In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch considers an unconventional approach to staff competency -- "We put a premium on cross-training, while paying lip service (and low rates) for any type of true specialization in our field. Technicians who may be great at reading preference cards and picking case carts are rated as mediocre because they struggle to keep up with the various documentation points required during the sterilization phase. But what if we approached this from ...
Apr 27, 2023•7 min
Whether they are OR green, bio-burgundy, or powder blue, scrubs in any color are the first line of defense in your sterile processing PPE. But what are the best practices when it comes to the base layer of protection? Season 20 of the Beyond Clean podcast, "Armed & (Compliantly) Dangerous," is all about personal protective equipment (PPE) and in this episode Afif Escheik, Regional Director of Operations at Crothall Healthcare lays out the guidance to keep you, your central sterile team, and ...
Apr 24, 2023•32 min•Season 20Ep. 4
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "To Consign or Not to Consign". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any tim...
Apr 22, 2023•2 min
The last few years of the Sterile Processing supply chain (like the rest of healthcare) has been fraught with challenges, delays, and frustrations. What has our industry learned? And more importantly, what are we changing to better support the fundamental mission of safe surgical care? On this Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™ we talk with Ashlynne Basile, Marketing Director and Kevin Anderson, Clinical Education Specialist at Healthmark Industries, about the major commitment their company has show...
Apr 21, 2023•36 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the touchy (but necessary) topic of peer accountability -- "The problem is that when we bring this general cultural concept of politeness into a specific context such as sterile processing, it can slowly pull individuals and teams down into the dangerous sea of tunnel vision where no one cares to see what anyone else is doing, even if the behaviors are leading to inefficiencies, higher costs, and potential patient harm." To re...
Apr 20, 2023•6 min
When you’re face-to-face with pathogens day in and day out, it’s more important than ever that shields and masks aren’t a gap in your PPE armor. With caustic chemicals, emerging pathogens, and deadly diseases in decontamination, proper masks and face shields are critical for the health of you and your team. Season 20 of the Beyond Clean Podcast is all about personal protective equipment (PPE) and in this episode we discuss the gaps in processes and products that may be putting sterile processing...
Apr 17, 2023•30 min•Season 20Ep. 3
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Make Mine a Single". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via emai...
Apr 15, 2023•2 min
Your manually cleaned instruments DO NOT have to go through the pass-thru window DIRTY. There is a better, faster, and safer way – which Sterile Processing teams just like you are already using – to disinfect their handwashed instruments before they end up on the clean side. Join us for this week’s exclusive Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™ featuring HealthGuard UVC® by Hospital Safety Solutions, along with Jim Schlosser, Ransom Willard, and Deborah Timothy, as we talk about one of the hottest top...
Apr 14, 2023•35 min
When you’re working in sterile processing, PPE gowns are more than a fashion statement. Are you dressed to the nines? Is your protective equipment in a class of their own? And most importantly, do your gowns match your shoe covers? Season 20 of the Beyond Clean podcast, "Armed & (Compliantly) Dangerous," is all about personal protective equipment (PPE) and in this episode we discuss how the fit and function of decontamination gowns can be a significant factor in keeping you safe. Keicha Broc...
Apr 10, 2023•26 min•Season 20Ep. 2
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Why So Dry?". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via email at: i...
Apr 08, 2023•3 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the common excuses SPD gets from vendors and what should be done about it -- "Our roles as medical device reprocessors is to uphold standards and best practices to ensure adequate time is available and compliant processes are followed as it relates to vendor instrumentation. The fact that Dr. Johnson forgot to tell you about a case should not mean we are now pressured to cut corners and ignore manufacturer instructions for use...
Apr 06, 2023•6 min
Of all of the songs on your Decontam playlist, “As Cold as Ice” isn’t likely to be one of them. Under layers of gowns, masks, face shields and other PPE, the temperature in your decontamination areas can skyrocket, presenting a real risk to engagement and even employee safety. Season 20 of the Beyond Clean Podcast is all about personal protective equipment (PPE) and in this debut episode we discuss how one team used collaboration and innovation to help address one of the most common barriers in ...
Apr 03, 2023•29 min•Season 20Ep. 1
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Scope Storage Standards". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via...
Apr 01, 2023•2 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the three angles of looking at a problem -- "The best way to describe the Triangle of Truth is that it acts as a filter to enable anyone from frontline technicians to department leaders and administrators to quickly pinpoint root causes for certain issues in sterile processing." To read this article, take the CE quiz & download your certificate, click here . Stay tuned for new CE approved Articles On-the-Go releasing each ...
Mar 30, 2023•6 min
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Why are the Reps in the Room". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any tim...
Mar 25, 2023•2 min
In this CE approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch reviews the seven key steps to making changes in Sterile Processing departments stick -- "We see something is not working and then we tell the people around us that we need to do it differently. This process is repeated again and again until we are surrounded by a fog of ambiguous changes that aren’t written down anywhere, haven’t been thoroughly vetted to ensure they are the best possible improvement for the situation, weren’t proper...
Mar 23, 2023•6 min
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Can We Handle the Truth?". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time vi...
Mar 18, 2023•2 min
Water is easy to take for granted in Sterile Processing, but the reality is that our water can have dramatic impacts on our department’s ability to safely & compliantly care for our surgical patients. How do you know where to start to take your facility's water quality seriously? On this episode of the Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™ series, we sit down with Nikhil Sheth, Marketing Manager at Nalco Water & Don Rotter, RD&E Program Leader at Ecolab to dive into the complex world of hos...
Mar 17, 2023•38 min
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Routine Monitoring: What Should I Know - Part 2". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Co...
Mar 11, 2023•3 min
On this Special Release Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™ we captured exclusive audio from an in-person conversation which happened during the filming of Episode 3 of the Beyond the Tour mini-series, featuring Aesculap’s national repair facility team in St. Louis, Missouri. We had just finished touring their cutting-edge repair lab, riding along in one of their repair vehicles, and interviewing many of their team members on location as we sat down to discuss the wonderful experience. Hosted by Hank...
Mar 10, 2023•23 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles-On-The-Go, Hank Balch relates how documented competencies for Sterile Processing Technicians is a matter of life and death -- "Facilities and leaders who are willing to short-circuit employee competency checks are showing that they actually do not believe the work being done in the SPD is all that complex or even important. Actions speak louder than words, and inconsistent or shallow competency checks in sterile processing say we aren’t really serious abou...
Mar 10, 2023•6 min
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Surgical Pack Storage". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at any time via e...
Mar 04, 2023•2 min
In this release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch invites us to pause and consider the impact of technology on the value of Sterile Processing Technicians: "Department leaders cannot afford to simply open the floodgates of technology into their departments without judicious consideration of the men and women behind the machines. We owe it to our people to tap the technological brakes every now and then to consider how to best improve our industry while not losing our humanity at the same time......
Mar 02, 2023•6 min
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "Why Vendor Scheduling is a Challenge". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our current experts? Contact us at...
Feb 25, 2023•2 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch examines the menagerie of items being sterilized in surgical instrument trays and the reasons they should be left out. "Because they have no validation and no IFUs, they have no place in our sterilizers or on our sterile storage shelves, and definitely no place touching our patients." Tune in to hear what surprising items show up on the list! To read this article, take the CE quiz & download your certificate, click here . Stay tun...
Feb 23, 2023•8 min
Nearly all of us will come in contact with some type of Ophthalmic surgical instruments at some point in our careers. But a few of us may end up on the patient side of those instruments as well. On our final episode of Season 19, "The Surgeons We Serve," Lindsay Brown joins us as a cohost for a special interview as we speak with Jill Melicher, MD, Ophthalmic Plastic, Orbit and Reconstructive Surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants to discuss the life-saving procedure Dr. Melicher performed on Linds...
Feb 20, 2023•34 min•Season 19Ep. 8
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "The SPD Detective: Finding Clues in Chemical Labels - Part III". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our curr...
Feb 18, 2023•2 min
In this CE-approved release of Articles On-The-Go, Hank Balch examines the often overlooked and undocumented occurrence of used sharps being sent to SPD--"If a hospital would document a near miss or injury to a doctor due to a disposable sharp that was not properly disposed of, the same should be true for a decontaminator... All members of the perioperative continuum of care, regardless of their title, deserve the same level of protection from and follow-up to the dangers of contaminated sharps....
Feb 16, 2023•6 min
"The residents are coming! The residents are coming!" How does your Sterile Processing team feel when you hear those words? Are you prepared? Are your instruments? On this Season 19 episode of "The Surgeons We Serve," a season focused on spotlighting the intersection of surgeons & surgical instruments, we are joined by Allison M. Hunter, MD, Orthopaedic Hand, Elbow & Upper Extremity Surgeon at Baldwin Bone & Joint to discuss this resident's perspective on the early days of interactin...
Feb 13, 2023•39 min•Season 19Ep. 7
On this week's edition of the Beyond Clean Expert Series On-The-Go, tune in for the conversation entitled, "The SPD Detective: Finding Clues in Chemical Labels - Part II". To hear more from this expert, follow us on Facebook and Linkedin, or subscribe to the Beyond Clean mailing list by visiting: https://educate.beyondclean.net/cleanfreaks or text BEYONDCLEAN to 22828 Do you know a #SterileProcessing expert who you'd love to hear from on our series? Or do you have a question for one of our curre...
Feb 11, 2023•2 min
