Confessions of a Clinical Engineer

How Much Do You Know About Healthcare IT?

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:52:00 GMT

As radiology departments and hospitals in general are going digital, there is more and more that many of us don't know. We are being marginalized because we may not understand the entire picture. As all devices in hospitals talk to other devices, the...(read more)

The Real Cost of Maintaining Imaging Equipment

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:01:00 GMT

I recently began following a website called " Warranty Week ". I believe that they are uniquely able to report the actual cost that companies must spend to support capital equipment during the initial warranty period and for subsequent years following....(read more)

Who is Your Trusted Advisor?

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:23:00 GMT

I just got back from visiting a few hospitals in Florida. I don't sell any products or services. My job is to provide education and training on a variety of subjects not related to imaging, or anything that my company does. I deal with the hospital-based...(read more)

Two New Professional Associations

Patrick Lynch — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:35:00 GMT

Although there are several national associations to which clinical engineers belong, there are many places in the US where there is not a local option. Local associations are important because of the ability to personally attend meetings and network with...(read more)

Managing Imaging Equipment

Patrick Lynch — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:59:00 GMT

You work with equipment. Equipment is technical, by nature. As Radiology and management professionals, you must rely on others for the technical information about the inner workings, reliability, accuracy and life cycle cost of your imaging equipment....(read more)

Seeking Input

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:32:00 GMT

I actively seek input from my fellow clinical engineers around the country about medical device companies that seem to gouge their customers. I share these reports at my blog - www.HTMDirt.com . The name stands for Healthcare Technology Management Dirt,...(read more)

Preserve Your Options

Patrick Lynch — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:14:00 GMT

I keep up to date with Modern Healthcare, Healthcare IT , AHRA, and many other healthcare news outlets. If there is one thing that I can determine about the future, it’s that nobody is sure what will happen. Most people seem to believe that things will...(read more)

Risk, as in Gambling

Patrick Lynch — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 23:26:00 GMT

I am at a conference in Las Vegas. As such, I am surrounded by every conceivable method ever devised to separate people from their money. Except as a way to spice up a friendly poker game among friends, I am not a gambler. As a hospital manager who has...(read more)

Just Back from AHRA

Patrick Lynch — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:50:00 GMT

I was in Orlando last week for AHRA: the Association for Medical Imaging Management. It was my third meeting. It never fails to get better. Of course, the exhibit hall was full of equipment manufacturers and many companies offering after-warranty service....(read more)

Healthcare Technology Management

Patrick Lynch — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:43:00 GMT

When a group of 30 people influential in the biomed field met in May 2010 in Arlington, Va., our goals were to examine the future of the biomedical/clinical engineering/medical equipment maintenance arena and to select the most appropriate name for the...(read more)

Saving Now or Later

Patrick Lynch — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:07:00 GMT

GPOs and materials management personnel are rewarded by the amount of money they can save TODAY. Their contributions (or lack thereof) toward equipment purchases are long forgotten by the time the service costs roll in. Budgets and bonuses are yearly,...(read more)

Reducing Costs

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:39:00 GMT

Let's face it--we all are under pressures to reduce costs and do more with less, all the while increasing patient safety, uptime, reliability and dependability of imaging equipment. You may not know it, but you have some free resources at hand to help...(read more)

Buying Service

Patrick Lynch — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:51:00 GMT

Let's talk about the cost of obtaining labor from various sources for medical device repair. We all know that when an item (or system) of equipment is purchased new, the manufacturer typically offers a full maintenance package. It is good marketing to...(read more)

The Total Cost of Medical Device Maintenance

Patrick Lynch — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:23:00 GMT

For 37 years, I have worked for hospitals or for companies who fix medical equipment for hospitals. In this role, I've been the advocate for the hospital and ultimately, the patient. I always have been conscious of the cost to the hospital and the effects...(read more)

New Blogger: Here to Help You

Mike Bederka — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:45:00 GMT

By Patrick K. Lynch, CBET, CCE Hello. This is the first of what I hope are many opportunities I will have to talk with you. Let me use this first installment to tell you a little about me and why you may benefit from reading this blog. I live in Charlotte...(read more)