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By Brenda Rinehart, PhD, CRA, FAHRA
The Northwest regional meeting on May 6 was a huge success with over 50 people in attendance and eight vendor sponsors supplying facilities, food, and fun giveaways! The meeting was held at Core Medical Imaging Headquarters on the lake in beautiful Kenmore, Washington. The weather was warm and sunny, so breaks and lunches were enjoyed outside in the marina where our host, Core Medical Imaging, set up tables and chairs for our enjoyment.
Breakfast and registration, generously sponsored by Toshiba, began at 9:30 and our speakers began at 10:00. We had breaks between each of our five sessions which were generously sponsored by Landauer and GE.
David Wild started off the day with his session on “Data Mining and Analytics.” David’s presentation, sponsored by Fuji Medical Systems, was informative and interesting. He shared the thought-provoking ways our public data is currently used to market services and products, where we are today with data analytics in healthcare, and where data mining may take healthcare in the future.
Our second speaker, Jon Jacobsen from Core Medical, spoke on the “Future of Radiology.” Jon provided a wonderful history of radiology and spoke about unique opportunities coming up in imaging, such as tomosynthesis. Following Jon’s presentation, the group enjoyed a wonderful lunch, generously sponsored by Fuji and Bayer.
Up next, David Zamora, sponsored by Fujifilm Medical Systems, spoke on “Anti-scatter X-ray Software and the Applications of Virtual Grid.” David brought the unique perspective of a radiation physicist to this cutting-edge topic. His insights captured the entire audience.
My session, “Developing the Whole Person in the Work Environment,” sponsored by GraceStone Professionals, was up next. The group participated in an interactive presentation that demonstrated the importance of theories on self-identity, reframing, and self-determination with respect to intrinsic motivation in the work environment.
Wrapping up the day, Steve Worrel from Riverrain Technologies spoke on “Improving Diagnostic Interpretation.” Steve’s presentation emphasized the importance of lung nodule detection in the realm of traditional radiography versus the additional radiation of a screening CT scan. Steve’s presentation introduced evidence that CAD type software that eliminates the additional artifact from the plain radiograph of the chest provides additional clarity to images and to the radiologists interpreting the images.
After the sessions ended in the afternoon, Core’s leadership team treated the group to a special wine reception. The feedback from this meeting was exceptionally positive, and the regional group is looking forward to the next meeting this fall!
Check out our album on the AHRA Facebook page to view more photos from the event.
Brenda Rinehart, PhD, CRA, FAHRA is the chief operations officer at GraceStone Professionals in Maple Valley, WA. She can be reached at brinehart@gracestonecompany.com.
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