CS CONNECTION The future of reprocessing


COVID-19 came out of nowhere and devas- tated the U.S. healthcare industry. Nobody knows what the future may hold but based on current trends, healthcare organizations must take steps to improve the sustain- ability of their reprocessing operations. Many see the trend toward consolidated and off-site reprocessing growing in the years ahead.


“I am optimistic that COVID-19 has taught us many valuable lessons as a healthcare industry, one of which is that a constant vigilance to infection preven- tion and control is necessary to reduce patient harm and also ensure the safety of reprocessing personnel,” said Dr. Garrett. “Healthcare has certainly faced many chal- lenges over the past decades, but none with the long-lasting impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare systems and providers must adapt and overcome, particularly as it relates to staff resiliency and also pandemic preparedness.” “Reprocessing as a whole must evolve to protect both the patient AND the reprocess- ing personnel, especially when potentially dangerous pathogens may be aerosolized into the air following aerosol-generating procedures and reprocessing,” he added. “While STEIS hasn’t seen significant changes in reprocessing strategies, we are continuing to see a slow but steady trend towards consolidation and off-site repro- cessing,” noted Kimsey. “These moves are long-term strategies by healthcare systems to address infrastructure issues as well as operational and clinical best practices while planning for future growth and require- ments. We anticipate this steady trend will continue for the foreseeable future.” “The best practices our partners have been sharing with us are the importance of having a solid and flexible approach to any changes, exploring the possible unin- tended consequences of any changes and setting clear expectations both internally and externally with any teams affected by changes to workflow processes,” said Scanlan’s Shepherd. “We are witnessing the beginning of a


shift that focuses more on quality, efficiency and standardization,” Eisenberg explained. “In the next five to 10 years, I believe off-site will be a standard in the industry. Once you unlock the value of off-site reprocessing, it is hard to imagine going back to a less optimal solution. Instead, what is likely to happen is more and more innovation will come into the solution space. Companies that today work on only one part of the problem, such as technology or logistics, will join together to provide seamless, end- to-end solutions that continue to evolve and develop.” HPN


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