2018 Imaging Conference & Expo Focuses on Image and Imaging in the Medical Industry
When it comes to “image,” Las Vegas is known around the world as the entertainment capital full of fun and excitement. And while the fabulous neon lights, gaming opportunities, first-class dining and hotel rooms, and top-named entertainment may have been an incentive for over 270 hospital representatives and 130 equipment and service vendors, their focus was on a different type of image, or rather “imaging.”
Perhaps the most important topic on the minds of every U.S. citizen is Healthcare. Whether it is finding the best healthcare professionals or affordable insurance that will cover the needed services, the quest is real, and there is no simple answer.
The 2018 Imaging Conference & Expo (ICE), held February 16 -18 at the M Resort in Las Vegas, offered medical imaging leaders the opportunity to network with their peers, exchange ideas, and gain valuable knowledge they could implement to help their hospitals and departments grow and prosper.
In the Exhibit Hall, Retrieve Medical Equipment offered a way for hospitals to upgrade their imaging equipment by offering a generous valuation and purchase offer or trade-in credit on their existing equipment.
For medical professionals and especially hospitals, the combination of higher operating costs and lower insurance reimbursement rates, mean tight budgets and an even tighter hold on the types of services they offer. Hospitals are not only struggling to keep up with increased patient loads but decreasing budgets as well.
Traditionally, hospitals have relied on their radiology departments to be revenue centers. Income from imaging studies, particularly high-end exams such as CT and MRI, helped offset losses in other areas of the hospital such as the dialysis lab and emergency department. But with volumes decreasing and reimbursements for imaging studies steadily declining, it’s making for precarious finances and tough times.
During the conference, educational talks focused on key topics for radiology and biomedical managers such as:
· Leveraging Data, Adding Value
· Standardization of Advanced Visualization to Improve CT Workflows with a 3D Lab
· Imaging Leadership Strategies from the Football Field
· The Business of Body Language and the Body Language of Business
· A Path to Medical Device Security
And while the gathering, analysis, and sharing of data is key to proper patient care, the efficiency with which that data is acquired, manipulated, and used can go a long way toward saving dollars on the overall budget.
Popular discussions at the conference talked about reducing imaging waste, data mining for actionable data, and using artificial intelligence (AI) to assist radiologists and improve efficiency highlighted areas of improvement.
The eternal topic of every professional conference is staff management. Wendy Stirnkorb, Director of Imaging Services and Dean of the School of Radiology at Regional West Medical Center addressed the issue with her presentation of Circus Peanuts: Oh, my gosh! They are my monkeys! Wrangling Monkeys, as she put it, included everyone from the ‘bean counters’ in the C-Suites to MRI and Radiology leadership and the technicians. From budgets to training, from safety to performance, the decisions made by individuals from the top level all the way down to the bottom level have a cumulative effect on the operation, performance, and profitability of the imaging department.
A key takeaway from the conference included a talk on How to Transition from OEM Contracts to In-House by Sodexo CTM Vice President Tim Riehm and Dave Francoeur, Sr. Director of Brand & Quality.
The event closed with a dynamic Keynote speech by Thomas E. Szostak, Director of Health Economics at Canon Medical Systems USA, INC. Szostak spoke about Health Economics: Market, Policy, and Trends. The discussion dissected a new Republican administration with a Republican Congress and their different vision from the former administration for health care and health policy in America. A failed attempt to “repeal and replace” Obamacare has left most of the ACA intact. The presentation discussed what the future holds for health spending, policy and reform in the United States.
Retrieve Medical Equipment offers the best equipment, at the best prices. When it is time to replace or upgrade your imaging and biomedical equipment, call 330-573-5706.