By K. Richard Douglas
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) was established in 1885. In 1999, USC received a gift of $110 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation. That gift prompted the school to rename itself in honor of the generous gift.
That is how Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California’s medical enterprise got its name also.
Keck Medicine is comprised of the USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, USC Arcadia Hospital and more than 100 unique clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties.
The health system’s biomedical engineering department manages the many medical devices spread across the facilities that serve patients in southern California.
“Keck is a 400-bed acute care hospital, Norris Cancer Center is a 100-bed cancer center, and we have over 70 clinics throughout the Los Angeles and Orange country,” says Jesus “Jesse” Lopez, director of operations of the biomedical engineering department.
He says that Keck and Norris are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including diagnostic imaging equipment, patient monitoring systems and surgical equipment.
“Our biomedical engineering department is responsible for maintaining and servicing this equipment to ensure that patients receive the best possible care,” he adds.
In addition to Lopez, the department staff includes USC Biomed Administrator Sandra Paredes; Keck Biomed Supervisor Rene Pulido; Keck Biomed Techs Adrian Banuelos, Anthony Contreras, Ericka Contreras, Gabriel Luque, Michael Velarde, Nelson Figueroa and Fernando Ruezga.
Other members of the department include Norris Cancer Center Biomed Supervisor Derik Davoudian and Norris Biomed Techs Chris Su and Christ Khodaverdy. There is also Ambulatory Services Biomed Supervisor Rot Tutam and Ambulatory Biomed Techs Victor Azurdia and Jerson Alvarez.
The team members work closely with their colleagues in IT to harden the surface of their networks from external threats.
“Our biomedical engineering team works closely with our IT department to ensure that all medical devices and systems are secure and fully integrated into our network. We regularly conduct risk assessments and vulnerability testing to identify potential weaknesses in our systems and address them proactively,” Lopez says.
He says that the department has implemented a variety of technical controls, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and multi-factor authentication to help protect their systems and data from external threats. Lopez says that they also conduct regular penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities in their systems and address them proactively.
“Overall, our biomedical engineering department supports almost 19,000 pieces of equipment in a 500-bed environment and several outpatient clinics and medical offices,” he adds.
The team members also participate in various continuing education and training programs to ensure that they are up to date with the latest advances in medical technology and equipment management.
Getting Their Priorities Right
Working in conjunction with clinical staff, administrators, manufacturers and vendors, the biomed team has participated in several special projects aimed at improving patient care and health care operations.
“One notable project that our department was involved in was the upgrading of our electronic health record (EHR) system. Our team worked closely with the IT department and health care providers to ensure that the new system was properly integrated with our medical equipment and that all data was accurately captured and stored,” Lopez says.
He says that the project required extensive planning and coordination, as well as training and support for staff members throughout the organization.
“The successful upgrade of the EHR system has led to more efficient documentation and communication of patient data, which has improved patient care and outcomes,” Lopez says.
He says that the department has also participated in several research studies and quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving patient care and outcomes.
“These projects have included the development of new protocols for equipment maintenance, the implementation of new technology and the evaluation of new medical devices,” Lopez says.
“We are committed to staying at the forefront of healthcare technology management and contributing to the advancement of the field,” Lopez adds.
In the area of problem-solving the biomed team has developed a prioritization protocol with input from clinicians.
“We have developed a system for prioritizing maintenance and repairs based on the urgency of the issue and the impact on patient care. Our team works closely with clinical staff to understand the needs of each department and to ensure that equipment is maintained and repaired in a timely manner to minimize downtime and ensure that patients have access to the equipment they need. We also utilize data analytics and performance metrics to identify trends and issues before they become major problems, allowing us to proactively address issues and prevent downtime,” Lopez says.
He says that the team is highly skilled in troubleshooting and resolving issues with medical equipment quickly and efficiently.
“We understand that downtime can have a significant impact on patient care and outcomes, and we work diligently to resolve issues as quickly as possible to minimize disruption and ensure that patients receive the care they need. We are also constantly seeking new ways to improve our processes and procedures to reduce downtime and improve efficiency,” Lopez says.
Team members are active in the HTM community outside of work.
“As the director of our biomedical engineering department, I am proud to say that our team is actively involved in several professional association activities aimed at advancing the field of healthcare technology management and improving patient care,” Lopez says.
“Here at USC, we are involved in the California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) which is dedicated to the promotion, education and information exchange of the state’s clinical biomedical engineering community,” he adds.
Working for one of the leading research and health care providers in the country requires an equally competent team of HTM professionals. The biomedical engineering team at Keck prove that they are up to the task.
