The first trial accusing Olympus Corp. of wrongdoing associated with contaminated duodenoscopes in US hospitals will be re-tried due to the discovery of new evidence that may aid the plaintiff’s case. The case examines the death of Richard Bigler, a 57 year-old patient who underwent a scope procedure while battling pancreatic cancer in 2013. The […]
First Olympus Trial Gets A New Day In Court Read More »
Tissue and related specimens present a unique tracking challenge for hospitals and surgery centers – these often expensive and occasionally one-of-a-kind items are required to be closely monitored during the hospital’s handling of each unit. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), state Departments of Health and hospital accreditation bodies, such as The Joint Commission
How To Create A Digital Audit Trail For Your Tissue Read More »
Flexible endoscopes present a unique challenge for hospitals to track and manage – these expensive medical instruments must be quickly re-processed after usage in order to provide the required instrumentation for the next procedure, yet they must undergo rigorous, time-consuming reprocessing after every use to ensure the highest levels of patient safety. Due to different
How To Create An All-Electronic Audit Trail For Your Scopes Read More »
With the recent scrutiny placed on the Joint Commission (TJC) in publications like the Wall Street Journal, TJC has found itself on the defensive regarding its accreditations and how it holds hospitals accountable for safety violations. In response, TJC has been trying to open up a dialogue with the public about the importance of its
The Difference Between Passing a Joint Commission Survey and Continuous Improvement Read More »
As discussed in a recent article, recalled medical devices continue to be a patient safety and financial concern for hospitals and insurers. A recent study by Medicare estimated that over a 10 year span, they spent over $1.5 billion on surgeries and follow-up for over 73,000 patients implanted with one of seven defective heart devices.
Medicare To Consider Tracking Unique IDs For Medical Implants Read More »
The ECRI Institute, based in Philadelphia, has just released its annual list of health technology hazards for 2018. Unsurprisingly, endoscope reprocessing once again appears near the top of the list, coming in as the number 2 hazard for 2018. ECRI’s list is the result of extensive research by its own engineers, scientists and clinicians, as
ECRI Top Health Technology Hazards List Once Again Includes Endoscope Reprocessing Read More »
University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (U-M) in Ann Arbor, Michigan is one of the nation’s top medical centers, and was recently named the #6 hospital in the United States according to the 2016-17 Best Hospitals Honor Roll rankings by US News and World Report. As the main medical campus of the Michigan Medicine
How Michigan Medicine Tracks Tissue To Meet Joint Commission Standards and Reduce Costs Read More »
Many hospitals continue to underestimate the importance of a successful endoscope reprocessing practice. Several hospitals and medical facilities that we’ve visited invest too little in facilities and staff to prepare their endoscopes after usage in procedures. However, if a hospital is unable to successfully ensure the cleanliness of these vital reusable instruments, they could be
Is Your Endoscope Reprocessing Area Set Up For Success? Read More »
Recalled medical devices continue to be a patient safety and financial concern for hospitals and insurers. A recent study by Medicare estimated that over a 10 year span, they spent over $1.5 billion on surgeries and follow-up for over 73,000 patients implanted with one of seven defective heart devices. With such a staggering sum spent
Why Tracking Down Patients With Recalled Implants Is Hard Even With Unique IDs Read More »
Visual inspection has emerged in recent years as an important quality assurance step during endoscope reprocessing. Updated guidelines from AAMI, AORN and SGNA have all included a visual inspection step during the disinfection process to ensure that scopes are being thoroughly prepared for the next patient. All three standards organizations have come out in support
The Importance of Visual Inspection for Endoscope Reprocessing Read More »