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Company Notebook

Hogan Technology Invited to Technology Assurance Group Convention

EASTHAMPTON — Hogan Technology announced that Sean Hogan, the company’s president, has been invited to attend the 17th annual Technology Assurance Group Convention, an organization of dominant unified-communications companies in North America representing $350 million in products and services. The event, to be held in Houston on April 2-5, brings together the most successful leaders in the unified-communications sector in order to elevate the industry as a whole, through the sharing of best business practices, CEO-to-CEO collaboration, and exchange of viewpoints as the future of technology. The theme of this year’s convention is “teamwork drives success.” It will focus on the power of teamwork, and is fittingly situated at the nation’s epicenter for space exploration. “We’re proud to have Sean Hogan attend our event,” stated Brian Suerth, president of Techology Assurance Group (TAG). “Sean brings a tremendous amount of insight, and we’re thrilled to have him share his views with our membership. His contributions throughout the year to his fellow members have raised the bar for every company in the technology space. In sum, we’re honored to have Sean in attendance.” One of the keynote speakers at the TAG Convention is Col. Richard “Mike” Mullane, a former pilot and astronaut who developed his expertise in leadership and teamwork through an array of combat reconaissance missions in Vietnam and space-shuttle missions for the U.S. Mullane will share his insights and collaborate with TAG members in order to help advance their leadership and teamwork abilities. Also in attendance will be some of North America’s elite technology manufacturers. These providers will deliver futuristic technology to TAG members in order to accelerate the technological proficiency of small to mid-sized businesses. With their new software, cloud computing, and auxilary equipment, businesses will be better-positioned for strong growth in 2017. “I look forward to attending this year’s event and coming back with new ideas to improve our customer experience,” Hogan said. “The better we understand teamwork, leadership, and technological expertise, the more profitable our customers will become. We consider this event a privilege to attend, especially because of the high-caliber peers, and it also serves as a very effective way to keep our customers miles ahead of their competitors, sustaining their competitive edge through our delivery of futuristic technology.”

Health Program at STCC Wins Accreditation

SPRINGFIELD — The Health Information Technology program at Springfield Technical Community College was awarded accreditation, a big step forward for an area of study that can help hospital workers like Pamela Rau advance in their careers. Rau, 53, of Southampton, worked at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield for more than 20 years when she decided to seek an associate degree in health information technology from STCC. She needed the diploma to continue working as a supervisor in health-information management. Rau was part of the first graduating class in June. “It was interesting because what I learned on the job coincided with what I learned in school,” she said. “And the things I learned in school helped me grow in this position in my job.” Her next step is to take a certification exam to become a registered health-information technician. She also hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. But her academic journey started with STCC’s Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) program, which awards degrees in health-information technology. On Dec. 20, the two-year-old program received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Accreditation, a tool for assuring academic quality, shows that the program meets a certain minimum standard. A graduate of the accredited HIIM program at STCC becomes eligible to take professional certification exams. Tracey McKethan, department chair and professor of Health Information Technology, said the program went through a rigorous process involving an on-site review by accreditors and met 33 standards. “There are no other programs like this in Western or Central Mass. or in Northern Conn.,” McKethan said, noting that STCC’s program has a 100% graduation rate. The HIIM program prepares students, who are awarded degrees in health-information technology, for certification and practice as registered health-information technicians. The program has transfer agreements with four-year institutions, which means students can apply their credits from STCC to pursue bachelor’s degrees. Master’s programs also are available. The technicians typically work at hospitals, nursing homes, long-term-care facilities, mental-health centers, or large medical practices. As the custodians of patient medical records, the technicians must be able to translate complex data into understandable, simplified information for the general public. For more information, call the admissions office at (413) 755-3333 or visit www.stcc.edu/apply. Fall applications are due by April 30.

Rick’s Place Wins Grant from New York Life Foundation

WILBRAHAM — Rick’s Place recently received a $10,000 Grief Reach grant from the New York Life Foundation, which will enable the organization to make significant improvements to its technological capacities, including major website enhancements. The New York Life Foundation created the Grief Reach program to help providers overcome barriers to bringing grief-support services to youth not served by existing bereavement programs. One hundred and ninety-five Grief Reach grants totaling nearly $6 million have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2011. The New York Life Foundation has been one of the leading funders in the childhood-bereavement field, investing more than $30 million to date in support of grieving children and their families.