By K. Richard Douglas
Orange City, Florida, is a city of about 13,000 known for Blue Spring State Park. It is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Orlando or about halfway to Daytona Beach.
Serving the healthcare needs of the community is AdventHealth Fish Memorial Hospital. In 2021, the hospital added a new four-story patient tower.
Managing the hospital’s medical equipment inventory is the GE HealthCare/AdventHealth Fish Memorial Hospital Biomedical Department. The biomed team consists of four members including GE HealthCare apprentice Adrian Figueroa, GE HealthCare Lead Tech Ruben Sebastian, GE HealthCare Tech Robert Cherry and GE HealthCare Program Coordinator Rana Helou.
Because of the small size of the team, the techs are all generalists.
“We all learn all departments and get exposed to all equipment to be able to provide service to the facility and not have a delay. I always say you never know what happens so always have a plan and do not depend on one person for everything. That is why technicians tag team with lead technicians and program coordinators to learn and advance in the field. The service manual, tech support and an amazing team working together to learn performs a faster route to success. Never specialize or put yourself to a limit,” Helou says.
The team handles Fish Memorial with 253 operating beds, a AdventHealth Deltona ER with 12 beds as well as doctor offices offsite.
“With AdventHealth growing rapidly in Florida, we continue to help our surrounding areas. GE HealthCare has imaging field service engineers for imaging, and with the amazing apprentice program, many apprentices get to join the lead techs and program coordinators to understand the field and responsibilities of a hospital on a day-to-day basis, but as well as how important we are in the field making a difference in the hospital and helping save lives alongside the hospital staff,” Helou says.
She says that with the different experiences the team members have in the field, they help each other tackle anything from every-day correctives to projects and maintenance.
“One hand helps the other with success. I like when technicians get exposed to everything in the field and the challenges that they can face, and how to approach it. This is why we do things as a team, but if a technician is specialized on a special unit, we all tag team to learn and expand. Always have a backup plan just in case one person is out of the office the next person can take over and not affect the operation of the facility with a delay,” Helou says.
She says that the team was created to improve preventive maintenance completion, reduce the turnaround time for corrections, help the hospital with cost savings and bring awareness to how much biomed is involved in every department.
“By having every technician dedicated to a department and contribute to the projects for the hospital as they grow, we are able to help ensure the safety, reliability, security and availability of medical equipment,” Helou says.
How is data collection accomplished?
“The different dashboards created help manage collecting data across the board being able to run reports, data sheets and numbers in real time which helps in providing the ability to review metrics, operations, time, performance as well as decisions,” Helou says.
The biomed team has also cemented its relationship with its IT counterparts.
“We have built a strong and wonderful relationship with AdventHealth IT, which has also helped us support medical equipment. But also working with each nurse leader in each department, attending management as well as staff meetings, listening to concerns and compliments helped with how to approach the work force,” Helou says.
KEEPING BEDS AVAILABLE
Helou is certain that with the expansion of AdventHealth, the team will continue to have projects and challenges.
A solution to a recent challenge was accomplished through the resourcefulness of the team.
“Bed rentals are a budget by themselves. We were able to help the facility get bed repairs completed on a timely manner by having the staff tagging beds with a red tag explaining the defect and it has helped with a quicker turnaround time limiting down time. Having a process in place was the solution to all problems,” Helou says.
The four-member team may be small, but they keep up with involvement in the biomed world. They also support their leader.
“As a team we always keep up with AAMI information, Central Florida Biomed Society, and MD Expo within our state, as well as Friday I-HTM. This most amazing team of gentlemen has been very supportive of my WIL (Women in Leadership) involvement,” Helou says.
In central Florida, the GE HealthCare biomed team at AdventHealth Fish Memorial is getting the work done and ready to tackle future projects.
