Leaders Share 2009 Goals, Priorities

Abstract

Editor's note: A new year always brings a set of new challenges, and this year those challenges are particularly serious. Recently, BI&T asked a number of medical technology professionals to share their goals and priorities for 2009. Here's a sampling of their responses.“ Our top priority is to continue working to improve our processes. This is always a top priority and does not change from year to year. We also want to continue our work to improve coordination and communication of our biomed team with the information systems (IS) network/server/application support teams and focus on biomed education on the support of networks. Because of the proliferation of interconnected medical/imaging devices to information systems, this is imperative.The biggest challenge I see us facing this year is dealing with the growth of our system. As a system it is necessary to grow into specific areas to ensure that we will maintain financial viability, but getting the resources necessary to handle the additional work associated with this growth is especially difficult in the current economic climate.”Kenneth Maddock, Corporate Director, Biomedical Technical Service, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas“ Our biggest priority has—and always will be—to provide safe and reliable clinical equipment for our patients. But we have another priority in 2009 that wasn't so pressing in years past: to find new ways to control and even reduce costs to assist the health system in these challenging economic times.Our goal is to provide as much of the maintenance in-house as possible, which has the added bonus of quicker responses and reduced costs.”Heidi E. Horn, Vice President, Clinical Engineering Service, SSM Integrated Health Technologies, St. Louis, MO“Since I'm moving out of my leadership role, my top priority is succession implementation. Succession planning should be high on everyone's priority list all the time. It's often neglected. Every leader should always have in mind who he or she is grooming to step into their role.But the big priority is connectivity of devices to networks and complying with IEC/CD2 80001, Application of risk management for IT-networks incorporating medical devices 80001. These issues will heavily impact us soon, and we need to be getting them on the radar screen of the hospital and healthcare system leaders.Second, but really an equal first, will be how we will cope with the certain substantial financial impact of the imploding economy. I suspect it'll be back to the 90s. But, back then, we had some reserve. Now we don't. Somehow life will go on, but it won't be pretty.”Jeffrey B. Cooper, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Engineering, Partners HealthCare System, Inc., Boston