Preface

There are many issues facing vascular ultrasonography professionals in providing accurate diagnostic information in an efficient manner. The Journal for Vascular Ultrasound (JVU) has provided a number of excellent articles and special issues related to a variety of disease processes, diagnostic modalities, and treatment options. However, the skills to provide excellent patient care do not necessarily prepare one to meet many of the more administrative challenges that we face. Many, if not most, of us in supervisory or management positions assumed those levels of responsibility by being excellent technologists and sonographers. So, what kind of information do we need to improve our management skills? How can we be more effective technical directors? What are some of the important issues facing our profession today, and how can we address them? When asked to serve as coeditors of the first special management issue of JVU, we asked ourselves these and a number of questions, the ultimate goal being “what kind of information do we need to help us do a better job?”

As we identified topics relevant to developing our management skills, we quickly realized that there has been a lot of excellent information presented in a variety of forums and formats (e.g., the Society for Vascular Ultrasound's annual conference and other national, regional, and local meetings). We also have access to many nationally recognized leaders in the field who have a wealth of information to share. Because there are many individuals who have contributed articles or made presentations on topics related to “management issues” in the past, our approach was to identify some people who would be able to expand on and/or update previous presentations to fit into a format appropriate for publication.

The articles we chose for this issue address a wide range of topics:

Staffing concerns are covered in “The Skill of Hiring ‘The Right’ People,” “Recruitment and Retention: Staffing for Quality in the Vascular Laboratory,” and “Terminating an Employee for Poor Performance.”

Providing high-quality studies in an efficient manner are included in “Management Tools Related to Productivity Standards, Examination Guidelines, and Ergonomic Considerations,” “Managing Today's Vascular Laboratory: Patients, Personnel, & Policies,” and “Establishing Interpretation Criteria.”

Appropriate utilization of laboratory resources are highlighted in “After Hours Evaluation and Management of Acute Leg Swelling: Optimizing the Use of the Vascular Laboratory” and in “The Diagnosis of DVT: Are We Using an Evidence-based Approach?”

“Patient Communication” continues to be an important consideration.

Cost-effectiveness issues are incorporated into “Digital Archiving (PACS) In The Vascular Laboratory: Improving Efficiency and Decreasing Costs” and “Capital Budgeting: Managing Equipment Acquisition.”

Concerns related to our future as a profession are evident in “Educational Programs for Vascular Technology—Are They Adequate to Meet the Future Needs of the Vascular Lab?” “Survival Tactics for the Vascular Laboratory: Coding and Reimbursement Issues,” “The Society for Vascular Ultrasound Government Relations Committee: Impact on Practice, Standards, and Reimbursement,” and “Implementing Change: ICAVL Accreditation 2004.”

“Time management” contains important information on maintaining some element of control of our lives.

This special issue has almost turned into a “wish” list, as in “I wish I would have known that a long time ago!”

We are honored to be coeditors of this special management issue and want to thank Barbara Rhodes, BA, RVT, AfFACA, FSVU, Editor of JVU, for her insight and inspiration. We are very grateful to the contributing authors who enthusiastically supported this endeavor even though they are so busy themselves. Without their time and effort, this project would not have been possible. It is our hope that this special issue will provide something for everyone: new technical and/or medical directors looking for some pearls of wisdom, experienced managers looking for new insight, and members of the support staff who are committed to improving quality. We have learned so much ourselves—and are truly grateful for the outstanding resources we have within our community.

With best wishes,