widely. Your staff needs to understand the differences between the battery types and how each type should be stored, charged, and disposed of,” he said.
Battery managers can use the video to select the right batteries for their devices and keep them working properly. That’s especially important when these devices are used outside of a clinical environment, such as in a patient’s home.
Jake Kyprianou, senior science health advisor for the FDA, who contributed to the script, said, “We’re excited that AAMI has taken the initiative to provide what we see as a service to the health care community, and we want to thank AAMI for raising awareness of this issue.”
Battery Management and Medical Devices can be purchased from www.aami.org/store or by calling 877-249-8226.
Guide Shows HTM Departments How to Move ‘Beyond the Basics’
Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) departments should strive to provide added value to health care delivery organizations – moving beyond compliance with regulatory requirements to help blaze new trails for the effective and safe stewardship of medical devices and enhancing patient care in the process, according to the authors of an updated version of AAMI’s HTM Levels Guide.
“Just doing the regulatory basics is one thing. That’s important. But we’ve also found examples of HTM programs doing very innovative things that provide a lot more support to clinicians,” said Matt Baretich, CPPS, president of Baretich Engineering and co-author of the updated guide. “We wanted to emphasize that the target for every agency or program is level two – established. You’re not just meeting basic requirements – you’re providing a lot more value to the organization.”
The guide – which was developed based on feedback from clinical engineers, consultants, AAMI staff, AAMI’s Technology Management Council and others – provides guidance to help HTM departments progress through three levels, defined as:
- Fundamental: Programs that provide a basic level of technology services and compliance with applicable standards and regulations. The authors describe the minimum level as suitable for new HTM programs and those in very small health care organizations.
- Established: Programs that have moved beyond the basics to provide additional services, with a focus on cost effectiveness. This is the level that all HTM programs should work to achieve, according to the authors.
- Advanced: Programs that are on the leading edge, demonstrating the full range of potential for HTM contributions to patient care. While very few programs achieve this level of performance across the board, the authors believe that every HTM program can find opportunities for improvement at this level.
The guide also includes a pull-out HTM program checklist poster to help departments visualize what they have accomplished and where they are headed.
“The HTM Levels Guide is easy to use, read, and makes it easy to make decisions on what to implement,” said Patrick Bernat, director of HTM at AAMI. “Certainly, a manager or director of a department would use the guide for planning. But anybody in the field could read and understand it, to learn where the field is headed.”
The second edition of the HTM Levels Guide is available to download for free. Printed copies can be ordered from the AAMI Store using product code HTMLEVEL. Printed copies cost $50 or $30 for AAMI members.