AAMIBlog

Clinical staffers spend about 20% of their time on documentation alone. While it’s difficult to summarize the error rates, studies show that they range from 5% to 95%, depending upon the condition, patient, and measurement. Inaccurate documentation has many risks, from clinical risks such as cherry-picked vitals and handoff, to financial risks such as revenue […]

It is a regulatory requirement to clean and disinfect medical equipment before being used on a patient. Such a practice is also simply the right thing to do. We need to keep our patients and hospital personnel safe. While that outlook is a no-brainer, the cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment is a complicated responsibility […]

A recent article suggested that HTM-related education may be a “dying breed,” and I couldn’t agree more. That scares me! With programs closing around me and educators retiring, I know that our profession is in trouble—and I know our profession can do things to help. Picture driftwood on the beach, carefully laid out by educators, […]

At the AAMI Annual Conference & Expo last month, I was very fortunate to participate in a workshop on alarm management that was presented by the AAMI Foundation and the Healthcare Technology Foundation. At the beginning of the workshop, all of the AAMI Foundation’s patient safety initiatives were profiled. A new one is set to […]

Earlier this month, I returned home from another fantastic AAMI conference in Tampa, FL.  I was inspired by many new topics and further educated on several of the familiar subjects we cover from year to year. At the same time, there was one topic that seemed to intertwine almost all of the talks and sessions. […]

Happy New Year! Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? If not, consider a new approach for 2016. New Year’s resolutions frequently lack introspection and are grounded in a problem-oriented mindset—lose weight, work harder, spend less, get organized … the message is BE BETTER. Resolution making is inherently an exercise in shaming ourselves to […]

I’ve recently returned from the AAMI Annual Meeting in Denver—an excellent meeting for educational content and networking opportunities. Andrea Browne, a radiation physicist and recent addition to The Joint Commission (TJC) staff, gave an excellent presentation on TJC’s recently revised requirements for diagnostic medical imaging (DMI) that go into effect on July 1. TJC released […]

Joining a new organization can be challenging, especially for those who are just out of school. Getting used to office politics, trying to understand different personalities, and even sifting through all the orientation material can be stressful. It’s helpful when hospitals and companies realize that new employees can benefit from additional support. Here are a […]

Whether you work in a 75-bed community healthcare organization or a 1,000-bed teaching hospital, you’re probably putting considerable effort into determining how your facility will address the requirements of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal on alarm systems safety while trying to understand how it will affect patient outcomes and satisfaction as well as […]

It’s been an exciting year to come on board and oversee all of the moving parts and changes we are making to the AAMI Annual Conference & Expo. For starters, we’ve revamped the schedule, expanded the Expo Hall, enhanced the awards ceremony, and bolstered networking opportunities. There are more fun surprises in store, and I […]