CS CONNECTION Sponsored by
STERIS AMSCO 70 Series
Reprocessing Sink
The STERIS AMSCO 70 Series Repro- cessing Sink represents the ideal work- station meeting ergonomic requirements of a diverse workforce, while providing features such as built in sonic cleaning and chemistry options. The sink features help the CS/SPD maintain compliance both through process and audit, with technologies that can make meeting the current ANSI/AAMI standards seamless.
The wonders of workflow In a CS/SPD makeover, how you structure the space and where you position the department and its equipment can have a major impact on process worflows and efficiency.
“In a high-volume academic medical center or an ambulatory surgical center, the location of the SPD plays a critical role in effective turnover, management and delivery of surgical instruments,” said Hannibal. “If space allows, locating the on the same floor as the is ideal. Wherever the location of your SPD, though, creating a workflow that is as linear as possible is critical. A thoughtful worflow will move soiled instruments from decontamination to their place in the next surgical kit in a streamlined fashion, ensuring effective use of the space and preventing SPD staff from entering sterile spaces unnecessarily.”
Ian Loper, Vice President, DSI, says current and future inventory counts have a major impact on CS/ worflows, with most CS/SPD “busting at the seams with instrument sets.” He stresses the need for effective storage sys- tems that reduce clutter and improve organization (Note: HPN will delve deeper into the topic of instrument storage in its October 2019 issue). orflow is the most important factor when it comes to a makeover. One factor that impedes workflow is the fact that there’s too much inventory in the room and not enough floor space. Thin traffic
Ian Loper
Geisinger Community Medical Center Opens New CS/SPD
Geisinger Community Medical Center (CMC) embarked on a massive expansion in 2014, which included a new 14-room OR suite and a new CS/SPD to support increased procedural volumes. Rather
36 September 2019 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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jam ho wants to wor in a traffic jam all day long s employee morale, employee safety and patient safety important to a hospitals leadership team f so, imple- ment a storage system that enhances the worflow, declutters the woring space, reduces the constant rush hour traffic jam and is ergonomically designed to help the staff handle heavy instrument sets.” DSI has a specialized storage system specifically engineered for storing instru- ment sets in rigid containers, peel packs and blue wraps. The company’s Modu- Max CTS allows CS/SPD to maximize the valuable yet very limited space within the department by eliminating the wasted air space (cubic and square feet), compared to conventional open wire shelving which is designed for bulk items. The system offers enhanced labeling features, dust covers for compliance and is ergonomically designed with pullout drawers for storing heavy instrument sets. The DSI storage system helps the hospital drive down costs (e.g., not reprocessing sets from blue wrap tears), reduce work flow bottle necks, increase employee and patient safety, and achieve industry standard compliance.
Benchmark and measure Analytics and key performance indicators (KPI) should be the big drivers to enhance the downstream growth and health of a de- partment,” said Christian Abell, Manager, SAM Operations, Aesculap. “Facilities must consider the impacts of block sched- uling, complexity of surgical disciplines, staffing plans and the daily impacts for productivity versus process flow. Therefore, both areas should be evaluated to understand the cumulative effect and how that may influence bottlenecks at specific times of the day and its relation- ship to departmental throughput capacity. Without this level of transparency, moving walls and purchasing new machinery will be to little or no avail.”
Timing is critical
When a healthcare facility is renovating or rebuilding a new OR suite and CS/ SPD simultaneously, how does it main- tain current day-to-day operations while preparing staff for the transition to a new department with new equipment and processes
than trying to open both the new OR and CS/SPD at the same time, the medical center took a phased approach where they opened the CS/SPD in July 2015, three months ahead of the new OR opening date planned for September 2015. During that transition time, the CS/SPD team trained in the new space with the new equipment and processes, while relying on its old department to serve the existing ORs. “Having three months in our new de- partment before the new OR suite opened saved us a ton of headaches,” said Manny Rodriguez, Sterile Processing Manager, Geisinger CMC. “If we had opened up the new CS/SPD and ORs at the same time we wouldn’t have made it because there would have been too many moving parts. The phased approach gave us time to become familiar with all of the new euipment we had new steriliers, washers everything before the switched over to its new space.” Rodriguez explains how CS/SPD leader- ship prepared their staff members for the transition by circulating them through phases of training in the new department while keeping operations up and running in the old department. He notes how the manufacturers of the equipment in the new CS/SPD played an important role, with each manufacturer sending sales reps on-site to instruct staff members on correct use of the new equipment, with most providing week-long training ses- sions to the team.
Not only has the new department im- proved the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of Geisinger CMC’s sterile process- ing operations, it has also had a positive impact on employee morale. According to Toni Amorine, Sterile Processing Super- visor, Geisinger CMC, the aesthetic and ergonomic improvements in the facility’s new CS/SPD, from bright paint and light- ing to height adjustable work tables, have provided a needed boost, stating: “Whereas our old department had dark green tile everywhere our new CS/SPD has off-white walls and everything is clean and bright. The appearance of the department and the more comfortable workspaces has made a world of difference for staff morale. We’ve had people from different hospitals across the U.S. come to our new department for ideas on design- ing their own, as well as Joint Commission surveyors.”
Maximize equipment investments
One of the greatest impacts on a CS/ SPD renovation or rebuild is the instal- lation of new equipment, which has the
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