Your loaner tray tracking process should not be time-consuming and have you worrying about how many sets are going to be delivered and when. An investment in a loaner management solution allows you to know when loaner procedures are scheduled, how many sets will arrive and will alert the vendor representative so that the sets arrive on time. This allows for proper staffing, identifying priorities, and when integrated with your surgery asset tracking software tracks and documents the process from scheduling, to arrival at the facility, cleaning and sterilizing, point of use, and departure from your facility. The loaner instrument tray management system allows for an efficient process helping to keep instruments patient-ready.
Loaner Tray Tracking Visibility from Check-in to Checkout
Can you easily access the history records of your loaner sets, or do you even know what sets you’ve processed? Do you ever have missing instruments from loaner sets? A surgery asset tracking system allows you to easily report the status of each set, quickly locate the set when it’s at your facility, provide count sheets and instructions for use, and you can even take pictures of sets when they arrive at your facility. You’ll know exactly what’s in the set. In addition to this, you can document the weight of a set, and if it weighs too much create a quality event so that trends and patterns can be identified and addressed.
As the loaner sets make their way through decontamination to prep and pack, and sterilization the process is electronically documented. The vendor representative, surgery department, and sterile processing staff can always view the status of the sets. When building the case cart for a specific procedure a few quick scans allow the loaner sets to be directly linked to the doctor, operating room number, and procedure.
Coordinated Communications Inside and Outside the OR
A loaner management solution has many benefits to the surgical department. From computer-generated easy to read labels that identify how many loaner sets there are for the specific case (e.g. 1 of 10, 6 of 10) to patient safety features of linking specific sets to a procedure. The goal is to have the right loaner sets in the right room for the right doctor at the right time, and a loaner management solution aids with achieving this goal.
If a root cause analysis or tracer is conducted does the surgical department know which specific sets were used on which patient? Do you have the processing records from decontamination through sterilization? This is documentation that is needed and by interfacing your loaner management solution with your surgery instrument tracking system everything can be automated, easily reportable, and provide positive outcomes.
Communication is key and improved, effective, and efficient communication between the surgery department, vendor representative, and sterile processing department can have astronomical results. Loaner management solutions have proven to be a timesaver in the surgery and sterile processing department. With a few clicks the surgery scheduler, using the loaner management solution, can notify a vendor representative of an upcoming procedure. The vendor representative receives the notification, and with a few clicks, documents what sets will be used and delivered at the facility. The sterile processing department is then notified of the upcoming or add-on case so there are no surprises. You can set alert reminders, so the vendor representative knows when sets are due at the facility. When the procedure is completed, and the sets have been cleaned, an automated alert will notify the vendor representative that the sets are ready for pickup. You can even set that alert to repeat on a scheduled basis until the sets are picked up from the facility. No more phone calls, emails, or being a storage facility.
There are endless benefits to automating your loaner process. Patient safety and best practice are a top priority but don’t forget decreasing surgical delays due to loaner sets not being ready. A loaner instrument tray management system can assist with minimizing delays and provide a return on investment. Once you are ready to make the investment the next step is selecting the product that best fits your needs. By partnering with a loaner management solution your cross-team communication and improved processing will result in meeting facility efficiency and patient safety goals.
Are you ready to learn more about how you can have an improved loaner process, decrease delays in the operating room, and better cross-team communication that is efficient and geared towards patient safety? Chat with a Censis Representative so you can be on the path to loaner success.
