CS CONNECTION
“My biggest piece of advice is to consider the pre-work and preparation involved,” said Ash Crowe, MHA, Project Manager, St. Onge Company. “Going off-site is a huge culture shift that requires good communica- tion, standard practices and collaboration between sterile processing and operating room (OR) leadership. Any cracks in com- munication or processes that exist now will become much bigger issues if not addressed prior to going off-site.”
OSU Wexner’s Jones agrees. “Addressing the communication issues was key in the
success of planning a facility that provides a sterile and quality product for our clinical partners and most importantly our patients,” she added.
Kimsey notes how the movement of opera-
tions “as is” to a centralized or off-site model will only compound any current operational issues the organization is experiencing. “Centralizing or utilizing an off-site reprocessing center provides the perfect catalyst for a process improvement program to address operational issues, such as miss- ing instruments, point of use cleaning and
returning instruments to the correct trays post procedure, SPD compliance to instruc- tions for use (IFU), staff education, proper staffing levels, and capacity restraints,” he commented. “Take this strategic decision as your opportunity to address the root cause of your current operational issues before you move off-site or centralize.” Before making a shift to centralization, Dr. Garrett recommends the organization conduct a time-in-motion study to determine if there is truly a cost or procedural time savings that will result from centralization. “Many times, the perceived benefits are
When Clean Counts
MOST ™
outweighed by risks and/or delays in instru- ment availability,” he said. “You must also consider transportation of the soiled devices to ensure compliance with hazardous medi- cal waste transportation regulations. Finally, are the personnel that will be reprocessing the devices in the central locations properly trained in reprocessing the devices.” According to Eisenberg, making the deci- sion to keep sterile processing on-site or not relies mostly on quality, efficiency and cost aspects.
“Talk to those who have done it to evalu-
ate what worked and what didn’t work,” Eisenberg advised. “Strongly consider working with a partner who offers a col- laborative approach to outsourcing and the opportunity to start in a focused way with the opportunity to expand as data and results warrant. Establish clear channels of communication with vendor partners. These partners need to understand and determine what is considered urgent versus what is elective. There must be visibility into the logistics and planning to all stakeholders. A major consideration for all should be on the use and efficient processing of loaner equipment.” For those organizations considering a transition to off-site reprocessing, Sutton suggests they do the following: • Talk to people who have already done it. • Find reliable partners with recent, relevant, experience, including:
*
• Designate an internal project team that includes key players from almost every part of the organization to assist with the investigation.
o Equipment vendors o Real estate developers o Instrument tracking suppliers.
• Start the study with an end goal in mind. The team must have a clear picture of where the health system is headed in the next five to 10 years. Also, any major upgrades to existing CS/SPD departments should be suspended until the study is complete.
• Create a transition and implementation plan while the building is being con- structed or up-fitted.
22 June 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
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