fields as quickly as possible, an instrument-
tracking system is a virtual necessity.
"Surgical administrators want to ensure the
supplies and instruments needed in ORs are
readily available and in the rooms on time to
be used when they're needed," says Raymond
J. Lanzafame, MD, MBA, FACS, executive
director of the Society of Laparoscopic &
Robotic Surgeons.
"In today's reprocessing environment, if you
don't have some kind of instrument-tracking
system, you're behind the eight ball," adds
William DeLuca, CRCST, CHL, CIS, associate
director of the sterile processing department
at Mount Sinai West in New York City, an SPD
that recently underwent a major
rebuild (check out how it went on page
20). With Mr. DeLuca's SPD responsible for
2,000 instrument trays, it's essential for him
and his staff to know exactly where the
instruments are in the reprocessing cycle.
"Any time a tray moves, it's scanned in the
system and easy to locate," say Mr. DeLuca.
Of course, today's instrument-tracking sys-
tems do a lot more than locate surgical instru-
ments. They also allow you to:
• Gauge efficiency. Mr. DeLuca uses his
tracking system to run reports and drill deep
into his processes to determine where any
inefficiencies may be lurking. These reports
7 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
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