M A Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 7
I
f a survey uncovers an issue that will
take a lot of effort (time and money)
to solve, always ask the surveyor if
there's an easier way to make the fix and
still be in compliance. During a survey at
my previous facility, a surveyor alerted us
that a janitor closet needed negative pres-
sure because it was a non-sterile space.
Ours had positive pressure, which meant
the contamination was being pushed out
into the OR hallway. That would've meant
replacing the HVAC system. Before we
dumped that kind of money into a solution,
we asked the surveyor if there anything
else we could do. "As a matter of fact,
there is," he told us. If the closet was a
sterile storage space, the positive pressure wouldn't be an issue, he
said. So, before he left for the day, we removed the janitorial supplies,
terminal cleaned the closet and replaced everything in the space with
sterile supplies such as drapes and gauze. Because we made the fix
while he was on site, the incident was wiped from the report on the
spot. Lesson learned. You should always ask for alternatives to giant
fixes before you opt to go the overhaul route.
Alfonso del Granado, BHCM, CASC
Covenant High Plains Surgery Center
Lubbock, Texas
adelgrando@highplainssurgery.com
ALTERNATIVE OPTION
Always Ask Surveyors for an Easier Fix
• SIMPLE FIX An OR staff member replaces a
janitor closet's non-sterile supplies with sterile
ones to avoid getting dinged for issues with the
room's pressure.
Alfonso
del
Granado,
BHCM,
CASC