Case Studies

Improve Operating Room Starts by Reducing Instrument and Equipment Related Delays

Tulane University:
Restoring Instrument Readiness after Hurricane Katrina

Background
Tulane University Hospital & Clinic suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina. It wasn't until seven months later that the facility became the first hospital in New Orleans to reopen, with only 63 beds staffed, a fraction of the pre-Katrina 235-bed capacity.

Key Challenges
Budget constraints, instrument sets that were incomplete, mislabeled, broken, or dull. Masking tape had been used to label many trays. The staff struggled to properly identify and match instruments with trays. Over-worked, over-stressed and inexperienced staff. A depleted pool of surgeons.

Strategy
Implement IMS InstrumentReady® Process Management and IMS Gold® to address these issues.

Results
A reduced staff regained its footing and its most important focus- patient care. Established the quality and level of their current instrumentation needs. Time savings through a color-coding process. Efficiency and surgeon satisfaction improved.

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