Change Is Still a Good Thing… Right?

By Bette Drescher, CRA

When I wrote my last Link article in the Fall, little did I know that change had just begun for me. Shortly after my article was published, one of our new team members was recruited to a position out of state. This obviously came as quite a surprise to the team, who were still in the early stages of relationship building, but they rallied and bonded together to  provide leadership to staff and support to one another. My compliments to both the staff and the leadership team for maintaining a high level of patient care as we worked through this.

We quickly posted for the position, and I was thrilled to have a fellow CRA from the East Coast respond to our advertisement in the AHRA Job Bank. After several Skype interviews (another change from the old days of flying back and forth across country!), an offer was made and our team became whole again at the end of December.

So, we kicked off 2016 with another new team, and we are feeling really confident about the work ahead. We have some new initiatives to look forward to, including Press Ganey surveys specific to imaging, instead of being included with patient satisfaction feedback via other provider visits. We have strong leadership in MRI and are kicking off a brilliantly executed MRI Safety Program. Capital planning has resulted in allowing us to shop for a new CT scanner for one of our sites, and we are planning an expansion of breast services in one of our market areas.

We are, along with all of you, trying desperately to keep up with changes in our profession, including the implementation of XR-29 and requirements for reporting low dose CT scanning via NRDR. I am sure you all agree with me that it is a maze to sort through, and I appreciate the support of the AHRA and community leaders who share the challenge.

For me personally, change has come in the form of a new position within the RACC as Vice Chair. I am excited to be working with leaders Bruce Hammond (Chair) and Brenda DeBastiani (Secretary/Treasurer) along with Chris Snyder, Public Commissioner Sheryl Jackson, and new members Anna Kinney and David Partridge. Bruce outlined some of our pending work for 2016 in his January Link article. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, please look back on it and share your feedback and your ideas on how we might better represent you.

And, finally, I join with many of you in mourning the recent loss of AHRA Past President Ed Yoder, and our thoughts are with his family and many friends. His passion for our profession will live on in the work he sponsored over the years.

As I signed off last time, remember that change can be a good thing. Embrace and rejoice in it. But just try to keep up with it!

Better Drescher, CRA is the director of radiology services at Group Health-Bellevue Medical Center in Bellevue, WA. She can be reached at drescher.bette@ghc.org.