AHRA and Toshiba Expand Fourth Annual “Putting Patients First” Program
Aug. 15, 2011—To help hospitals and imaging centers build new or expand upon existing education and patient care initiatives, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management announces the fourth year of its “Putting Patients First” program. Putting Patients First grants provide healthcare facilities with the resources needed to improve imaging quality and safety for patients and are funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.
The AHRA & Toshiba Putting Patients First program provides six grants of up to $7,500 each to hospitals and imaging centers and an additional grant of up to $20,000 to an integrated delivery network (IDN) to fund programs, training, or seminars aimed at improving patient care and safety in CT, MR, ultrasound, X-ray, and vascular imaging. Three of the $7,500 grants will be awarded for projects that improve the safety and comfort of pediatric imaging, while the other three will be awarded for projects that improve overall patient care and safety in imaging. The new grant of up to $20,000 will be awarded to an IDN or hospital system for projects that improve overall patient care and safety in imaging across the IDN/hospital system. All winning facilities will then develop and share their best practices.
“The Putting Patients First grants provide healthcare facilities with resources to implement programs that otherwise might not be available,” said AHRA president Roland Rhynus, CRA, FAHRA. “For the past several years, winning facilities have used the funds to develop innovative projects that improve diagnostic imaging, whether it’s by limiting radiation, increasing education or improving patient comfort.”
Putting Patients First applicants will be judged on their program plan and ability to share best practices. The applicants’ programs should address one or more of the following:
- Reducing radiation and/or contrast dose
- Reducing the need for sedation
- Improving communication with patients regarding the process
- Improving patient comfort
- Improving the overall clinical pathway
“Toshiba is committed to developing technologies that advance diagnostic imaging and partners with healthcare facilities to improve the quality of patient care,” said Cathy Wolfe, senior director, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Toshiba. “Through the continued growth of the Putting Patients First Program, we hope to help healthcare facilities create innovative programs designed to improve patient safety and comfort, provide continued education for healthcare providers and share best practices with others.”
All eligible facilities are encouraged to apply by completing an application at www.ahraonline.org or www.medical.toshiba.com. The deadline to apply is October 11, 2011.