When a facility upgrades its surgical suite(s), the remodeling plans should also include smart storage designed specifically for protecting surgical supplies and instrumentation. Ian Loper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at DSI talks about the customized storage his company provides for today’s hybrid ORs.
HPN: What types of surgical suites are well-suited for the type of storage you sell and why?
Loper: DSI specializes in custom designed High Density Storage Systems for Hybrid OR suites and any other suite where procedures take place. When sterility, space constraints, and the availability of supplies are of the utmost importance, DSI will come in and design a custom configured storage system to enhance work flow and efficiencies in the room.
How does one specialty OR differ from another in terms of need and customization?
Every OR is different in terms of workflow and space constraints so DSI conducts a site survey of each room and then designs a High Density storage system to maximize the available space within the room to ensure efficient work flow for the nursing staff. PAR levels within each room tend to be different as well so we custom configure our High Density system around PAR levels and supply dimensions.
How has storage improved in recent years, especially in ways that complement the modern surgical suite?
Our storage systems are an upgraded replacement for the department to achieve peak sterility and operating efficiencies within the room. We often come across suites that are out of compliance as far as sterility is concerned with wood or rusted steel cabinetry and we replace the cabinets with our custom designed stainless steel systems.
What would you want planning committees/purchasing teams to know about this product line? Why is it a good investment?
DSI’s outside sales force are the subject matter experts as storage consultants. We do the heavy lifting during the project planning stage as it relates to the onsite survey, design work, AutoCAD capabilities, installation of the equipment, and the inventory transfer from the old system and into our high density system. Our Product and Service’s offering is a full turn-key program so the staff can stay focused on patient care and their daily responsibilities.
Does the sterile processing staff interact with these cabinets? If so, please describe.
DSI’s core competencies address both the profit center (OR) and the cost center (CS/SPD) within the hospital so we end up spending more than 80 percent of our time working with both departments.
Valerie J. Dimond | Managing Editor
Valerie J. Dimond was previously Managing Editor of Healthcare Purchasing News.
