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VBA NEWS vol.2 no.1 April 1995
SKIING AT BRYCE
The Second Annual Ski Meeting has come and gone. The meeting was held on February 24/25, 1995 at the Bryce Resort. HP offered a class on
networking on Friday morning. The meeting was attended by about 40 individuals.
Biotek had on display many of their test instruments which drew a lot of comments and conversation.
Later that evening dinner was prepared for all attendees. Mary Frye spoke to the group and noted that we now had a total of 160 members. Mary
highlighted the upcoming schools such as the BMET certification review, Critikon, Nellcor and Physio Control. The annual state meeting this year has
been set for August 7/8, 1995 at the Omni Hotel in Richmond. This is on a Monday and Tuesday. Different days will be used to see if some days are better
than others. (Is there a commercial here?)
Mark Freeman urged us to keep sending in articles for the newsletter. He likes to think of the newsletter as a forum to express ideas. He is very interested
in your input. We are now selling advertizing in the newsletter. Please send your prospects to him.
The VBA is in good financial standing according to Steve Haupt. Steve noted that to date we had some $12,000.00 in the bank. We have been getting
good support from manufacturers and the membership.
There was a door prize offered but only to those who filled out a questionnaire, a pretty sneaky way to get ideas for future meetings. An HP calculator
was won by Earl Webre from Obici Hospital. All is all I'd say it was a pretty good dinner meeting.
Mike Carlton
VBA Recording Secretary
A Word From The President
More than me talking (again) I need to hear you out there talking. This organization is for the needs of the Biomedical community in Virginia but we need
to know what you need. At the Bryce meeting there was a questionnaire about needs and I got a small glimpse of some things that we can start working
on, but I'm greedy - I want lots of input. We have a radiology school planned in July. Any other ideas ?
Radiology has been asked for often and I think the intro class we have lined up would be an excellent start for those that might want or have to work on
Radiology. It is the basis for any higher level (or Vendor specific) radiology training. Don't let the certification class pass you by either ! That will be
offered in November in Virginia Beach. Several hospitals are now requiring certification in Virginia and more will follow suit. Biomedical Technicians
Week (Nov) will be here before you know it. How do you want to see VBA celebrate ? Any input on any endeavor would be welcome. My number is
(804) 693-8800 and I always answer my pager (well almost always). Or if you're shy send me a fax at (804) 693-8812.
Mary Frye
VBA President
BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY WORKING FOR DIABETICS
Insulin pump therapy is not new to the many individuals that face Type 1 diabetes today. Pump therapy has been available for over a decade now.
Technology is making this form of treatment more cost effective every year. Recent findings of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial proved that
keeping blood glucose levels in the normal range could delay or even prevent diabetic complications. With this announcement, healthcare facilities can
expect to see a rise in the use of insulin pumps. To understand how an insulin pump functions, it is important to understand what bodily function it is
replacing.
In a person with a healthy pancreas, the pancreas would administer a basil rate of insulin in tune with the body's needs. At meals the healthy pancreas
would automatically bolus insulin and monitor the dosage for proper body utilization, thus keeping blood glucose levels stable at all times. When an
individual is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, it means that their pancreas no longer secretes insulin. When this happens, blood glucose levels start to rise
within body, this is especially true during meals. Without the introduction of insulin into the body, hyperglycemia can result.
The insulin pump is more or less an artificial pancreas. Because of great lengths technicians have gone to reduce the size of insulin pumps, today's pumps
are only slightly larger than a pager. The pump works much in same way that a pancreas does, it delivers a preprogrammed basil rate determined by a
physician. The user is responsible for managing boluses based on a meal plan and monitored blood glucose levels. The user has the responsibility of making
sure that they control and maintain safe blood glucose levels by extensively monitoring with a blood glucose monitor.
Insulin pumps have a liquid-crystal display to allow the user to monitor different operating parameters. The outer is case is made of a durable plastic that
is water-resistant. On the back there is a compartment that houses a syringe. From the syringe there is a tube approximately three feet in length. An
insertion needle is located on the other end of the tube that is introduced into the diabetics subcutaneous layer. The syringe is driven by a lead screw which
rotates and in turn slides the driver arms located behind the plunger. Power is supplied by three 357 batteries with memory backup for battery changes.
The unit has alarms for occlusion and empty syringe. There are audible alarms and flashing LCD warnings. The pump can hold memory for the last seven
days of use. The display can show delivery setup, rates, time, max basil and bolus settings, auto-off function, temporary rate, suspend mode, and alarms.
This technology is allowing for more freedom and better blood glucose control of diabetics. It was this medical advancement that first lead me into the
direction of Biomedical Equipment as a career. As I set here and write this article, I am a diabetic and insulin pump user. I realize the importance of
technicians' research and service work in the health care field. It has lead to a better quality of life for myself and many others like me.
Stephen L. St.John, BMET
Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley
THE DOCUMENTATION OF INDEPENDANCE
We the people of Clinical Engineering, in order to form a more stable future must face the inevitable spectre that haunts every job we do in our profession
- the paperwork. Most of us got into this line of work for the thrill of going in fast, getting the job done and getting out. The sheer adrenal rush of doing
the impossible, under excessive pressure, and walking away a hero. Its a wonder that John Wayne never did a BMET movie.
Unfortunately, the memory of those we save fade with time and if the work is not written down, it was not done, there is nothing to prove that you
actually work for a living. This might not be a problem today or tomorrow, but some day a new administrator will come into your facility, or maybe the
hospital will hire a consultant, or some company will offer a slick deal on insurance and someone will ask you, "What were you doing on the 23rd of
February?", and you won't have a scrap of paper to cover your butt with.
The days when we could be the fireman in the hospital are over. With budget cuts and FTE reductions, fireman are plentiful in most hospitals: department
directors run from one fire to the next with scarce little time to spend on the equipment they have left in our hands. Into this environment we must evolve
to survive. We must arm ourselves with databases and with second sources. We must create reports and bar graphs that emphasize the great job we do for
the facility we serve. We need to take it upon ourselves to research and investigate, to turn ourselves into information brokers. To be the people with the
answers, to answer the questions before they are asked. Yes, in the end we must fashion ourselves into salesmen (Kind of makes my skin crawl to think
about it), yet salesmen we are. What shall we sell? We sell ourselves and the job we do. We sell the information in our minds and our computers. We sell
our ability to read technical manuals and make sense out of them. But wait, before we can head out on our morning sales route we have to have a product.
It all comes down to whether we documented what we did on the 23rd of February and every other day we were out there on the job.
When the lab director asks how much time and money has been spent trying to keep the old chemistry analyzer running we need to be able to pull up that
information. We need to know how many pieces of equipment we service, how much we spend in contracts, how much we save in not having contracts.
We need documents. The people we serve have entrusted us with the responsibility for the repair and maintenance of the equipment they save lives with
and expect us to over-document as much as they do. This has to be our mission, our quest; if not we may face the reality that when you work in a hospital,
all jobs are temporary.
Ron Wilson, CBET
Allegheny Regional Hospital
CAVEAT EMPTOR - LET THE BUYER BEWARE.
At this period in time, there are gobs of money to be made, lost, saved and squandered in the medical industry. This is a situation that seems to bring out
the shady side in some people. A few stories follow:
A laser salesman had been rumored to show up at a hospital late at night and "borrow" equipment that he just sold to them, for use in a demo at another
hospital the next day.
An ultrasound transducer sent out to a third party company for a relatively simple repair, was returned damaged beyond repair. The only recourse offered
was to sell us a used transducer "at cost" (which meant four times the repair price quoted). Upon investigation, it was found that the repair company does
not actually repair transducers, but uses a subcontractor. I suppose that subcontracting for a third party company makes them a fourth party company.
After years of an in-house Biomed maintaining an M-Mode Echocardiograph (ultrasound) in peak operating condition, the Cardiac Diagnostic director
decided that maybe it's time to let the manufacturer handle a repair, and give the equipment a good once-over. The service rep that arrived had been on the
job a couple of months. They hired him, gave him tools, a car, a service manual and put him on the road without a clue. The aforementioned Biomed
taught him more about the ultrasound in four hours (that we were billed for) than his employer taught him since he was hired.
A local Biomed, on-call, was called in one night to perform an incoming inspection on a ventilator that a patient had brought in to use. What he found was
a box, approx one cubic foot in size, with knobs, buttons and numeric LCD displays, attached to a latex glove (as a test lung??) that delivered 40% less
tidal volume and peak flow than it indicated. It turns out that this unit was rented from a home health care company, and the patient had been using it at
home for some time. When contacted, the company stated that they take no responsibility for this equipment if used in a hospital.
A service rep called in to do a PM on a piece of equipment was asked to check an intermittent problem while he was there. He finished, the operator
signed his service report, and a week later an invoice showed up for almost ten thousand dollars. Most of that cost was for the five PC boards that he
replaced in an apparent attempt to shotgun the intermittent problem. (I hope the next time he sees a doctor, they perform a few dozen unnecessary
diagnostic tests that are not covered by his insurance)
The point of this is that we as Biomeds need to have yet another skill in our repertoire, that of being an investigator. It always pays to know who you're
dealing with - check references, and credentials etc, find out about guarantees beforehand, get assurances in writing. If something sounds too good, check
it out thoroughly. Be aware that quite often the problem is not with a company, but with an individual employee.
By far most companies and people are a pleasure to work with, but there are always a few that cause problems due to greed, laziness or irresponsibility.
So, we must be ever vigilant, for as most of us find out sooner or later - you look bad when you've been had.
Mark Freeman, CBET
Virginia Beach General Hospital
A Mission Of Love For Others
What does a person with breast cancer, a person with Lou Gehrig's disease, and a person with toxic silicon illness all have in common? Well, if you think a
sad future; think again. Two organizations that have as their mission, humanitarian relief and Christian love for others have been born out of the hearts of
two of these people.
The "Mission of Love" is registered as a nonprofit organization, supplies medical, educational, and clothing to the poorest of poor in third world
countries, currently Mexico and Guatemala. These organizations main objective is to provide medical supplies and related items to underdeveloped
communities in these countries. This organization is registered to help with health care to third world countries. Founder, Kathy Price, receives medical
supplies and other items routinely for many projects she is seeding in other countries. The Mission of Love is located in Youngstown, Ohio.
Correspondence can be made to:
The Mission of Love
2054 Hemlock Court
Youngstown, Ohio.
Attention: Kathy Price.
Correll MIssionary Ministries is a third generation organization that was founded to provide evangelism, educations, and medical care for third world
countries. Current president, Reverend Michael Correll, has witnessed severe poverty and hunger in many countries that are supported by this
organization. Countries such as Portugal, Philippines, Guatemala, and Bolivia are representative areas that Correll Missions have seeded operations and
now support native people to continue the work. Correll Missionary Ministries is located in Roanoke, Virginia. Corespondence can be made to:
Correll Missionary Ministries
P.O. Box 12162
Roanoke, Virginia 24023
Attention: Reverend Michael Correll.
Currently projects and needs include:
Mission of Love:
1) Pediatric hospital in Casa Guatemala-Operating tables, anesthesia machine, stretcher, and supplies specific to pediatric cases.
2) Medical clinic supplies for new clinic for a rural area outside Mexico City.
3) Lots of dried milk for Casa Guatemala's Zone 1 orphanage. This orphanage houses abandoned and ill infants and toddlers.
Correll Medical Missions:
1) New medical clinic in Bolivia-Portable stretchers, stethoscope, blood pressure cuffs, EKG machine, cardiac monitor, surgical lights, and other supplies
such as gloves, tongue blades and regular examination equipment.
Kathy Price once said, "Enough is enough. We have supplies in this country that are being thrown out."
Do you know of or have supplies like this? If so, please contact either organization at the listed addresses, or telephone Claudia Huddleston at:
(703)774-1842. Thank You.
Steve Haupt
Roanoke Memorial Hospital
VBA Board Meeting Feb. 24, 1995
Members present were: Mary Frye, Virgil Smoot, Liz Carrol, James Anderson, Ben Clark, Rick Davis, Ryland Paxton, Mark Freeman, Steve Haupt, and
Mike Carlton
Old Business:
President - none
Finance - expense reports are almost ready
Rules - bylaws were retyped correcting type-o's
Membership - none
Publication - none
New Business:
President: Mary Frye Opened with some positive comments about the association. Other issues covered educational topics and will be noted late in the
minutes.
Finance: Steve Haupt
Expense reports are coming to help the treasurer keep as accurate as possible where the money comes from and goes. Don't have the exact numbers here
but we have around $12,000 in the bank. This is good going into the annual meeting which is a big expense.
Rules and by-laws: Rick Davis
Retyped bylaws were passed out. We approved in August, bylaws that has some errors in typing (you know best made plans and all that). Rick asked us to
review them again and note any other changes at the May board meeting.
Membership: James Anderson
James passed out the newest listing of the membership. Currently we have 151 members (107 individual, 28 students, 14 corp, 1 assocational, 1
institutional).
Publications: Mark Freeman
Mark wants a list of current committee members by next newsletter. fax 804-481-8734. Keep encouraging articles and keep up the good work.
Steve asked the board to consider allowing board members attend meetings and seminars at no charge. This may encourage the members at large to feel
better about seeking a board position. After much conversation, motion to resume this topic at the May meeting was passed.
Submitted by Mike Carlton
VBA Recording Secretary
VBA Board Meeting December 2, 1994
Members present were: Mary Frye, Virgil Smoot, Liz Carrol, James Anderson, Ben Clark, Rick Davis, Ryland Paxton, Mark Freeman and Mike Carlton
Old Business:
President - Fifteen (15) t-shirts were sent to each board memeber and all were sold for $11.00 each.
Finance committee - Quicken program will be purchased next week.
Rules & By-laws - None
Membership - None
Publications - VBA letterhead will be discussed during new business presentation.
New Business:
President: Mary Frye Opened with a discussion of Hewlett Packard's comments in their Probe Publication. After all was said and done the Board felt that
Hewlett Packard's comments were nothing to be alarmed about.
Finance Report: Mike Carlton Budgets - requested a budget from each committee to get an idea of projected expenses. Recommendation to join SBET
for 1995- Passed. Recommend we hire Spenser & Associates, PC in Roanoke to do our taxes for 1994 - Passed. (Question: Would this include an audit?)
Non-Profit Status - Mary will file papers soon. Finance Committee will make up expense reports by February meeting. To date we received $13,635.25
with $3,162.02 in expenses for a balance of $10,473.23. Detailed income and expenses will be better defined as expense reports and Quicken are utilized.
Amendment to By-Laws to allow for retiree status. to be presented at February 1995 meeting.
Motion by James to refer to commitee the specific mention of standing committees and their chairmen. Report back by February - Passed.
Membership: James Anderson Membership cards - Board voted to go with larger card and have James handing the printing. Recommend 1996 dues stay
same as 1995 - Passed. Application/New member packet - basic information about VBA in each - Membership directory will be made available at VBA
sponsored functions but will not be mass mailed. We now have 125 members total and 103 voting members. Membership budget was received but
members of the Board noted it was probably low.
Publications: Mark Freeman Budged received. Invoices and windowed envelopes will be purchased by James. Basic stationary and envelopes will be
purchased by Mark (1,000/ea). Will attempt a newsletter exchange with other biomed associations across the country. Advertising cost is set based on cost
of publicatoin. Mailings to members will be sent First Class, all others will go bulk rate. Expressed a need for someone in the Richmond and Northern
Virginia areas as a contact for newsletter information. Bio-feedback can be used for presonal informaiton as well as employment opportunities. Corporate
members will receive recognition in newsletter as sponsor, a newsletter subscription and discounted exhibition space when space is made available during
meetings.
Education: Ben Clark and Mary Frye A ski/meeting is planned for February 24th and 25th, 1995, at Bryce Ski Resort north of Harrisonburg. Meeting
schedule has been planned. VBA will issue certificates for any class being sponsored by the VBA - Ben Clark.<R><R>The schedule for 1995 was
presented.
Board expressed a desire to keep the annual meeting in Richmond for 1995.
Meeting adjourned.
Submitted by Mike Carlton
VBA Recording Secretary
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