J U N E 2 0 1 6 O R E X C E L L E N C E . C O M 6 7
against the transmission of dangerous and sometimes deadly healthcare-
acquired infections.
• Keeping up with demand. Procedural areas are revenue generators.
Hospitals depend on perioperative services for more than half of their revenue.
And of course surgery centers live and die by volume. So the more patients you
can treat, the more revenue you can generate. Because of this production-based
model, sterile processing departments must keep up with demand — sometimes
unrealistic high-pressure demands.
• Not a moneymaker. Since SPD is not a revenue-generating department, it's
hard to develop a unit of service that makes sense to manage the workflow
demands. As a result, we impose unrealistic productivity standards with staff
who are on the low end of the pay structure, have the least amount of training
and education, and are expected to meet demands with a constant need to
improve production times of ever-expanding surgical departments and proce-
dural areas. A greater push for productivity and the lack of properly educated
staff can result in disastrous consequences for facilities.
• Retaining high-quality CS personnel. High turnover rates have long been
the norm for sterile processing. You can retain your best people by creating an
environment that promotes education, safety, accountability and collaboration.
Encourage your reprocessing staff to get certified in reprocessing surgical
instruments and GI scopes.
OSM
