ARLINGTON, VA - The Technology Management Council (TMC) of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) will tackle a full plate of projects this year including the development of new career resources, increased guidance on information technology (IT) issues, and a study that will examine the future of technology management in healthcare.

At its December meeting, the 20 members of the TMC mapped out their 2008 priorities - all of which are designed to improve the benefits and services of AAMI members who manage and service medical technology.

"Some of these projects are significant efforts that will help advance our field, while others may have a shorter-term benefit that AAMI members will gain from in the months ahead," says Ray Laxton, TMC chair and executive director of client services for ARAMARK Healthcare.
Benchmarking and Technology Management

One major project that the TMC will continue to grapple with is a major benchmarking project. In 2007, a project commissioned by AAMI found that benchmarking was both desirable and feasible. This year, the TMC intends to develop and utilize an online self-assessment tool whereby healthcare facilities could input data to help facilities measure their performance on a variety of important issues.

Another project that may have long-term implications on the field will assess the current role of technology management in healthcare and explore future opportunities and challenges. AAMI will hire a consultant to conduct a series of focused interviews with clinical engineering managers and their supervisors to examine the current and future responsibilities of the departments, the role of IT, and the perceptions of healthcare executives as it relates to the changing role of clinical engineering (CE) departments. The study will explore ways in which AAMI could address the changing needs and how clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) could advance their career growth.

All about IT
Over the last three years, several educational resources have been created by the TMC to help professionals advance their understanding of IT integration. The resources have included sessions at the AAMI Annual Conference and three editions of a special publication called IT Horizons.

In 2008, AAMI will work closely with members of the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to create guidance and share best practices so that members of all three organizations can benefit from the collaborative guidance and shared expertise.