Monday to process them in time for the surgeon to use on the follow-
ing Tuesday and Wednesday. Organizing and ensuring the instruments
are on hand and ready to use is a huge responsibility and a chore that
needs to get done one way or another. If you don't partner with ven-
dors, you may have to hire more staff members to help carry the load.
Based on our case volume and implant requirements, we'd have to
hire 6 FTEs to cover the work and support our vendors provide on a
daily basis.
Keep reps informed. E-mail and text vendors to tell them when
their cases are scheduled to begin and any changes that might
impact when they should arrive at — and what they should bring to
— your facility. During a joint replacement revision, for example, the
surgeon tries to match the original implant used, but the joint's condi-
tion might require a last-minute switch to another company's hard-
ware. It takes a great deal of teamwork between OR coordinators and
vendors to have the needed instrumentation and implants on hand in
case they're needed. The more you keep vendors in the loop, the more
willing they'll be to help out during complex cases. Remember that
vendors want to be successful in their jobs by satisfying your sur-
geons. The more your team and vendors talk about each other's
needs, the greater the chance of positive outcomes.
OSM
Ms. Doucette (ddoucette@mchs.com) is president of the Mount Carmel New
Albany (Ohio) Surgical Hospital.
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Staffing
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