ConCensis

Censis Technologies is helping you to jumpstart your 2022 sterile processing resolutions with an exciting panel and live Q&A featuring our very own Director of Clinical Services, Kelly Swails. Before the holidays, Kelly sat down with Jarvis Smith and Alina R. Easley, sterile processing experts from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to discuss the highs and lows of 2021 and how we can apply those lessons learned in 2022.

This broadcast event will feature a live Q&A with Alina, Jarvis, and Kelly who will look forward to answering your questions. Censis is pleased to offer 1 IAHCSMM and CBSPD continuing education credit for your attendance and participation.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

CensiTrac’s robust reporting capabilities can provide sterile processing departments (SPDs) with a wealth of opportunities for efficiencies. Dalton Carter, Technical Support Manager at Censis, discussed some of these CensiTrac features with host Hilary Kennedy.

"SPD’s need to report on a wealth of important information from sterilization records to employee productivity to anything with case tracking, and knowing what was used on a patient specifically,” Carter said.

Competencies within CensiTrac can show which employees are trained in certain areas and provide sign-offs for accountability. “Along with that, you can see data points of where your trays are scanned throughout your entire department, including the OR if you’re scanning there,” Carter said.

Although Carter said one of the most popular reporting features in CensiTrac is the employee productivity report, his personal favorite was a general inventory throughput report due to the ability to customize it in hundreds of ways.

“There are so many different reports you can run,” Carter said. “Whether it be compliance or where a tray is, where an instrument is, there are different reports you can run to get the filters that you need."

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

On this episode of the podcast, host Tyler Kern talked with Kelly Swails, Director of Clinical Services for Censis Technologies, the industry leader in surgical instrument management systems, offering advanced, web-based software systems.

Kern and Swails talked about the lifecycle of a container and the importance of tracking during the process.

Today, we’re talking about documenting the lifecycle of a container. As a clinical educator, Swails helps companies optimize their use of CensiTrac Instrument Management, the first surgical instrument tracking system built to track all the way down to the instrument level and make documenting processes easier and more efficient.

When you think of the lifecycle of a container, it’s neverending, according to Swails. The No. 1 area where containers don’t get documented is in decontamination. When they come into this area, they go through pre-clean and washers.

“If you have a tracking system, you have that capability with CensiTrac to scan into that decontamination module,” Swails said. “You’ve now documented that container history that that stuff was cleaned. However, if you don’t have a tracking system, you have to write it on paper. Even for those that do, sometimes they’re skipping that part, and that may be due to a lack of computers, lack of knowledge or education or knowing that they should be doing this and it should be documented.”

Once a container is cleaned, it comes through tray assembly, and Swails noted this is where she typically sees good compliance. Then it goes through sterilization, case cart assembly, and back to the operating room.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

Healthcare has plenty of potential pain points to go around, but one of the industry’s longest-lasting is the proper use of immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS).

The procedure, traditionally known as “flash sterilization,” offers the quickest possible time between an instrument’s use and its ability to be used again. However, that benefit is countered by several key challenges.

Notably, a lack of documentation and proper recordkeeping, specifically around the use of trays, and general concern about the efficacy of IUSS have led the AAMI to support minimal use of the practice, if it’s used at all.

However, IUSS does present some benefits. Medical professionals still like it in specific scenarios for its ability to keep tools available, offset supply drops or late arrival, and avoid contamination in the middle of a procedure.

So, if it’s to be used at all, how can the industry ensure it’s being done in as safe a way as possible? Enter Censis Technologies.

On this Censis Technologies podcast, Kelly Swails (MAOL, CRCST, CHL, CIS, CER, ST), Director of Clinical Services for Censis, joined host Daniel Litwin to break down how the company’s CensiTrac solution can give medical professionals holistic insight into their processes and help them make the right decisions for each unique scenario.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

As leaders, it's always important to listen to your employees. But, now might be the most crucial time to listen and understand the needs of employees who are going through tumultuous times. Empathy and appreciation are vital tools as leaders look to navigate the pandemic.

On the second part of this ConCensis podcast episode, Host Daniel Litwin talked with Derek Murray, Senior Client Portfolio Manager at Censis Technologies. They dug into company leadership and how well it responded during the pandemic, lessons to take away, and how leaders can prepare for disruption and rapid change in the future.

Censis Technologies morphed into a virtual company in order to adjust to this new work life. Since workers no longer get camaraderie over the water cooler or in the break room, it's essential to make sure employees stay connected with each other and their managers.

"I make sure every morning I send out a message saying 'Hey, Good morning happy Tuesday,'" Murray said, "and then just kind of going over things of what they day looks like and then reminding them often 'I really appreciate everything they're doing.'"

These are just some things that leaders can do since we're not in person, according to Murray. It's important as leaders to make sure those in their charge know they're valued. It's also not just about daily work but also what an employee is doing well.

"I think we as leaders always get in the mode of trying to fix things, but we need to celebrate awesome things people are doing," Murray said.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

As a society at large, we've gone through a massive cultural upheaval and have had many of our societal norms challenged by a time of crisis. Not only was this a strain on everyone's day-to-day stability, but it also put a wrench in most office-setting business leadership.

In this first part of a Censis Technologies podcast episode, Host Daniel Litwin talked with Derek Murray, Senior Client Portfolio Manager at Censis Technologies. They dug into company leadership and how well it responded during the pandemic, lessons to take away, and how leaders can prepare for disruption and rapid change in the future.

Murray started his career in the Air Force, where he cut his teeth as a leader. After his career in the military, he moved into the classroom teaching in public education. During this time, he also taught staff how to lead students. Six years ago, he found his way to Censis Technologies as a trainer and is now in client services.

As hybrid work models persist, and in some cases permanent remote work, leaders have had to adapt to how they lead.Motivating teams in-person, finding ways to get in the trenches and lead alongside your teams, and encouraging collaboration and creativity. All the traditional playbooks got thrown out the window, as teams became decentralized and remote from one day to the next.

"When change is thrust upon a group of people, in any industry, it can be difficult," Murray said. "Change can sometimes bring out the best, and sometimes the worst. It is important as leaders that we make sure people feel like they're part of a change, even a rapid change."

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

Hank Balch, founder and President of Beyond Clean, joined host Hilary Kennedy on ConCensis to discuss how instrument tracking data can be a resume goldmine in today’s sterile processing landscape. Balch has a long and extensive resume filled with of industry awards, blogs, social media prowess and conference speeches. 

 Balch started as a frontline technician in instrument reprocessing. He spoke about how his work in sterile processing changed after becoming a father, when he realized that when it comes to little ones going into surgery, “there is no margin for error.”

 “The fatherhood piece is baked into everything I do,” said Balch. He described the industry as being very personal. When it comes to sterile processing, there has been a debate for many years about whether there should be greater background requirements since a higher education degree is not currently an entry-level requirement. Balch weighed both the advantages and disadvantages to this and the potential career opportunities it provides. 

 For Balch, he doesn’t think career experience is the only indicator of a good job candidate. “We want data that can say ‘I contributed this to the productivity and to the efficiency and to the safety of my department,’” said Balch. He cited total instruments processed and total trays assembled as indicators to look for to defray challenges in the recruiting process.

 Balch also discussed how this data could positively impact issues with pay rate in the industry. Recent data has highlighted the significant impact of sterile processors, which is also helping to beef up resumes. “It’s the first step to begin this data-driven conversation at the HR level… that your resume can get to the top of the pile.”

 Balch encourages employees to advocate for their departments to track instrument data if they are not already tracking it. “Now everyone in the department will be better positioned to be more competitive in the workplace or the industry as a whole because they can get access to their instrument data.”

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

As leaders, it's always important to listen to your employees. But, now might be the most crucial time to listen and understand the needs of employees who are going through tumultuous times. Empathy and appreciation are vital tools as leaders look to navigate the pandemic.

On the second part of this ConCensis podcast episode, Host Daniel Litwin talked with Derek Murray, Senior Client Portfolio Manager at Censis Technologies. They dug into company leadership and how well it responded during the pandemic, lessons to take away, and how leaders can prepare for disruption and rapid change in the future.

Censis Technologies morphed into a virtual company in order to adjust to this new work life. Since workers no longer get camaraderie over the water cooler or in the break room, it's essential to make sure employees stay connected with each other and their managers.

"I make sure every morning I send out a message saying 'Hey, Good morning happy Tuesday,'" Murray said, "and then just kind of going over things of what they day looks like and then reminding them often 'I really appreciate everything they're doing.'"

These are just some things that leaders can do since we're not in person, according to Murray. It's important as leaders to make sure those in their charge know they're valued. It's also not just about daily work but also what an employee is doing well.

"I think we as leaders always get in the mode of trying to fix things, but we need to celebrate awesome things people are doing," Murray said.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

As a society at large, we've gone through a massive cultural upheaval and have had many of our societal norms challenged by a time of crisis. Not only was this a strain on everyone's day-to-day stability, but it also put a wrench in most office-setting business leadership.

On this first part of a Censis Technologies podcast episode, Host Daniel Litwin talked with Derek Murray, Senior Client Portfolio Manager at Censis Technologies. They dug into company leadership and how well it responded during the pandemic, lessons to take away, and how leaders can prepare for disruption and rapid change in the future.

Murray started his career in the Air Force, where he cut his teeth as a leader. After his career in the military, he moved into the classroom teaching in public education. During this time, he also taught staff how to lead students. Six years ago, he found his way to Censis Technologies as a trainer and is now in client services.

As hybrid work models persist, and in some cases permanent remote work, leaders have had to adapt to how they lead.Motivating teams in-person, finding ways to get in the trenches and lead alongside your teams, encouraging collaboration and creativity. All the traditional playbooks got thrown out the window, as teams became decentralized and remote one day to the next.

"When change is thrust upon a group of people, in any industry, it can be difficult," Murray said. "Change can sometimes bring out the best, and sometimes the worst. It is important as leaders that we make sure people feel like they're part of a change, even a rapid change."

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.

There’s never been a greater need for hospitals and other healthcare operations to have full visibility into their assets and how they’re being used in operating room settings and beyond.

In a healthcare landscape that’s seen most healthcare operations adopt some form of electronic health records (EHR) solution, Censis’s solutions can integrate with those capabilities and provide a more intuitive, seamless experience in ensuring that visibility.

To discuss the benefits of Censis solutions like CensiTrac and ScopeTrac Advanced in providing Sterile Processing Departments and Operating Room suites effective visibility of case needs, asset allocations, patient use, and the means to document and communicate facility-specific events related to case picking and utilization, host Shelby Skrhak was joined for this episode of Censis’s podcast by Jacob Long.

Long is a Business Development Manager and Sales Engineer for Censis. He’s personally implemented Censis solutions for years and witnessed firsthand the value for customers that derives from the visibility and traceability the organization’s systems provide via the user-friendly and customer-focused application.

The world of sterile processing and perioperative departments is constantly evolving and requires a comprehensive system to fit any facility’s workflow and needs, and Long shared why Censis’s solutions fit that mission and help organizations reprocess assets readily and safely.

Interested in learning more about Censis Technologies' surgical asset management platform? Visit Censis.com.