Bon Secours is a leading healthcare system in the Richmond, Virginia market. The system’s leadership is committed to the mission of “improving the health and well-being of our communities and bringing help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved.” Bon Secours of Virginia provides a wide range of services at multiple hospitals and outpatient facilities, including access to 24-hour emergency departments.
Situation
The Richmond, VA Bon Secours healthcare system utilizes an Offsite Reprocessing Center (ORC) that provides sterilization services to the various facilities in the system. Operating room personnel at both St. Mary’s Hospital and Memorial Regional Medical Center routinely delayed first cases, reporting an excess of trays not processed before the first case of the day, holes in wrappers, and visibly soiled instruments. Although continual errors were reported, there was no mechanism for auditing in place to determine the root cause of the errors.
During an assessment completed by Surgical Directions, it was revealed that IUSS processes were higher than national benchmark levels with no documented evidence of the reason. The ORC reported a staff shortage and practice deviations among the staff. Furthermore, the ORC was also siloed and having a difficult time communicating effectively with the OR staff at the hospitals to understand their needs. As part of the assessment it was discovered that the results of the issues were exhibited throughout the system operating rooms. The system needed the ORC staff to be trained and prepared for certification and insights into how to organize the department to run more efficiently.
Download this case study to learn about how the systemic issues were addressed by a nine-month engagement with a multifaceted approach to bringing policies and practice standards to meet AORN & AAMI standards and more.
