Here are three ways GI-driven ASCs can experience success in 2012.
1. Make sure to follow all disinfectant instructions. Shaun Sweeney, vice president of sales and marketing for Cygnus Medical, explains ASCs should follow manufacturer recommendations, which may include using approximately 500 mL of enzymatic detergent and water to suction and flush out channels. Skipping the first step of suctioning enzymatic detergent through the suction channels will not only affect the efficacy of the channels being properly reprocessed but will also release high volumes of gross contamination into the soaking stage. "High-level disinfection is dependent on every stage being performed properly. A breakdown early on can affect the efficacy of the process later," he says.
2. Check that pre-owned equipment is in good condition. Making sure pre-owned equipment is in good condition before using it is imperative in preventing infection at your ASC, says Ray Midlam, product manager, certified pre-owned equipment for Olympus America. Be sure to find out if the model is still supported by the OEM, otherwise you may end up with a product with no access to replacement parts. And don't be lulled into complacency by a product sporting a "certified" or "CPO" label. This is an unregulated term with no standards to support it. So ask the supplier what, in fact, their "certified" label means and how the product was repaired.
For example, if the equipment is an endoscope, did it undergo a rigorous refurbishment process with all parts inspected? Were the insertion tube and other worn or damaged parts replaced with OEM parts? If not, buyers beware: A scope that has been altered with third-party parts — even those purporting to be reverse engineered or "OEM-like" — is no longer FDA 510(k) compliant, which means it is no longer validated for reprocessing. Therefore, unless you are purchasing the pre-owned scope from the OEM, make sure to ask the seller for reprocessing validation for any of its modified parts. Also check with your facility's infection control department for any specific instructions relative to modified medical equipment.
5. Belong to a GI registry. "I do think ASCs should think about reporting things through a registry," says Brian Jacobson, MD, FASGE, associate director of endoscopy services at Boston Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. "I think it makes it easier to participate in quality reporting endeavors that are being set up by CMS and private payors as well. If you get the electronic systems now, you can work out the kinks before it's required."
Two that he recommends considering are the GIQuIC registry, organized by the American College of Gastroenterology and ASGE, and the American Gastroenterology Association's Digestive Health Outcomes Registry.
1. Make sure to follow all disinfectant instructions. Shaun Sweeney, vice president of sales and marketing for Cygnus Medical, explains ASCs should follow manufacturer recommendations, which may include using approximately 500 mL of enzymatic detergent and water to suction and flush out channels. Skipping the first step of suctioning enzymatic detergent through the suction channels will not only affect the efficacy of the channels being properly reprocessed but will also release high volumes of gross contamination into the soaking stage. "High-level disinfection is dependent on every stage being performed properly. A breakdown early on can affect the efficacy of the process later," he says.
2. Check that pre-owned equipment is in good condition. Making sure pre-owned equipment is in good condition before using it is imperative in preventing infection at your ASC, says Ray Midlam, product manager, certified pre-owned equipment for Olympus America. Be sure to find out if the model is still supported by the OEM, otherwise you may end up with a product with no access to replacement parts. And don't be lulled into complacency by a product sporting a "certified" or "CPO" label. This is an unregulated term with no standards to support it. So ask the supplier what, in fact, their "certified" label means and how the product was repaired.
For example, if the equipment is an endoscope, did it undergo a rigorous refurbishment process with all parts inspected? Were the insertion tube and other worn or damaged parts replaced with OEM parts? If not, buyers beware: A scope that has been altered with third-party parts — even those purporting to be reverse engineered or "OEM-like" — is no longer FDA 510(k) compliant, which means it is no longer validated for reprocessing. Therefore, unless you are purchasing the pre-owned scope from the OEM, make sure to ask the seller for reprocessing validation for any of its modified parts. Also check with your facility's infection control department for any specific instructions relative to modified medical equipment.
5. Belong to a GI registry. "I do think ASCs should think about reporting things through a registry," says Brian Jacobson, MD, FASGE, associate director of endoscopy services at Boston Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. "I think it makes it easier to participate in quality reporting endeavors that are being set up by CMS and private payors as well. If you get the electronic systems now, you can work out the kinks before it's required."
Two that he recommends considering are the GIQuIC registry, organized by the American College of Gastroenterology and ASGE, and the American Gastroenterology Association's Digestive Health Outcomes Registry.