Quick Tip # 7 to Improve Your Inventory Management

Amanda Llewellyn, MBA, MHA, FACHE, FAHRMM

Reprocess whenever possible

The FDA is becoming more supportive of reprocessing. We reprocess whatever the FDA allows. This way, when items expire or are opened and not used, they're no longer just expensive trash. By contracting with a reprocessor, you'll pay a fraction of the original replacement cost on the product and keep waste out of the landfill.

When you introduce reprocessing...bring up the "going green" aspect of reprocessing. Once the physicians are comfortable with the concept, move on to reprocessing such used items as trocars, burs, bits, blades and harmonic scalpels. When using a reprocessing vendor, check with your facility's clinicians and legal team to ensure you're in compliance with quality standards and purchasing contracts.

Outpatient Surgery—November, 2008