'Healthcare technology
management' is the
new name.
management' is the
new name.
AAMI: Biomed field gets new name
May 05, 2011
by Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor
The results are in, and the biomedical engineering and clinical engineering department are out.
At a two-day meeting last week hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, more than two dozen industry leaders picked a new name for the profession responsible for maintaining and servicing medical equipment.
It's "healthcare technology management."
"We felt that this name was accurate, easily understood by the public and other health care workers, and allowed for expansion of the field in the future," Pat Lynch, a biomedical support specialist with Global Medical Imaging, said in a statement.
The meeting, which ran from April 28-29 at AAMI's Arlington, Va. headquarters, was attended by 30 engineers, technicians, educators and corporate leaders.
AAMI, half of whose 6,000 members are biomeds, said the assembled guests also worked on creating a future vision for the field.
What's in a name
The name was decided after a long, "passionate" discussion among attendees, guided by two professional facilitators.
The final word was the last piece to fall into place, AAMI said.
"The group felt strongly the word 'management' was important there," Patrick Bernat, director of health care technology management for the group, told DOTmed News. "There's a desire for the profession to be a partner in the health care team, and not just in a support role. The name is open to that [interpretation]."
AAMI convened the meeting, dubbed the Future Forum on Technology Management, because the nomenclature for the biomed department varies from hospital to hospital: at one hospital the department might be called "clinical engineering," but at another, "medical technology services." And the group thought some naming uniformity could help the profession as it grows by giving people outside the industry a unified term that would be instantly recognizable.
The group also pointed out that the attendees, not the society, chose the name -- AAMI's role was only in hosting and organizing the event.
AAMI also stressed that no one has been asked to change any business cards yet. The new name applies to the field or profession as a whole. At the conference, the matter of individual job titles was not addressed.
"This particular meting was not intended to change anybody's job titles," Bernat said.
Ken Maddock, vice president of clinical engineering and telecommunications services for Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, and a member of AAMI's board, said, in a statement, that the meeting was merely a "first step in a journey."
What are the other steps? For a start, AAMI is holding a 90-day comment period for stakeholders to express their opinions on the new name and to share their ideas on the profession's future. And later in the week, AAMI said it planned to publish some of the attendees thoughts on where they see the field heading.
Bernat said many of the participants in the meeting also basically agreed to serve as "ambassadors" for its outcomes, and will go back to their companies and facilities to spread the word. Also, the AAMI will have ongoing discussions with attendees to work out more details.
"It was a two-day meeting, and we crammed a lot in. So for specific details about having [the name] adopted, we weren't able to solve everything," Bernat said. "Certainly, we do plan to get the band back together and address some of those issues."
More immediately, Bernat said a free webinar, scheduled for the National Biomedical/Clinical Engineering Appreciation Week, which runs from May 22–28, will share more details about the new name, why it was chosen and future directions for the field.
The webinar, slated to run at 11:30 eastern time on May 24, will be presented by Paul Kelley, a member of AAMI's board of directors who works with Washington Hospital in Fremont, Calif. To register, go here: https://aami.confedge.com/ap/registration/home.cfm?i=register&e=e7bed032-50d9-47b4-a2d8-22f70cc0bb8f&grp=public_FCE947
Like the new name? Hate it? To share your thoughts with AAMI, fill out the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B6K8FZC. Also, be sure to comment below, and tell us what you think.
At a two-day meeting last week hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, more than two dozen industry leaders picked a new name for the profession responsible for maintaining and servicing medical equipment.
It's "healthcare technology management."
"We felt that this name was accurate, easily understood by the public and other health care workers, and allowed for expansion of the field in the future," Pat Lynch, a biomedical support specialist with Global Medical Imaging, said in a statement.
The meeting, which ran from April 28-29 at AAMI's Arlington, Va. headquarters, was attended by 30 engineers, technicians, educators and corporate leaders.
AAMI, half of whose 6,000 members are biomeds, said the assembled guests also worked on creating a future vision for the field.
What's in a name
The name was decided after a long, "passionate" discussion among attendees, guided by two professional facilitators.
The final word was the last piece to fall into place, AAMI said.
"The group felt strongly the word 'management' was important there," Patrick Bernat, director of health care technology management for the group, told DOTmed News. "There's a desire for the profession to be a partner in the health care team, and not just in a support role. The name is open to that [interpretation]."
AAMI convened the meeting, dubbed the Future Forum on Technology Management, because the nomenclature for the biomed department varies from hospital to hospital: at one hospital the department might be called "clinical engineering," but at another, "medical technology services." And the group thought some naming uniformity could help the profession as it grows by giving people outside the industry a unified term that would be instantly recognizable.
The group also pointed out that the attendees, not the society, chose the name -- AAMI's role was only in hosting and organizing the event.
AAMI also stressed that no one has been asked to change any business cards yet. The new name applies to the field or profession as a whole. At the conference, the matter of individual job titles was not addressed.
"This particular meting was not intended to change anybody's job titles," Bernat said.
Ken Maddock, vice president of clinical engineering and telecommunications services for Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, and a member of AAMI's board, said, in a statement, that the meeting was merely a "first step in a journey."
What are the other steps? For a start, AAMI is holding a 90-day comment period for stakeholders to express their opinions on the new name and to share their ideas on the profession's future. And later in the week, AAMI said it planned to publish some of the attendees thoughts on where they see the field heading.
Bernat said many of the participants in the meeting also basically agreed to serve as "ambassadors" for its outcomes, and will go back to their companies and facilities to spread the word. Also, the AAMI will have ongoing discussions with attendees to work out more details.
"It was a two-day meeting, and we crammed a lot in. So for specific details about having [the name] adopted, we weren't able to solve everything," Bernat said. "Certainly, we do plan to get the band back together and address some of those issues."
More immediately, Bernat said a free webinar, scheduled for the National Biomedical/Clinical Engineering Appreciation Week, which runs from May 22–28, will share more details about the new name, why it was chosen and future directions for the field.
The webinar, slated to run at 11:30 eastern time on May 24, will be presented by Paul Kelley, a member of AAMI's board of directors who works with Washington Hospital in Fremont, Calif. To register, go here: https://aami.confedge.com/ap/registration/home.cfm?i=register&e=e7bed032-50d9-47b4-a2d8-22f70cc0bb8f&grp=public_FCE947
Like the new name? Hate it? To share your thoughts with AAMI, fill out the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B6K8FZC. Also, be sure to comment below, and tell us what you think.