On June 19th, 2019, Valerie J. Dimond with Healthcare Purchasing News published an article titled “Ensuring safety in the surgical suite” which features “various healthcare solutions healthcare facilities can use to help prevent a variety of safety breaches.” HPN asked each of the vendors two questions.
- How does your solution make a direct impact on improving OR safety?
- Why is [your solution] a good investment for supply chain to consider?
SteriTrack was one of the healthcare solutions featured, and Pat Cairns, COO and Michael Schiller, CMRP, VP of Healthcare Engagement provided the following insight into how the Tractus™ Software and Scanning Solution:
UDI adoption remains challenging for most hospitals. In recent surveys by Healthcare Purchasing News, among the 43 percent of organizations stating they have not adopted the use of UDI in their supply chain data, respondents often cited there is “a lot of work involved and a lack of time to dedicate to the process.” While the importance is recognized, capturing UDI data has remained a significant hurdle for provider organizations.
SteriTrack’s Pat Cairn, COO and Michael Schiller, CMRP, VP, Healthcare Engagement, explained how SteriTrack UDI scanning solution delivers on patient safety, recall management, and regulatory compliance.
“SteriTrack has brought UDI scanning to the point of implantation, inside the sterile field, seamlessly integrating it within the workflow between the scrub tech and the surgeon. The Tractus platform leverages UDI data from regulatory databases including the GUDID and FDA Medical Recall Database to ensure device safety prior to use or implantation,” explained Cairn. “By allowing devices to be scanned at the point of use, the OR team is notified if the product is recalled or expired immediately prior to implantation and not post-procedure. Patient safety becomes real-time, helping mitigate risk to the healthcare organization.”
“The Tractus platform allows a clinician to specify anatomic regions involved in a procedure and the ability to document the exact location of each implant. Once scanned, UDI data resides within the patient’s clinical record where the patient can be correctly notified in the future if a recall occurs,” Schiller added. “This capability provides the most accurate and effective UDI documentation process and, is critical in eliminating potential data entry errors that could occur when manually entering the UDI information. Almost as important as notifying a patient of a recall is avoiding an inaccurate recall notification, as a result of UDI data being entered incorrectly. Tractus scanning technology eliminates risks of documentation errors resulting from manual data entry, which are reported at an average error rate of 30 percent.
“Data capture of the UDI still hasn’t been widely adopted by hospitals. It would offer many patient safety advantages such as in the event of product recall and enhance the accuracy of patient records regarding the products used on them,” continued Schiller.
“While minimal regulation exists today to propel providers to capture UDI data, there is tremendous benefit recognized in recording the UDI data for implants and supplies used during the course of a procedure, building a comprehensive patient clinical record within the EHR and moving healthcare organizations closer toward understanding the total cost of care, improving patient care and patient outcomes.”
Valerie J. Dimond – Healthcare Purchasing News
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