swap outdated equipment for new, modern technology every few
years. "The pictures are better, there's better maneuvering and it
makes cases much more efficient," she says. "Plus, it makes our doc-
tors happy."
5
Scope reprocessing
Most endoscopy centers use automated scope washers, but it's
important that you properly train the staff members using the
washers, says Ms. Harrell, who notes that all of her techs are state-cer-
tified. Ms. Johnson suggests employing techs that are solely responsi-
ble for scope reprocessing. "The more you do something, the better
you get at it," she says. "But I don't have just one person doing scope
after scope. Instead we rotate the job among the techs, so that they
can take a break. It improves their satisfaction with their job."
Ms. Johnson says her center also holds regular competency exams,
brings in the scope's manufacturers once a year for training and
audits the entire reprocessing protocol every 6 to 12 months to check
that everything is running efficiently and effectively. Mr. Poitras adds
that his center also does monthly proficiency checks, using a tiny
scope to look inside the cleaned scopes' lumens for any missed
bioburden. "We do one random scope per month, per tech," he says.
6
Success stories
If you're struggling to improve your colonoscopy services, don't
hesitate asking for a little help, says Ms. Johnson. "I think it's
important to go look at other successful centers and see how they're
run," she says. "If you're a center that's struggling, go tour another
one. Throw your ideas out there to the managers and learn from
them. Don't be afraid to bring back some ideas that can help you
improve."
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