CHICAGO, IL. – Boston Children’s Hospital has been honored with the prestigious “Client of the Year” award by Surgical Directions, recognizing the hospital’s exceptional achievements in revolutionizing its Central Sterile Processing Department (SPD). This accolade celebrates Boston Children’s commitment to innovation, quality, and patient safety in healthcare delivery.
Driven by the construction of a new healthcare tower and championed by visionary leadership, Boston Children’s seized the opportunity to enhance its Sterile Processing Department’s processes and procedures and partnered with Surgical Directions to help. Henry Tomasuolo, Senior Vice President of Support Services, and Andrew Singer, Vice President of Supply Chain Management, spearheaded this transformative journey in collaboration with industry expert Angus Bruce, Enterprise Director of Sterile Processing.
The transformational efforts focused on seven key areas:
- Customer Service: Boston Children’s prioritized customer-centric processes, enhancing transparency throughout the instrument-tracking lifecycle and ensuring precise tracking from drop-off to sterilization.
- Quality Assurance and Audits: A robust Quality Assurance (QA) process was implemented to audit trays prior to sterilization, significantly reducing defects and enhancing patient safety.
- Additional OR Audits: Boston Children’s instituted a comprehensive process for auditing trays in the Operating Room (OR), enabling real-time defect tracking and immediate corrective action.
- Productivity: Several initiatives were undertaken to boost productivity, including technician involvement in process design and the introduction of technology to improve efficiency.
- Teamwork: Boston Children’s fostered a culture of collaboration and teamwork, emphasizing leadership presence on the floor, department huddles, and multidisciplinary collaborative reviews.
- Education and Training: A standardized orientation and training program was established to ensure consistent competency and continuous learning for all staff members.
- Strategic Outlook: Boston Children’s strategic plan focuses on accountability, responsibility, and partnerships, with initiatives aimed at continuous improvement and cementing its position as a world-class Sterile Processing Department.
These initiatives have led to remarkable outcomes, including a sustainable, near 0% tray error rate and enhanced patient safety. Boston Children’s commitment to excellence in surgical care exemplifies Surgical Directions’ vision of transforming surgical and procedural care to improve patients’ lives. Furthermore, through their partnership, Boston Children’s was named Healthcare Sterile Processing Association’s (HSPA) Quality Award Winner in February. Awards will be presented at HSPA’s annual meeting in April.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Boston Children’s Hospital for being named Surgical Directions’ ‘Client of the Year’ as well as HSPA’s Quality Award Winner,” said Leslie Basham, CEO at Surgical Directions. “Boston Children’s dedication to innovation and patient-centered care is truly commendable, and we are honored to be part of their transformative journey.”
Boston Children’s Hospital’s remarkable achievements underscore its unwavering commitment to excellence, setting a benchmark for healthcare institutions worldwide.
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As featured on Meditech Today, KTLA, and Morningstar.
ABOUT SURGICAL DIRECTIONS
Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions company that helps health systems, provider groups and ASCs improve perioperative, procedural care and anesthesia services through consulting, technology, and leadership. We partner with organizations using peer-to-peer leadership, process expertise and predictive analytics to profitably grow their organizations. Our team of experienced practitioners and consultants tackles critical issues while achieving financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence. Surgical Directions has successfully served 500 clients to increase patient access and, most importantly, improve patient care. Additional information is available at www.surgicaldirections.com.
ABOUT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated to improving and advancing the health and well-being of children around the world through its life-changing work in clinical care, biomedical research, medical education, and community engagement.
Boston Children’s is ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. It is home to the world’s largest pediatric research enterprise, and it is the leading recipient of pediatric research funding from the National Institutes of Health. It is the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. Boston Children’s treats more children with rare diseases and complex conditions than any other hospital. Learn more at childrenshospital.org.
