Auld Lang Syne and Into A New Year…

I hope all had a very Merry Christmas and that you are now looking ahead optimistically to the New Year. As we reflect on the year past and celebrate the new, there are many traditions we tend to follow in America. Many of us wear party hats, blow horns, toast champagne, throw confetti, watch the ball drop at Times Square in New York or bang pots and pans at the stroke of midnight, when the new year begins. For good luck, an old Irish tradition is to eat black-eyed peas or cabbage on January 1st. New Year's Day is a recognized national holiday and offices are closed, families gather for more holiday cheer. The song, Auld Lang Syne, which is traditionally played all over the world on New Year’s is a melody that’s recognizable everywhere, albeit, I know of no one who ever learned the lyrics. For you history buffs, some sources say the song was written Robert Burns in the 1700's, with other reports suggesting that an earlier rendition was composed prior to 1700. The song is Scottish and the song title literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

While we look anew to the year ahead, we also reflect on old friends and the past and what it has meant to us. 2008 was a difficult year for many…I personally know several families who have a beloved overseas at war, there are those struck by misfortune: economic effects of war, high gas prices, stock market declines, hurricanes, lay-offs and down-sizing, not to mention any personal hardships experienced. My heart extends to you. We have all watched headline news and have had to put life in perspective, some making some pretty significant life changes to adjust to new demands or crises. Whatever held us back in 2008, we must certainly move forward bravely and with hope and faith, personally and professionally.

For Trident Health Resources, Inc., we remain fiscally strong into 2009 with continuing hopes of growing our business base and constantly improving our technology and processes at our existing accounts. Our future is bright and it is dependent on good people, which we pride ourselves on selection and retention of the best. This Spring we will acknowledge the entrance of Trident’s 21st year in business under the same ownership. It wasn’t luck that brought us this far along. We got here because of consistency, a patient-first attitude and the experience to respond quickly and effectively to our hospitals’ needs for perfusion staffing and equipment. We work in partnership with our clients.

Your readership here is appreciated! If you haven’t visited our website for a while, please check out www.tridenthealth.com as well as our sister site, www.perfusioncommunity.com. We stay on top of the marketplace and post the latest in news and job opportunities for those in the perfusion industry. We’ll certainly be busy continuing to do so through 2009. I’m personally excited about our direction for the new year and I hope you’ll visit this blog frequently and comment often.

Wishing you and yours a Very Happy New Year.

Ralph E. Jordan
CEO & President
Trident Health Resources, Inc.

A Question of Inclusion or Exclusion: State Licensing and the AmSect Government Relations Committee (GRC) Position

There continues to be a major problem with AmSect’s desire for state mandated professional licensure of all perfusionists. I'd like to call attention to the fact that there is, at present, no workable, fair or real reciprocity between states in the licensing of Perfusionists, even though the GRC claims this to be fact. In the event of a medical emergency, this is a serious situation.

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To illuminate the problem, here is a case in point: I received a telephone call one Friday afternoon that an ECMO Team was immediately needed in Texas to monitor a baby girl. All my Texas travelers were on assignment and unable to fill the need. In response, however, I inquired at the Texas state's licensing office about any provision in the law for quick licensing for emergencies. My Perfusion staff licensed from other parts of the country could be credentialed, but unfortunately state licensing for an emergent situation in Texas had no provisions, or so I was told. NOTE: The same response was given in MO, TN, and GA when we experienced similar situations in past years.

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Several state licensing offices charge upwards of $400 to $700 per license annually and yet they are clueless about what a Perfusionist is or does, nor do they seem to care. That is, if you can locate them.

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In the case of the Texas ECMO baby, patient care suffered and unfortunately there was a negative outcome. I wish I could report that this was a one-time occurrence, but we have experienced similar events a multitude of times over the years as we tried to be of assistance to hospitals and perfusion colleagues who reached out to us. We appealed to the Government Relations Committee through a friend and an associate who was a member and who presented the case in 2007.

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The issue has been a point of contention for years for many perfusionist who are sole proprietors and for contract companies like Trident, which provide locum tenens services on a national scale.

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When individual states put their regulations together, supported and directed by AmSect, I wonder: Were they thinking more of exclusion than inclusion? Less about patient-focused care or rights of patients? Is the public welfare served by this endeavor? There are many good reasons to have licensure, but to me, it just doesn’t seem that the support from AmSect has been thought out to include all services, especially emergent care that is readily available from providers like Trident.

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We approached AmSect about the problem and the response, in my opinion, was idealistic, lacking expansive thought and bordering on irresponsible . That reply is posted here:

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CLICK HERE for AmSect’s Response

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I don't want to make this issue about contract companies such as Trident versus hospital-based or instate perfusion groups, but this protect your turf mentality is not only short-sighted and paranoid, but goes against the precepts of inclusion. I would be interested to hear reader thoughts and any experiences you've had as a contractor or other perfusion providers concerning this topic.

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This problem is not isolated or regional. It is nationwide. My question is, Where is the leadership? Or, is this the harbinger for new thought for establishing another (more enlightened) organization that will truly support what perfusion and care of the patient is all about?

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Inclusion or Exclusion? What's your take on this? Oh, by the way, and for the record... We haven’t even touched upon the concept of free enterprise or the restriction of trade or how the public good is served by this endeavor.

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Please post comments here or email me directly.

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RALPH E. JORDAN

CEO & President