Jojo Gonzales
Biomedical Perspectives: Q&A with Jojo Gonzales
November 26, 2019
by Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief
For over 30 years, AAMI and GE Healthcare have selected a BMET of the Year Award Winner based on dedication, achievement and excellence in the field of healthcare technology management. The 2019 recipient, Jojo Gonzales, has all of these traits and when he was tasked with launching Kaiser’s San Diego Medical Center in 2017, he was given an opportunity to prove it.
HealthCare Business News sat down with Gonzales to learn more about the challenges he has faced in his career, and the factors that have contributed to his record of success.
HCB News: When Kaiser's San Diego Medical Center launched in 2017, you had to help deploy 7,000 pieces of medical equipment and train the biomed team. What were some of the keys to making that launch a success?
Jojo Gonzales: I would credit the success of our program to the team that we have here in the San Diego Service Area. Having a great team with a strong sense of collaborative spirit makes someone look forward to coming to work. Key factors that contributed to our success included: a team-developed deployment strategy; established strong communication practices; systematic, step-by-step procedures to share with each other and reinforce lessons learned; and above all, helping each other and having fun!
HCB News: Did you learn any lessons in the process of that launch that might be beneficial to other biomed leaders?
JG: One of the most important lessons we learned is to use visualization techniques when formulating a plan. It enabled us to share the same vision as to what we want achieved as the end product.
HCB News: At Kaiser, are you seeing the convergence of the IT and biomedical departments? How does this change the biomed's role?
JG: I am definitely seeing the convergence of IT and Biomed departments. We’re collaborating more and Biomeds must now learn new skills or IT language to foster a healthy, working relationship. Our role and responsibilities have expanded beyond the device, such as data management, network, and security. Maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability is an IT security objective but Biomeds must now learn it as well.
HCB News: Have you experienced challenges when it comes to obtaining the necessary service training, codes and manuals from equipment manufacturers?
JG: Obtaining those from the equipment manufactures seems to have changed over the years and has become more challenging. Equipment manufacturers appear to be more guarded with their proprietary information. Some have implemented requirements such as not providing service-level passwords to their equipment unless the technician attends their technical training.
HCB News: How involved are you in capital equipment purchasing?
JG: I’m not directly involved with capital equipment purchasing but occasionally consulted with equipment history, industry trends, and other considerations.
HCB News: You have a background in information security, but have you always been in healthcare?
JG: I’ve always been in healthcare. My first job was as a hospital corpsman in the Navy. Halfway through my naval career, I recognized the convergence of IT and Biomed; thus, I studied computer science and volunteered to manage the hospital network and become the Information System Security Manager. Those years of experience have served me well with my current work at Kaiser Permanente; I’m able to speak the IT language and build a strong relationship with IT personnel. It makes for a productive and collaborative partnership.
HCB News: Are you satisfied with the data you are generating for asset management?
JG: There are many opportunities to improve data gathering for asset management. It should be a collaborative effort between medical equipment planners, purchasing, asset management, and biomeds. We should not wait until the product is on our doorsteps before we start collecting data. The system can be easily pre-populated with data before the equipment arrives.
HCB News: Are you happy with the relationship you have with OEMs? How could it be improved?
JG: Overall, I’m satisfied with the relationship we have with OEMs, and I have noticed that the best relationships we have are with those manufactures that we meet in person or regularly conduct follow-up with. Personalized, face-to-face interaction is still the best practice.
HealthCare Business News sat down with Gonzales to learn more about the challenges he has faced in his career, and the factors that have contributed to his record of success.
HCB News: When Kaiser's San Diego Medical Center launched in 2017, you had to help deploy 7,000 pieces of medical equipment and train the biomed team. What were some of the keys to making that launch a success?
Jojo Gonzales: I would credit the success of our program to the team that we have here in the San Diego Service Area. Having a great team with a strong sense of collaborative spirit makes someone look forward to coming to work. Key factors that contributed to our success included: a team-developed deployment strategy; established strong communication practices; systematic, step-by-step procedures to share with each other and reinforce lessons learned; and above all, helping each other and having fun!
HCB News: Did you learn any lessons in the process of that launch that might be beneficial to other biomed leaders?
JG: One of the most important lessons we learned is to use visualization techniques when formulating a plan. It enabled us to share the same vision as to what we want achieved as the end product.
HCB News: At Kaiser, are you seeing the convergence of the IT and biomedical departments? How does this change the biomed's role?
JG: I am definitely seeing the convergence of IT and Biomed departments. We’re collaborating more and Biomeds must now learn new skills or IT language to foster a healthy, working relationship. Our role and responsibilities have expanded beyond the device, such as data management, network, and security. Maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability is an IT security objective but Biomeds must now learn it as well.
HCB News: Have you experienced challenges when it comes to obtaining the necessary service training, codes and manuals from equipment manufacturers?
JG: Obtaining those from the equipment manufactures seems to have changed over the years and has become more challenging. Equipment manufacturers appear to be more guarded with their proprietary information. Some have implemented requirements such as not providing service-level passwords to their equipment unless the technician attends their technical training.
HCB News: How involved are you in capital equipment purchasing?
JG: I’m not directly involved with capital equipment purchasing but occasionally consulted with equipment history, industry trends, and other considerations.
HCB News: You have a background in information security, but have you always been in healthcare?
JG: I’ve always been in healthcare. My first job was as a hospital corpsman in the Navy. Halfway through my naval career, I recognized the convergence of IT and Biomed; thus, I studied computer science and volunteered to manage the hospital network and become the Information System Security Manager. Those years of experience have served me well with my current work at Kaiser Permanente; I’m able to speak the IT language and build a strong relationship with IT personnel. It makes for a productive and collaborative partnership.
HCB News: Are you satisfied with the data you are generating for asset management?
JG: There are many opportunities to improve data gathering for asset management. It should be a collaborative effort between medical equipment planners, purchasing, asset management, and biomeds. We should not wait until the product is on our doorsteps before we start collecting data. The system can be easily pre-populated with data before the equipment arrives.
HCB News: Are you happy with the relationship you have with OEMs? How could it be improved?
JG: Overall, I’m satisfied with the relationship we have with OEMs, and I have noticed that the best relationships we have are with those manufactures that we meet in person or regularly conduct follow-up with. Personalized, face-to-face interaction is still the best practice.