CS CONNECTION Reevaluating
reprocessing workflow With ORs reopening, SPDs must
define their “new normal” by Kara Nadeau
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ith patient case volumes rebound- ing from pandemic-related slow-downs, Central Service/
Sterile Processing & Distribution (CS/ SPD) departments are once again working diligently to safely and quickly turn around instruments and devices for use in the oper- ating room (OR) and other procedural areas. But it is not back to business as usual. ospitals are struggling from significant financial losses and D teams from staff shortages due to furloughs and layoffs over the past year. Forced to do more with less money and fewer people, CS/SPDs are taking a hard look at the efficiency of their operations, how they measure it and how they can improve it.
Staff shortages straining John Kimsey, Vice President, Operations, STERIS Instrument Processing Solutions, describes how many CS/ SPDs have struggled to bring back experienced department staff as elective surgeries have resumed. “During the pandemic, some hospitals allowed
John Kimsey
departments to lose staff through attrition and are now scrambling to refill those posi- tions. hile the workows are the same, the backlogs have grown.” Gregg Agoston, Vice President, Busi- ness Development, SPD Transformation Services, SpecialtyCare, notes how some CS/SPDs have been forced to turn to agency (traveler) CS/SPD profes- sionals as a way to staff their departments. But this
Gregg Agoston
talent comes at a premium price due to the expense of travel (hotel and associated travel expenses) that must be absorbed in the cost of the technician.
Those departments that bring on new, inexperienced staff members struggle to train them at a time when case volumes have been rising, which presents a major drag on productivity, according to Agos- ton. Adding to the burden is frequent CS/ SPD staff turnover as a result of low wages and a competitive job market. “New staff come with training needs, placing more stress on educators and exist- ing staff,” said Agoston. “Many hospitals report that new staff is often lured away to clinics, surgery centers or other employ- ers outside of healthcare due to better pay. Sometimes 25 cents per hour is all it takes to lose an employee. Hospital staff have commented that they are tired of spending time training new staff who will ‘last a year or less in the department.’”
“It is yet to be seen if this labor shortage
is temporary or the ‘new normal,’” he added. “If it is the new normal, then hos- pitals will need to do a deep dive to solve the root causes preventing them from attracting and retaining ualified staff. In the interim, this disruption in staffing is negatively affecting workows and has the potential to negatively affect patient outcomes.” Kimsey adds how the tremendous financial burden of the pandemic on many hospitals has forced them to focus their recovery plans on pure financial efficiency, such as full-time employees (FTEs) per surgery case or FTEs per instru- ment tray processed. These types of efficiency measurements and definitions rarely take into account the clinical requirements, such as follow- ing instructions for use (IFU), that are required to ensure patient standard of care, imsey indicated. fficiency is best described as meeting clinical needs first while minimizing operational waste. This way, SPD managers can set the baseline of labor requirements based on IFUs and
18 July 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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clinical needs and then measure how well they are performing to that baseline.”
How SPDs measure efficiency The term efficiency can mean many dif- ferent things in the CS/SPD realm. Not surprisingly, this translates to departments measuring process efficiency in various ways.
“Efficiency is a core responsibility of anyone in a healthcare leadership role,” said Juan Ramos, BSBA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, LGBC, CSD Lead Consultant, Aesculap.
“The challenge is when CS/ SPD managers struggle to establish a correlation between actual and unrealistic expectations.” “We frequently see CS/ D departments measuring efficiency uti- lizing obsolete models that dont reect the reality of their departments today,” Ramos added. “For example, we still see CS/SPD efficiency measured by surgery minutes. However, surgery is only a representation of the work carried out in the department. fficiency without accurate data can be the same as inefficiency.
Juan Ramos
Available trays Since elective surgeries have resumed, Todd Brigance, Director, IWS Sales & Operations, Getinge, says he has seen an increased focus on available trays, meaning how many surgeries the operating room can plan of a specific type without risking delays or cancellations. fficiency is certainly a top priority as
Todd Brigance
CSDs want to get the most throughput without sacrificing uality, said rigance. “If there are bottlenecks in the process, this could lead to delayed or canceled OR
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