 In the US, it is construction season. Not spring or summer, but that time of year when healthcare providers and their contractors gear-up for their major capital improvement proects.
These projects often commit tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars to facilities and equipment. The questions often asked are "will it come in under budget?" or "can we meet the timeline?" Both of these assume an underlying success of the mission of the project, "will it serve the financial, operational and clinical needs?" Suprisingly, this underlying question is rarely asked, much less answered appropriately, prior to imaging project kick-offs.
To help you plan your capital projects or even a 'best practice' review of your MRI suite policies and procedures, please read Part II of Tobias Gilk's article on 'Effective MRI Suites.'
For those of you that are currently Joint Commission accredited, or are considering accreditation, please take a look at our lead feature which focuses on what are likely to be new areas of scrutiny for forthcoming Joint Commission site surveys in the MRI suite.
And speaking of accreditation, for those facilities interested in ACR accreditation for MR, be on the lookout for new criteria that will begin to incorporate the safety criteria from the newly released ACR Guidance Document for Safe MR Practices: 2007 into the MR accreditation process. A glimpse into what this will likely mean to ACR accredited sites is the subject of our third feature article this month.
Have you been following our monthly "Forward to a Friend" promotion? April's winner, Chris Shepperson of Virginia, USA, shared the MRI Newsletter with seven colleagues and was picked to win a free full-access subscription for the rest of 2007! You can win a full access subscription too. Just use the forward feature at the foot of this email to be automatically entered. Look at the 'Share The News' section below for all the details.
As always, we hope that you will contact us if you have any questions about anything you read in the newsletter, or if we can be of any assistance to you.
Robert Junk, AIA, AHRA
Share The News,
Win A Subscription!
As a special offer, we are now offering one free full-access subscription each month. When you use the 'Forward This To A Colleague' button at the foot of each emailed newsletter, we will pick one person at random to receive a free full-access subscription for the remainder of the year.
Forward the MRI Newsletter to your colleagues (use the link at the foot of this email) and you will have a chance to win a free year's subscription. Forward it to 5 or 10 MRI colleagues and you help to assure that we'll draw your name!
MRI-Planning World Tour Announces Next 2007 Confirmed Date!
Act now to join us at AHRA's Annual Meeting, July 8-12, in Orlando, FL. In July we will be presenting design principles for whole radiology departments, allowing providers to work with their designers to develop more effective and efficient facilities.
We also have confirmed presentations scheduled for the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management's annual meeting, and the SMRT Syracuse Regional meeting, both for this fall. We also have a number of tentative engagements which we'll announce as soon as each is confirmed.
MRI Newsletter - Article Archive
Is Now On Line!
Don't forget that the archive of previous MRI Newsletter articles has been recently updated. 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, except the published public-access issues.
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Joint Commission MRI Surveys
What It's Been & What It's Likely To Be
Part II of II
By Robert Junk, AIA, AHRA and Tobias Gilk
Last month we identified the surprisingly small number of Joint Commission MR patient safety concerns that are typically addressed during facility surveys. Many MR staffers remember their last Joint Commission survey as having the surveyor poke their head into the department, look for a non-magnetic fire extinguisher, check the appropriate box, and go on to the next area within the hospital. In this month’s feature article follow-up, we’re identifying the physical, clinical and operational issues that are likely to be much higher priorities for Joint Commission surveyors in the years ahead.
Click here to be taken to the full article.
Effective MRI Suites
Total Process Management.
Part II of II
By Tobias Gilk
Last month’s first installment of this two-part feature unmasked a widespread myth in imaging services, that improved financial performance can only come at the expense of safety or quality. This month we’re providing you with additional information, including checklists to help make sure that you’re asking yourself and your team the tough questions that can precede real improvement in safety, throughput, patient satisfaction, whatever your process goals are.
Click here to be taken to the full article.
Safety Standards To Be Added
To ACR Accreditation For MR
By Tobias Gilk
“My MRI is accredited by the ACR, the same organization that has published two editions of the White Paper on MR Safety and, most recently, the Guidance Document for Safe MR Practices,” said the radiology administrator. “That accreditation proves that we’re on top of all of the safety issues, right? I mean, they don’t accredit facilities that don’t conform to their own safety guidelines, do they?”
You may be as surprised at the historical answer to that question as the changes that are likely to come about in the near future for the ACR’s MR accreditation program...
Click here to be taken to the full article.
Articles In The Works
In the upcoming 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:
- Lighting In The MRI Suite
- Siting Impacts On Image Quality
- Magnet Upgrade Path
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.
MRI-Planning.com
802 Broadway - 5th Floor
Kansas City, MO 54105
816-472-7722
MRI_Expert@MRI-Planning.com
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