Hospitals Look To Reprocess N95 Masks Due To Covid-19 Related Shortage

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Operational Efficiency, Regulatory Compliance, Supply Chain /

In the ongoing battle against Covid-19, much of the US healthcare system has suffered from a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for its frontline employees. The shortage of this important protective gear has led to hospital workers being put in needless danger of catching the extremely communicable coronavirus. One company has been working on […]

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How Automated Endoscope Drying Cabinets Minimize Bacterial Growth

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Infection Control, storing endoscopes in an automated cabinet with channel drying functionality effectively reduced bacterial growth in the scopes. Because endoscopes are reusable medical instruments, minimizing the amount of bacterial growth in the periods between procedures can dramatically improve patient safety. The study, performed

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How One Hospital Reduced Their Scope Reprocessing Times By Over 35 Percent

Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Managing Endoscopes, Operational Efficiency /

Today’s Sterile Processing Department (SPD) managers function as business operators whose primary objective is to adhere to the highest standards of cleaning protocols. Their role is to focus not only on adherence to disinfection standards and requirements, but to operate with high speed and efficiency as well. Specific to endoscopic procedures, a critical requirement for

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ECRI List of Top Patient Safety Concerns Includes Sterile Processing

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

The ECRI Institute, based in Philadelphia, has just released its annual list of patient safety concerns for 2020.  This year’s list includes an entry at number 5 for device cleaning, disinfection and sterilization, echoing prior year concerns about sub-standard disinfection practices for flexible endoscopes and other reusable medical equipment. ECRI’s list is the result of

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Government Continues Scrutiny Of Hospital Accrediting Bodies

Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Joint Commission, The Business of Surgery /

The government continues to question the neutrality of The Joint Commission (TJC) and other healthcare accreditation firms that also have consulting arms. In a recent speech Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said her organization is continuing to evaluate options to increase oversight of accrediting firms. CMS has

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A First Of Its Kind Solution For Tracking, Storing and Charging Vocera Badge Batteries

Cost Reduction, Hospital Finance, Hospital IT, Operational Efficiency, The Business of Surgery /

Many hospitals have implemented the Vocera platform to improve communications and connectivity among staff. The Badges and Smartbadges used with the Vocera platform allow clinical staff, who are typically busy rounding on patient floors and not tethered to a desk, to stay connected to their colleagues and discuss important items via calls or messages. One

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How One Hospital Optimized Their Staffing Levels Using Scope Tracking Software

Hospital Finance, Hospital Management, Managing Endoscopes, Operational Efficiency /

Many hospitals find it difficult to optimize staffing levels for their operations. This can be due to any number of variables that become even more extreme as the size of a hospital increases – an influx of patients can throw off carefully planned schedules; certain cases extend way past their estimated closing times; and missing

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Olympus Receives FDA Clearance For Duodenoscope With Disposable Component

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Olympus has joined the list of duodenoscope manufacturers receiving the green light to market a duodenoscope with disposable components by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Following closely on the heels of Pentax and Fujifilm’s models with disposable components, and Boston Scientific’s fully disposable duodenoscope, Olympus is now cleared to sell a duodenoscope

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How One Hospital Avoided A Patient Safety Disaster Using Scope Tracking Software

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Joint Commission, Managing Endoscopes, Operating Rooms, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Flexible endoscopes present a unique challenge for hospitals to track and manage – these expensive medical instruments must be quickly re-processed after usage in order to provide the required instrumentation for the next procedure, yet they must undergo rigorous, time-consuming reprocessing after every use to ensure the highest levels of patient safety. Due to different

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FDA Issues Recommendation For Use Of Duodenoscopes With Disposable Components

Hospital Management, Infection Control, Managing Endoscopes, Patient Safety, Regulatory Compliance /

Shortly following the recent United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the first duodenoscopes with disposable components, the bureau is now recommending that facilities move to the new models where available. The FDA firmly believes that a move to disposable parts, and in some cases fully disposable scopes, will help reduce infection risks.

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