Although the Florida Biomedical Society (FBS) annual symposium wrapped up on Oct. 28, at RSNA 2012 in Chicago this week, DOTmed News spoke with Jim Bowles, education coordinator for FBS, about the FBS event.

He said the FBS show was much bigger this year, with over 300 attendees and standing room only for most of the educational courses and presentations.

"It was the most well-attended shows [we've had]. It reached across multiple states," said Bowles. Biomeds came to the show from many states outside of Florida, including Alabama and Georgia.

This should come as no surprise either. According to Bowles, the Florida Biomed Society is one of the most recognized trade shows organized by a state, along with regional biomedical societies in North Carolina, New England and California.

Bowles said a big focus this year was on building awareness around security risks for medical instrumentation. "For example, if a biomed searches the internet from a connected medical device that can present issues like viruses, and malware," he said. The keynote speaker, Derek Brost from eProtex, a company that helps healthcare providers secure patient data and comply with HIPAA regulations, talked about countering the risks of connected medical devices.

During the three day symposium, attendees chose between 20 class offerings, which focused on radiology, lab, healthcare IT and biomed. (Attendees do not have to pay for these courses and they receive certificates of attendance for each class to help them maintain certification.)

Other highlights from the show include the announcement of John Alvenus as the next president of FBS, and the new FBS logo.

Planning has already commenced for next year's event, which will be held at the Disney Yacht Club Resort. Bowles said they will partner with RSTI to provide training on a specific imaging modality, which is yet to be announced.

"This is important to be able to directly provide education to a hospital's technicians to focus on reducing costs," said Bowles.

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