AHRA’s president, Ed Yoder, has a lot to be proud of this year. He shared some of the details with DOTmed HealthCare Business News, and spoke about what’s planned for this year’s annual conference, taking place Aug. 10-13 in Washington, DC.

HCBN: How did you get involved with AHRA?
EY: I was at a small rural hospital that was going through some very tough financial times. They brought in a consultant, Dan Huntoon, to perform an operational analysis and make recommendations on staffing. The consultant supported a lot of what I had been saying in relation to staffing and he pulled his data from an organization called AHRA. This intrigued me and I asked a lot of questions and we discussed metrics and data and the AHRA.

He recommended I join and I did. The organization has been a tremendous help in my career, I wouldn’t be where I am now without them!

HCBN: What are you most proud of having done as president?
EY: There are a lot of things, however, I am only as good as my team and I have a very strong one. First our office, the main office is tremendous. They all are very good at what they do and they make the president’s job an easy one. Then I have the board, a menagerie of talented directors from around the country that help push and pull my ideas in many ways and develop them into finished projects. As a team, we have developed the Advisory Committee which is our political voice and watchdog, Lean-Six Sigma, where we are looking for ways to bring this to our members so we have the tools to be operationally lean and allow them to obtain the various belts that go along with Six Sigma; membership growth; and working with our veterans and helping them assimilate back into civilian jobs. We have an arm of the board that works on making sure we recognize our veteran members and the special issues they face. And the thing I am most proud of is the work we have been doing with David Cowan on developing a benchmarking tool for our members. We are getting really close to rolling that out and it is going to be really exciting. There are so many other things we have accomplished this year but the ones I’ve mentioned are the ones we have put the most work into and are most proud of!

HCBN: What challenges in radiology have you tried to address?
EY: Ever-present and changing government regulation and meddling. We are trying to do our best at learning what it all means, and where it is going, that’s what the Advisory Committee was developed for, we want to bring the governmental changes to our membership so we can act accordingly at our organizations and tell our organizations what the changing regulation, or rumored changes, means to us in imaging.

HCBN: What do you think will be some of the big topics at the show this year and why?
EY: Well, we will have the Advance and Basic Management tracks, as well as the ELM program. These will help our members looking to broaden their management skills. There will also be a Six Sigma workshop. We also will have some fantastic keynote speakers. I think Bill Johnson’s Service Delivery vs. Service Excellence is going to be a great topic. Bill has a new book out about customer service that is a great read. Regulations Impacting Healthcare Marketing is going to be good as well. Using Evidenced Based Management Practices to Increase Operational Efficiencies will help us better manage our departments. An Executive Guide to Implementing a Successful Enterprise Dose Solution is big given the attention dose is getting. The list goes on and on, and I would point everyone to the AHRA website and look up the annual meeting schedule. There are a bunch of great pertinent topics at the show. These seminars are all essential in helping us manage the various areas within our responsibilities as imaging directors and managers.

HCBN: What do you think attendees can look forward to at the show?
EY: Another family reunion. That is really what it is like, it is like seeing Uncle Bill, Wes, and Rich and Aunt LuAnn, Penny, and Debbie once a year and catching up, it is networking, and it is meeting new family. It is really something that is unique to AHRA. I belong to other associations and they just do not have that family feel like the AHRA. If you have never been to an annual meeting you are in for a treat because you get the ability to network with people that are feeling the same stress and pressure you are or who have solved problems and issues and you can borrow those solutions. Everyone is so friendly and always willing to share if you ask. It is great and I look forward to it every year!

HCBN: Any other noteworthy projects you have planned that you’d like to mention?
EY: Scott Cummins and his Annual Meeting Design Team have put together an awesome show. We are working hard at the board level to give our members the tools they need to be successful. The Benchmarking project will be huge for us when it is completed and will allow us to benchmark against best imaging practices and the Advisory Committee will be keeping an eye on Washington, DC and letting us know what is happening there and how it may affect us.