Service

CHARACTERISTICS THAT DISTINGUISH A CONSULTING SERVICE

1.      How many consultants are on staff?  More is better.  Single or a few consultants in a group lack availability because they are often tied up doing work at client sites.  There is also a possibility of no availability during times of illness or accident.  Usually single consultants rely on an answering service or a phone mail service indicating they will get back to you as soon as possible.

AMP either employs or networks with 17 different consultants located in 14 offices throughout the country from New York to California.  The Hub office is located in Cleveland, Ohio.  There is always somebody available to help you.

 2.     How many clients are serviced?  More is better.  AMP presently provides services at 371 sites (251 nuclear medicine,  54 ACR, 43 radiology, and 33 miscellaneous services) in 28 states.  Some sites engage in more than one type of services from AMP.  Multiple offices and clients in multiple states allow AMP to discover a wealth of problems that a smaller consulting firm cannot experience.  This allows AMP to share more and bring more to the table with each consulting visit.

3.      Are the credentials of the consultants varied?  Variety is good.  Not all consultants need to be Board Certified  with a masters degree to do a great job.  First, you pay for the credentials whether the job is complex or simple, second you may limit the talent and experience of individuals that can make up a great consulting team.  AMP hires BS and MS candidates.  Usually these are seasoned individuals with years of experience.   Some are Board Certified (ABR, ABSNM, ABMP, CHP, ARRT, CNMT), some are licensed, (Texas or Florida or both) Some have degrees in biology, physics, technology, radiological science, business administration (yes, understanding our business is an important part too).  Some have been former inspectors (1 presently, 5 others in the past).  Some have actually been managers or directors of  nuclear medicine departments or experienced in the operations of radiology departments.  A variety of experience allows more resources upon which to draw and the consultants share their knowledge to make each other stronger.  Whether or not a highly credentialed individual is needed for a job, AMP has the appropriate staffing.  

4.      What is the tenure of the staff?  Long term is good.  High turnover or short tenure may not be a good sign of stability.  With our expansions AMP’s most recently hired  consultants are coming up on five and eight years tenure respectively.  The next tier has been with the company since the inception of our current LLC structure which is now at 18 years and many of those have been with us in previous company structures for 25 years or more.  A few are coming up on and surpassing 35 years of service.  Even some of the office staff has been with the company for over 30 years.

5.      How long has the present company been around?  Longevity is good.  AMP has been in business since 1967.  Several corporate changes were made to enhance services.  Our most recent corporate restructure was 18 years ago. 

6.      Does the firm have a corporate headquarters, a central point of contact?  Having a cental office with a support staff is good.  It allows your vital incoming communications to be directed to the proper consultant. 

AMP has a corporate office in Cleveland Ohio with a staff to answer phones and relay messages.  Often up to eight individuals are  on site to assist.  We are one of the few remaining business in the country that will answer the phone with a live person.

7.      Does the consulting service offer continuing education?  Being involved in education is good.  A teaching firm is a learning firm.  In order to teach material the instructors must have a clear and solid understanding of the subject matter.  In turn, this makes them a better consultant when they are in the field.  What comes from the field is brought to the class.  What is learned in the class is taken to the field (Yes, teaching is a learning experience too.  A good instructor can learn as much from the class as they disseminate to the class.).  Also, the consultant can bring continuing education credits to the site if time is set aside to give presentations.

AMP is the only consulting service that was accredited by the American Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), a component of the AMA.  AMP offered thousands of physicians training for CE credit and to help them become AU's and/or RSO's.  The ACCME endeavors have now been suspended due to the change in need.  BUT, AMP is authorized to offer CE credits to technologists through the NMTCB (VOICE)and ARRT organizaitons.

8.      Can the consulting service arrange for economical calibration of survey instruments?  Saving money is good.  AMP utilizes a professional calibration lab that also performs electronic repairs if needed.   Special low prices are available to our clients due to the volume of equipment that is calibrated  annually.  This represents a significant savings over retail calibration pricing.  Yet, the calibrations are done by an independent firm to assure integrity.

9.      Does the consulting service offer a complete consulting program?  An integrated program is good.  Some firms piece meal services and only offer services for wipe tests, license amendments, license renewals, audits, equipment evaluations etc.  Potential problems could be overlooked when the entire program is not reviewed.

10.    Does the consulting service operate independently and without conflict of interest?  Some consulting services are owned by other corporations who may have a vested interest in other products or services they market.  The physics community in general feels conflict of interest  is not a healthy arrangement.