 As Spring begins to fade and the heat of summer begins to build, our thoughts are found wandering to tall cool glasses of lemonade, brisk dips in the pool on sultry days, and summer getaways to someplace shady and cool. Someplace lush and mild. Personally, I'm thinking of the scrub-brush desert wilderness of Northern Texas.That's right, as the summer sun turns itself on 'high' for us in North America for the next few months, so do our preparations for AHRA. And while San Antonio might not be my first choice for a conference location in August, we are none the less very excited.
Why are we excited? Well, if the Karioke that followed a night of black-market drink-voucher swapping isn't enough to entice you back, perhaps the stellar line-up of programs, speakers and vendors is.
And speaking of stellar programs, we're honored to have been invited back to offer two presentations this year (see the details in News Bite' below). This year's presentations will provide a fresh take on MRI safety issues, as well as focus on siting issues to consider if you're contemplating upgrading to 3.0T.
We're looking forward to seeing each of you in San Antonio this year for an incredible conference and two of the most informative MRI suite design and safety presentations available.
Tobias Gilk
Junk Architects, PC
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Join Us In August At AHRA! Join us either Tuesday morning, the 9th, or Wednesday afternoon, the 10th, for our presentation 'MRI Suite Safety Challenges.' Last year's presentation was one of the conference's highest-rated breakout sessions and the two presentations this year promise to be even better. But don't take our word for it, here are a few comments taken directly from last year's Speaker Evaluation Forms:"Excellent presentation - very informative - need more technical courses such as this one!"
"Technically robust, well presented."
"The best course of the entire conference! Do have more like this."
Click below to be taken to
www.AHRA.com (annual meeting page)
This year's presentations are being graciously sponsored by the new MR-Safe fire extinguisher, Cleanguard® FE13NM by Ansul, with additional underwriting from the SafeScan® family of MRI suite ferromagnetic detectors from Mednovus.
MRI Newsletter - Article Archive Is Now On Line!
We're pleased to announce that we have the archive of previous MRI Newsletter articles available. Click here to see all the articles that are available.
While the archive index is available to everyone, only subscribers will be able to access the full text of the articles.
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Housekeeping Services:
Striking A Balance.
By Robert Junk, AIA, AHRA and Tobias Gilk
Cleanliness in MRI suites has always been a challenge. At many facilities, housekeeping staffs are either carefully restricted or altogether prohibited from the MRI suite, and for understandable concerns. Anyone who had been trying to keep a tally of floor polishers that have gotten drawn into MR units - each causing tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars of damage - surely gave up many years ago. The accounts of these accidents appear frequently, and yet the accidents keep recurring.
The initial reaction is to bar everyone except technologists from the MRI suite. While, from a safety standpoint, it's a great idea to keep incidental personnel out of the MRI suite unless they are either trained in MR safety or accompanied by MRI staff, there are outcomes that need to be considered. Unless the technologists are willing to take up mops and dusting cloths, locking the doors to the housekeeping staff invites both technical and clinical problems...
Click here to be taken to the full article.
DI In The OR:
Intraoperative Imaging.
By Tobias Gilk
Bullet trains have always fascinated me. It's as if they're from a not-so-remote future but accidentally slipped a decade into the past to be with us here today. It seems that we can't even watch the nightly news without seeing examples of the future that have arrived here today. From absurd dancing robots to amazing telerobotic surgery. One of these glimpses from the future of healthcare that has seemingly arrived early is intraoperative imaging...
Click here to be taken to the full article.
Modular Done Wrong:
A $3 Million Barnacle.
By Tobias Gilk
Frequently they're viewed as a short-term solution. Sometimes the cost of the equipment eclipses the project budget and lowest first-cost becomes the only consideration. Occasionally, they're seen as the only way to get a 'turn-key' MRI project accomplished. For these and many other reasons, facilities often turn to factory assembled modular buildings to house their MRI's. These buildings provide tremendous flexibility, the fastest time to occupancy, and some significant cost and financing benefits. Why then, if they are so full of promise, are so many modular MRI structures so poorly used by hospitals across the country?
Click here to be taken to the full article.
Articles In The Works Over the coming months we will be sharing articles with you on a number of topics, from tools that are immediately applicable, to strategies that will help your facility on into the future. Several planned upcoming articles include:
- The Shocking Truth About Static Electricity
- Hitting The Ceiling Over HIPAA-Required Walls
- Four Years After The Tragedy: The Wake Of An MRI Death.
- Double Down: Raising The Stakes Of MRI Safety
As always, please feel free to contact us if there's ever a subject you would like us to explore in the newsletter.
We Love Hearing From You!
Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments on the articles or issues you'd like to see covered.
Junk Architects, PC
802 Broadway - 5th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64105
816-472-7722
MR_Expert@JunkArchitects.com
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