Surgical Case Cart Management

Surgical Case Carts

Surgical Case Carts Supply Categories

Surgical Case Carts Software

Surgical Case Carts Functional Issues

Surgical Case Carts Phase Implementation

Surgical Case Carts Design Questionnaire

Surgical Case Carts Impacting Issues

Surgical Case Carts that cut the cost of Surgical Case Carts.

Surgical Case Carts that cut the clutter of Surgical Case Carts by 80%.

Surgical Case Carts that create space.

Surgical Case Carts that transport shelving. The case cart shelving can be used as a surgical setup table or surgical back table. The Surgical Case Cart shelving is designed to accommodate the types of case cart supplies. Surgical Case Case are continually in use eliminating the surgical case carts that site idle between uses, putting the space that is wasted for idle surgical case carts back into production, and facilitating higher levels of surgical case carts organization.

Surgical Case Carts Categories of Supplies

Surgical Case Cart items Always used: items that will be used with a high degree of

probability for use on the particular case, i.e. drapes, prep kit, anesthesia tubing, gowns, basic instrument set, are usually very predictable.

Routine Surgical Case Cart supplies: required in varying quantities by virtually all cases.

For example, the number of lap sponges, 4x4’s, needles, and sutures often vary from case to case of the same procedure.

Surgical Case Cart Specialty items: that might be needed for that particular case. For

example, arterial grafts, orthopedic implants, and intraocular lenses are items for which the surgeon generally cannot specify exactly which item will be used prior to the case. There are also instruments or supplies that might be needed only if the case turns out to be more complicated than expected, i.e. an arthroscopic procedure which turns out to require an open incision.

Surgical Case Cart “supply categorizing is a critical step towards optimizing your results.

This categorization of materials may seem ‘simple-minded’ but hospitals frequently have difficulty optimizing inventory levels and minimizing handling costs because they are not dealing with [handling] supplies differently. There is a high probability that each category requires a different supply mechanism.

Example of how Surgical Case Cart categories might be applied.

Surgical Case Cart items Always used: Case Carts would be used for those items that can be

predicted accurately.

Routine Surgical Case Cart supplies: Stocked in a Cart in OR rooms for routine items used in

varying quantities. This Cart would be restocked daily.

Surgical Case Cart Specialty items: Stocked in OR on “Specialty” cart for items that might be

used for procedures in a particular specialty.

Items that just might be used are stocked on the Surgical Case Cart.

This results in the return [on the Case Carts] of many items that were not used.

This results in significant double handling of items picked for the case and then restocked.

The same excessive double handling results when the routine items are stocked on the Case Carts in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of most cases. Stocking at this level means that on many cases, not all of the routine items will be used.

Appropriate Surgical Case Cart stocking is a delicate balance. It can only be achieved with careful planning and good information. For example, an item should generally not be stocked on a Surgical Case Cart unless it is used for at least 50% of cases. ( a facility must Qualify this % )

A good information system would track the usage of each item on the Surgical Case Carts for each

procedure type so that the percentage of times each item is used could be determined.

With proper planning, a Surgical Case Cart usage rate of about 90% can be achieved for items

stocked on case Surgical Case Carts. Good backup systems must be in place to supply the items not

stocked on Surgical Case Carts.

Surgical Case Carts Categories of Supplies

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Surgical Case Carts Software for Management

The Return on Investment [ROI] you achieve with your Surgical Case Cart

Management [computer] System should be monitored and managed to optimize

the results. The ROI you will achieve should a commitment from your vendor and the results

you achieve MUST be easily verifiable. The vendor of the Surgical Case Cart Management [computer] System should assist in providing tools for monitoring and managing the ROI.

Surgical Case Carts provide a tool for improving the management of supplies.

Computer Software that will optimize Case Cart Management will deliver significant cost savings.

Prior to the purchase of Surgical Case Cart Management software:

define how the application will be used and for what purpose,

develop the requirements for what your facility will demand from the application. This should be as specific as how the user interface screens can be easily and rapidly understood by your staff. Receive vendor commitments for Integration with existing enterprise wide systems i.e. Meditech, Picis\MSM, and Lawson. The integration of software applications is particularly important as an increasing number of cooperative hospitals migrate into one cost center.

non proprietary interface [DOS and/or Windows] real-time, upload-download

easy to use templates for acces to in-house software [Word, Excel, Access]

forecast data entry labor [by vendor and/or FTE] initially and ongoing

When selecting a Surgical Case Cart Management [computer] System, a high

priority should be to:

minimize time and of labor expenditures prior to ‘realizing’ the benefits.

interface with facility software applications [import-export or real-time]

Materials Management

OR scheduling, preference card, Count Sheet

Asset Management,

If the implementation Surgical Case Cart Management [computer] System requires excessive data entry prior to the facility [the staff ] being able to realize benefits from the computer system, the implementation may be stalled or delayed. During the implementation, if the immediate staff members involved are encumbered with what they perceive as excessive data entry, or if they do not appreciate how the data entry will benefit their job, there is a high risk of impairing the implementation. Low quality data entry and methods to circumvent using the computer system are typical results. Benefits should be fully realized by the facility administration, managers and the staff members using the software. Computer Systems for Closed Case Cart management should not be encumbered with excessive data entry prior to implementation. The modules of the software being implemented should be scheduled in a chronological order that will deliver the most rapid ROI and improve the quality of work for staff and management.

The Surgical Case Cart Management computer System modules implemented should be scheduled in chronological order based on the rate and value of their contribution to the ROI.

Surgical Case Carts Software for Management

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Surgical Case Carts Phased-in Implementation Plan

If possible, find a way to begin the surgical case cart implementation slowly.

Set up an implementation task force must include both the CS and the OR.

Prepare “Functional Program” [flow chart with functions].

Select a Specialty Service to Begin the the surgical case cart implementation.

Review and optimimize the Surgeon Preference Cards for that Specialty Service

Develop a list of items to be placed in Surgical Case Carts by CS for that Specialty Service.

Enter the Surgeon Preference Cards in Computer for that Specialty Service.

Order the initial inventory of necessary Surgical Case Cart supplies for that Specialty Service.

Train CS Staff.

Evaluate the need for a ‘Surgical Case Cart System specialist’.

During the initial phase provide a Backup Surgical Case Cart for that Specialty Service.

Implement deployment of the Surgical Case Carts for that Specialty Service.

Evaluate the Surgical Case Cart inventory levels and methods of operation.

Repeat for Other Services.

Surgical Case Carts Phased-in Implementation Plan

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Surgical Case Cart Implementation:

Surgical Case Carts will Impact your Management Staff.

Surgical Case Cart Stock Level Agreement.

There will be two primary differences of opinion driving how the Surgery and Central Supply Management Staff will implement and manage the Surgical Case Cart System: may want anything that could possibly be used on the Surgical Case Cart, may want only the items that will be used on the Surgical Case Cart.The Surgery and Central Supply Management Staff must reach a common understanding and goal for WHAT supplies will be delivered by the Surgical Case Carts.

Surgical Case Cart Re-handling.

Items picked for the Surgical Case Cart that are not used must be re-handled to return to stock it.Returning items to stock expends as much labor cost as picking the item originally. Minimizing the re-handling of stock items can deliver a significant reduction in labor costs.

Surgical Case Cart ‘unofficial’ Supply Level Increases. The OR Staff will frequently find ways to increase the levels of supply based on the demands of the Surgeons. This is particularly true with the level of Instruments in Instrument Sets and the number of Specialty Instrument Sets. Supply levels tend to increase easier than they will decrease. OR’s are generally not well organized to manage supply inventories and the management of the inventories is typically not within the primary skill set of the OR Staff. The OR-CS Management Team should have efficient methods to monitor actual usage levels with which they will be able to establish and maintain optimal inventory levels. There should be no reason to ‘double-check’the Surgical Case Cart.

When the Surgical Case Cart arrives in the OR the OR personnel may not trust that Central

Processing has picked the Surgical Case Cart inventory properly. This will result in double-checking after the Surgical Case Cart arrives in the OR. If double-checking occurs, methods should be developed and implemented to reduce this behavior. Double checking is costly and can significantly reduce the cost savings available from a Surgical Case Cart System.

Surgical Case Carts will Impact your Management Staff.

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Surgical Case Carts, Case Cart Washer Specifications, Site Map

Surgical Case Carts that cut the cost of Surgical Case Carts. Surgical Case Carts that cut the clutter of Surgical Case Carts by 80%. Surgical Case Carts that create space. Surgical Case Carts that transport shelving. Standard and Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication of Surgical Closed Case Carts, Surgical Back Tables and Surgical Instrument Set-up Tables by TBJ-SPD . The Surgical Case Carts can be used as a Surgical Setup Table or Surgical Back Table. Ergonomically compliant custom sized Surgical Back Tables and Surgical Closed Case Carts decrease the idle space expended for conventional Surgical Case Carts by ~ 80%. The Kangaroo Surgical Closed Case Carts decrease the number of times Surgical Case Cart supplies are handled and reduce the Case Cart inventory levels on hand. High density Surgical Closed Case Carts Shelving increases the load caacity of the Surgical Closed Case Carts. CLICK Here to go to the Surgical Closed Case Carts COST Price Benefit Analysis.