Weston “Hank” Balch Senior Principal Consultant Beyond Clean Consulting Preparing to pass accreditation surveys for your Sterile Processing department is never an easy feat. Even though surpassing the standards of infection control and safety is our constant goal — regardless if there are surveyors on-site or not — there is something really stressful and…
The 2017 IAHCSMM Annual Conference and Expo held in Nashville, Tennessee wrapped up last week. By all accounts, the event was a success—attendance was up to over 1,300 people, the exhibit hall was buzzing with energy and the venue was beautiful and convenient. As usual, the event proved to be a great place to gain…
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE by Susan Klacik BS, CRCST, ACE, CHL, CIS, FCS Every medical device has its own instructions for use (IFU). In fact, before a medical device can be sold, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires validation testing to demonstrate that the device can be effectively cleaned and…
CURRENT GUIDELINES FOR PROCESSING FLEXIBLE ENDOSCOPES by Rose Seavey MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO Seavey Healthcare Consulting, LLC Contaminated endoscopes have been a huge topic with the media and the public due to the reports of infection transmission as a result of inadequately processed scopes. Flexible endoscope are arguably the most difficult pieces…
MAKING YOUR DEPARTMENT SURVEY READY by Rose Seavey MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO Seavey Healthcare Consulting, LLC Healthcare accreditations surveys, such as those preformed by The Joint Commission (TJC) or The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, focus on safety and quality of patient care. In the last few years, accreditation surveyors have increasingly…