ience of picking supplies from a central location and transporting them
to the OR on the wheeled carts. "The cart flows through materials man-
agement to sterile processing and then to the OR," says one manager.
"One cart eases the process."
Choosing a cart, though, isn't as simple as picking something with
some shelves and wheels. Users are split between the use of open or
closed carts, with 58% choosing open and 41% using closed. While
closed carts can be heavier, more expensive and harder to clean,
users say they like that they can be used to transport both clean and
dirty instruments if the carts are traveling the same route to and from
the sterile processing department.
• Custom packs. Another option — which some facilities couple with a
case cart system — is just-in-time custom packs. About two-thirds of
the facilities we surveyed use custom packs.
Mary Radke, RN, BSN, ASC manager of the Dakota Eye Surgery
Center in Bismark, N.D., says it works like this: Her center talks with
its vendor to create custom packs that include all of the supplies
A P R I L 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 7
ments and devices that come along for a particular specialty. "We can group these new items
with their correct cases instead of just placing them on a random shelf," says Ms. Goddard-
Dunfee.
Elkhart also ordered brand-new supply bins. Instead of using a color-coded system, popular
in some facilities, they decided to use see-through, labeled bins to store inventory. "That way, if
there's ever a need for a new bin down the road, it's easy to add it in without worrying about
matching with the color-coordinated system," says Ms. Goddard-Dunfee. "Plus, the bins let
staff quickly see the supplies sitting on the shelf and if any inventory is getting too low."
Once in the OR, if the surgeon needs more suture, an extra catheter or a new pair of gloves,
Elkhart houses these soft goods in the ORs behind closed-door cabinets. "This protects the
items from contamination, and lets a nurse simply grab the extra items during a case," says
Ms. Goddard-Dunfee. — Kendal Gapinski
