Healthcare Tech Talk

Where Healthcare Technology experts come to talk!

Episode 17 – Medical device interoperability, managing the risk and reaping the rewards

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Interoperability between medical equipment and HIT has been long, long, long-term goal.  Interoperable equipment will undeniably provide safer, higher quality, and more affordable care.  Most of us believe this is a technical challenge, but could it actually be a business model problem?  Is the opportunity to save more than $30 billion annually in healthcare dollars worth making interoperability a priority?  What are the risks and how can HTM professionals help manage an effective and safe implementation of interoperable technology?  Todd Cooper, from the Center for Medical Interoperability, takes time with us to discuss this paramount issue.

www.medicalinteroperability.org

Episode 16 – AAMI presents its healthcare technology management (HTM) career ladder

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Whether you are new to the field looking at how to progress in your career, or a seasoned HTM professional wishing to explore innovative ways to utilize your knowledge and skills, the path is not always clear. AAMI is working hard to help define varying HTM career paths and opportunities, and provides a tool that can help guide your career growth and development. Karen Waninger, whose numerous accomplishments include AAMI HTM of the Year and TechNation Professional of the Year, enlightens us on AAMI’s new “career ladder” for the HTM professional.

Episode 15 – Technical skills are not enough for healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals; soft skill necessity

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Many technical people, IT and HTM alike, are happy just to focus on the technology that they have mastered. And it’s no wonder, as even the most complex technology is easier to navigate than many human beings. In today’s high tech world, where technology permeates our environments, and has even achieved depersonalization of many of our interactions, it remains imperative that techies learn to develop and maintain strong interpersonal skills in order to truly satisfy customer needs and make them happy. Abbe Meehan, from Tec Resource Center, discusses the importance of soft skills, how to meet the demands of customers’ impressions and perceptions, as well as her series of sessions at the AAMI 2014 conference.

Episode 14 – Live from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) annual conference

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It is our first “on location” broadcast!  Just a quick check-in from and overview of the AAMI 2014 event in Philadelphia.  Kelley, Terry and Tim are live and in the same location for the first time since Healthcare Tech Talk’s inception.

Episode 13 – A “Quick” look at healthcare information security

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A data breach in the world of healthcare information technology (HIT) comes with a three-fold tear – patient data is compromised and vulnerable, patient trust is diminished or lost, and there exists a potential for up to millions of dollars in fines and potential insurmountable hardship for an organization. It seems that the amount of issues on our security plate are endless.  Malicious hackers, unsuspecting coworkers, bumbling business partners, and conflicting data needs all pose potential pitfalls. In this episode, Brian Quick, who has spent much of the last decade working to meet these challenges, helps us navigate.

Episode 12 – Data application is used to beat breast cancer

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It is estimated that 40,000 women will die of breast cancer this year, and between 45-90 out of every 100 women carrying BRCA genes (of which there are hundreds of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations) will get breast cancer at some point in their lives.  Everyone agrees that early detection leads to more effective treatment and improved outcomes.  Often when we think of how we diagnose and chart the course for our patients, it starts by scanning the body with imaging equipment or analyzing blood or tissues. What if we told you that a SURVEY that makes meaningful use of demographics, family medical history, personal medical history, and lifestyle could help determine cancer risks and help tailor our approach to win the battle? Dr. Kevin Hughes joins us to discuss the realities and the possibilities.

Episode 11- The expedite technician, rethinking front line support of healthcare technology

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Everywhere you look in a hospital, there is technology, and with these countless pieces of technology, comes the potential for countless problems. The responsibility for supporting technology falls to front line technical support staff, which is often stretched to their limits in more ways than one. In this episode we explore a new way of deploying resources to support technology which is improving customer satisfaction, technician satisfaction and reducing costs – the expedite technician.

Episode 10 – Is desktop virtualization right for the healthcare environment

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We are all being asked to do more with less, so is desktop virtualization an integral piece in IT efforts? Reducing support labor and disruptions to the user, as well as increased versatility, are some of the touted advantages of desktop virtualization. We all know that the healthcare environment is a challenging place for all technologies to deliever on promised value. So what are the real advantages and possible challenges to virtualizing PCs in the hospital envirnoment? Jeremy Windmiller shares his knowledge on innovating the healthcare user device environment.

Episode 9 – Network technology in healthcare

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It may not be grabbing the healthcare information technology (HIT) headlines, but it certainly puts a stranglehold on healthcare delivery when your organization’s network infrastructure is disrupted.  Without your network infrastructure there is no functioning electronic medical record (EMR), no telemedicine, no communication between medical devices, or any other service delivery you have come to rely on that relies on a network.  Alex Moore, network engineer, helps us explore the various networking technologies used to support the numerous applications we ae deploying to serve our clinicians and our patients, as well as the special challenges that accompany deploying network technology in the complicated 24/7-365 healthcare environment.

Episode 8 – Interview with President and CEO Mary Logan of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)

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Mary Logan, President and CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), stops by to discuss the past, present and future of this progressive and proactive organization.  Since 1967, AAMI has been the primary source of consensus and timely information on medical instrumentation and technology.  Mary also introduces us to the Healthcare Technology Safety Institute, an AAMI partnership with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which endeavors to tackle current and pressing issues surrounding medical instrumentation.  She then goes on to build excitement for AAMI’s upcoming annual conference, as well as imparts a surprising but important life lesson.