A blog post from Nils Clausen, CMEPP CEO
Fireworks lit up the sky, joggers took a final run, and people took their brave New Year’s plunge. 2025 is well underway, but I’m taking this moment to reflect on what 2024 meant for us.
For CMEPP, it was a continued year of growth and change. We brought in fresh talent and dedicated resources and provided the right tools and infrastructure. Our coast-to-coast expansion continued with the addition of Participants in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador.
As the need for data grows, Participants and Suppliers are relying on relevant reports and documentation. We’ve made that information easy to access on a Supplier Portal and a refreshed Participant Portal. We’re listening to concerns and building stronger relationships with our Suppliers through the Supplier Portal and dedicated Business Reviews.
A dynamic meeting with Manitoba Participant Shared Health provided insights into their challenges and services needed. The pain they’re feeling with funding cutbacks, changes to fiscal policy, and their most dire challenge – health human resources – is being felt across the entire healthcare system. Meeting face-to-face is a privilege in these times and so we appreciated the time they took to think about how we can continue to innovate and be an even more trusted advisor.
The next phase of equipment management
We ended the year with the pilot launch of a program we’re confident is going to help ease the burden for overworked hospital staff managing day to day equipment requirements. ECS or the Equipment Coordination Service is designed to address a critical resource challenge for some healthcare organizations. Huge thanks to Quinte Health for being the first hospital to implement the program and provide valuable feedback.
Employees shared ideas and worked on constructive changes to processes at two CMEPP Cafés. As I’ve come to value these meetings more and more, they always reinforce the importance of listening and opening the gates for specific and open-ended discussion.
We were invigorated by two Bills, C-244 and C-294, being given royal assent and passed into law. This positive result comes after nearly two years of lobbying for the entrenchment of the Right to Repair of medical equipment and devices owned by Canadians and Canadian organizations. A great moment that couldn’t have happened without the hard work and persistence of our partners in this movement: CMBES, Kevin Taylor, Petr Kresta, Murray Rice, Sarah Kelso, Tedford McLaughlin, Anthony Rosborough, Alissa Centivany, and Christie Innomed.
Finally, we attended numerous conferences across the country, networking and forging new connections with biomedical engineers, imaging and lab professionals, managers and industry leaders. We look forward to even more of that in 2025!
I’m honoured to lead such a dynamic organization as I continue to evolve in my role. My heartfelt thanks to the CMEPP Board and staff for their hard work, commitment and contribution, and our many stakeholders for challenging us and inspiring us. Thank you for indulging my need to take one last nostalgic glance at the year that was. So long 2024, we’re ready and excited for whatever comes next!
