SPECIAL FOCUS


to raise the bar for standards to meet our strategic plan objectives.”


Deborah Watson, who had been pro- moted to Senior Vice President and Chief perating ffi cer back in , embraced the value of SPD and made it her mis- sion to address opportunities within the department, according to Dolan. Watson identifi ed the need to elevate the depart ment’s standards and share the value of SPD within the organization. This involved creating a new department structure sepa- rate from Supply Chain, providing profes- sional autonomy, eliminating the need for consultant and contingent labor, investing in necessary resources and establishing dedicated and permanent leadership over the department. To motivate the SPD team and provide them with a clear vision of direction and rationale for the changes in leadership, training, tool development and certifi cation requirements, the C-suite leader set “SPD of the Year” as the spotlight, the North Star, the drive to be the best, Dolan remembers. Mission accomplished.


Because of Bayhealth SPD’s comprehen- sive cultural, performance and structural improvements, its professional relation- ships with Surgical Services and Infection Prevention through a dedicated liaison and daily rounds, its expanded – and growing – scope of practice, its enhanced education, training and certification achievements and its recognized value within the C-suite, Healthcare Purchasing News named Bayhealth SPD the 2021 SPD Department of the Year. gainst the general nationwide back


drop of productivity pressures, lack of access to resources such as device manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), processing technologies and supplies, communication breakdowns between SD staff and Perioperative Services (OR), gaps in universal trainingcertifi cation require ments and varied levels of self-respect and confi dence, ayhealths SD team learned to view these barriers as challenges to over- come and provide their customers with high-quality customer service, according to Melissa McVaugh, MS, BSN, HCQS, CRCST, CIC, LSO, CHL, LSSGB, Director, Sterile Processing.


McVaugh cites as examples her team’s dropping their quality variances (defects) to no more than four per month on average from 96, eliminating immediate-use steam steriliation a.k.a. fl ashing completely and all  team members being certifi ed. This evidence demonstrates how the SPD


team at Bayhealth successfully overcome their own barriers, made leaps in quality improvement and boosted their reputation throughout the health system, she adds.


Time to move efore , SD functioned as a subset of Bayhealth’s materials management struc- ture. To wit: SPD originally was embedded in a department called “Central Supply” and cobranded with the supply chain functions performed with the Operating Room (OR).


The COO decided to carve out the sterile processing function and escalate the impor- tance of SPD, bringing in several consul- tants to manage a joint project for SPD and erioperative Services improvement work, according to McVaugh. The COO outlined a departmental structure that featured a director, managers at each Bayhealth site, a system educator and an instrument coordi- nator. Supervisors were appointed to lead every shift and to provide coverage . She then created a Vice President role that required previous leadership experience in surgical operations, infection prevention and sterile processing.


Dolan and McVaugh were recruited around the same time in late , McVaugh recalls. “We were given the goal of excellence and then the autonomy to do what we needed, caugh said, acknowledging the unique experience that senior-level support generated as the COO remained highly visible throughout the process by attending meetings. Still, McVaugh shared four useful tips for those yearning for something similar. “SPD leaders need to become stronger storytellers,” she indicated. “They need to know their data, know their industry and know best practice. They have to make those connections for those who don’t understand [and] appreciate the complex- ity of SPD.


Acute care facilities serviced Nonacute care facilities serviced OR suites


Number of beds (operating) % FTEs certifi ed


42 4


33 21


394 100%*


Annual Performance and Production Number of surgical cases supported Number of sets/trays processed/sterilized Instruments processed Sterilizer loads*** Error-free rates


Source: Bayhealth, March 2021 hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • May 2021 11 2018 2019


12,651 13,410 5,673


76,615 11,227 0.19% 0.19% 2020 11,076


12,484 0.03%


2021 YTD 1,865


104,245 21,482


47,553 599,389 994,412 217,821 1,889


2,707 0.02%


“SPD leaders must remove the shroud of ‘basement life’ and recognize that they are truly clinical professionals,” she con- tinued. This takes some guts to advocate for a department that typically is under- resourced. [Brian and I] have done this at previous facilities, and it comes back to knowing your value in the great system  connect to the strategic plan.


“SPD leaders need to also foster curiosity, constantly assess organizational score- cards, etc., to fi nd where SD can make an impact – tell the story, show them how,” she noted. “Find your allies,” she concluded. “[We] worked hard to find our allies, being new to H. e quickly buddied up with Infection Prevention, Regulatory and other folks who have high visibility in the organization. We shared our strategies and emphasized transparency. This recruits other areas to also speak your truth and invite you into conversations you had not previously been at the table for.” Dolan and caugh quickly assessed operations and staffi ng using a datadriven approach that linked SD production to  case fl ow and were able to build and promote a strategy for double staff- ing levels to satisfy leadership, specialist roles and front-line teams. In fact, Dolan had brought a “calculator” with him from a previous organization that he used to justify to the CFO the need to increase full-time equivalents (FTEs) related to surgical volumes.


“Showing the CFO here at Bayhealth that there was a lot of thought, data analysis and productivity understanding removed any arguments that could have been started if it was ust because we think so, Dolan noted. “Value is in the details.” Originally, Dolan was hired to lead the Supply Chain division with SPD techni- cally reporting up through him. But that didnt sit too well with Dolan who had 


Page 12


Fast Facts on Bayhealth’s Sterile Processing team SPD FTEs


Hospital admissions


Emergency department volume Outpatient visits Surgeries (2020) Births (2020)


18,961 98,185


913,431 11,076


2,225


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52