I
t's important to utilize the medications and sup-
plies you paid for instead of letting them go to
waste. For years, we checked our emergency
carts for expired supplies and medications on a
monthly basis. Items would be left in the carts until
they were no longer useable, at which time we dis-
posed of them. We now remove supply items a
month before they expire. That way, we can
exchange items early on the cart, and use the soon-
to-expire items before having to throw them out.
We don't take those items to the supply room,
though. Instead, they're taken to a designated area,
so staff pull them first when preparing for a case.
Medications, meanwhile, are returned to our cen-
ter's pharmacy so they can be prioritized and used.
We've found that isolating older items with plenty
of time left to use them is a money-saving strategy.
Valerie Heckmaster, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR
AdventHealth Surgery Center Lenexa (Kan.)
valerie.heckmaster@adventhealth.com
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• O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 9
SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Be Sure to Use Supplies Before They Expire
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT At AdventHealth Surgery Center Lenexa (Kan.), items on the MH and airway carts are pulled a month before they expire to ensure they're used for clinical or
educational purposes.
AdventHealth
Surgery
Center
Lenexa
