The United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation, yet pressure is growing for healthcare organizations to reduce their costs everywhere. Hospitals are taking a hard look at lessening expenses while maintaining the quality of care by looking for ways to avoid and reduce unplanned costs. One of the main areas they are looking at is the operating room (OR), the area of the hospital that generates the most costs and revenue.
Studies have shown that about 15% of the time spent in the OR is wasted. This time mainly belongs to non-operative processes, like equipment sterilization and transport delays to name a few. These time-wasting elements provide opportunities for hospitals to implement standardized processes, refine workflow layout, and improve their OR turnover times in order to lessen unforeseen costs and wasted time.
Pedigo Products offers an innovative solution to help hospitals minimize their OR costs with our adjustable two-tier back table, known as the Pedigo Space Station, and custom-fitted drape. The two-tier table is used in more than 10,000 ORs for all surgical cases, though great benefits are seen in large surgical cases like orthopedics and neurosurgery. It helps with these cost diminishing benefits, such as:
- Reduces OR turnover time by at least 6 minutes (Figure 1.2)
- Increases instrument visibility and reduces staff movement in the OR
- Standardizes the draping system and eliminates the need for double draping
In a study by Berland, Kimberly A and Branson, Jill J, they compared the setup times of one two-tier back table with two standard back tables. From the data they collected, the Space Station proved to decrease setup time by more than 30%. These 6 minutes can equate to around $340 savings per use (Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2).
Large cases often have instrument packed trays that can weigh up to 40 lbs. The Pedigo Space Station reduces repetitive staff movement of lifting heavy trays allowing them to put heavy trays on the main table surface (which can hold up to 230 lbs.) and lay out other instruments on the top tier. This, in turn, increases instrument visibility so that the staff does not have to lift trays looking for specific instruments and move from one table to another.
Utilizing the Pedigo custom fit drape for the Space Station back table standardizes your draping technique and alleviates the need for double draping because of the heavy-duty, three-layered design and tear-resistant material. The clear backing under the upper shelf allows light to illuminate the main table surface for improved visibility.
With Pedigo’s two-tier back table, you can reduce costs by up to $340 per surgical case, improve OR workflow turnover and setup, and minimize work-related injuries. Pedigo’s Space Station and disposable drape is a standalone system that provides ORs with the same capabilities that two back tables do using double draping, but in less setup time and a number of other benefits to lessen unplanned costs.
References
Uddin, Majbah et al. “Assessing operating room turnover time via the use of mobile application.” mHealth vol. 4 12. 17 May. 2018, doi:10.21037/mhealth.2018.05.03
Childers CP, Maggard-Gibbons M. Understanding Costs of Care in the Operating Room. JAMA Surg. 2018;153(4):e176233. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.6233
Schock, Gianna, and Beth Blickensderfer. “Operating Room Turnover Time: Definitions and Future Research Needs.” Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2019 Annual Meeting, 2019, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1071181319631301
Stein, Chelsea. “How Can Hospitals Save Tens of Millions of Dollars Annually in Their Operating Rooms?” Eli Broad College of Business | Michigan State University, 17 Feb. 2020, https://broad.msu.edu/news/how-can-hospitals-save-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-annually-in-their-operating-rooms/
About CME: CME Corp is a full-service healthcare equipment and turn-key logistics company providing personalized support and service. With service centers nationwide, CME offers more than 2 million medical products from a total of over 2,000 manufacturers. CME is a healthcare system's complete equipment solution by providing product selection, sales, warehousing, assembly, staging, direct-to-site delivery, installation, and biomedical services for all its equipment.
About Pedigo: For 75 years, Pedigo Products, Inc. has been manufacturing innovative, quality stainless medical equipment in the USA. Pedigo’s products can be found in emergency rooms, exam rooms, operating rooms and sterile processing departments of the world’s finest medical institutions. Pedigo Products, Inc., proudly manufactures lifetime value for healthcare facilities nationwide.
