ConCensis

Survey Ready Every Day: Why It’s Not Just a Once-a-Year Activity

Unannounced surveys are no longer the exception in healthcare—they’re the norm. Accrediting bodies increasingly expect sterile processing departments (SPDs) to demonstrate consistent compliance, real-time documentation, and reliable adherence to manufacturers’ instructions for use on any given day, not just during audit season. Joint Commission survey data continue to show that high-level disinfection and sterilization practices are among the most frequently cited higher-risk infection control areas, often due to breakdowns in implementation, documentation, or adherence to manufacturers’ instructions for use. As standards tighten and scrutiny increases, survey readiness has evolved from a periodic project into an everyday operational discipline.So, how can SPD teams move beyond the stressful, last-minute scramble and feel confident year-round? What does it actually mean to be “survey-ready” on a random Tuesday morning?Those questions are at the heart of the latest episode of ConCensis, hosted by Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale. In this episode, Litwin is joined by Lindsay Clarke, Associate Product Owner at Censis Technologies, to unpack why survey readiness must be built into daily habits—and how teams can realistically make that shift.Together, the conversation explores how mindset, culture, and practical tools intersect to transform survey readiness from a reactive event into a steady, confidence-building practice. Drawing from Clarke’s years of frontline SPD leadership and her current work in healthcare technology, the episode offers grounded, actionable insights for teams at every stage of their readiness journey.What you’ll learn…Why daily survey readiness is fundamentally about patient safety, not just compliance checklists.How strong department culture turns compliance from a burden into shared ownership.The role of integrated technology and documentation in eliminating last-minute survey stress.Lindsay Clarke is a clinical educator at Censis Technologies who trains and mentors healthcare teams using evidence-based education to strengthen performance and improve patient outcomes. She brings deep sterile processing leadership experience, having managed SPD operations at Bon Secours Mercy Health and HCA Florida Healthcare with responsibility for sterilization, compliance, and quality. Her strengths include curriculum and training development, cross-team collaboration, and translating real-world clinical workflows into practical improvements.

Getting SPD Teams to the Table: Why Sterile Processing Deserves a Central Role in Surgical Planning and Operations

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) remain the backbone of safe surgical care, yet across the country, they’re still routinely left out of early decision-making around products, construction, staffing, and case planning. As hospitals juggle tighter margins, higher patient acuity, and growing procedural demands, the consequences of excluding SPD voices become unmistakably real—showing up in daily workloads, rising stress, and risks to patient care. Misalignment between SPD and the OR has already led to inefficiencies, delays, and even high-dollar liability cases in recent years.How can healthcare organizations ensure SPD teams finally get the visibility, influence, and collaboration they need to support safer, more efficient surgical operations?That question sits at the center of this episode of ConCensis. Host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale, speaks with healthcare writer and journalist Kara L. Nadeau to explore her recent reporting on why hospital leaders must give SPDs a meaningful seat at the table. Their discussion explores the root causes of SPD invisibility, the organizational risks of ignoring their expertise, and the practical steps hospitals can begin taking today to close communication gaps across departments.Top insights from the talk…Where SPDs are excluded—and why it matters: From supply chain purchasing to construction planning to surgical case scheduling, Nadeau details the systemic blind spots that keep SPDs out of essential conversations, often until it’s too late.The role of data in SPD advocacy: SPD professionals widely report lacking the analytics needed to justify staffing, equipment upgrades, workflow changes, or operational needs to leadership—a gap that directly impacts patient safety and efficiency.How hospitals can build cross-department champions: Nadeau highlights examples of organizations where perioperative leaders, infection prevention teams, and executives proactively champion SPD involvement—and how simple actions, like executive walkthroughs, can transform understanding overnight.Kara L. Nadeau is a veteran healthcare writer and journalist with more than 20 years of experience translating complex clinical, operational, and financial topics into clear, impactful content for the healthcare industry. She serves as a senior contributing editor for Healthcare Purchasing News and Medical Laboratory Observer, specializing in sterile processing, supply chain, perioperative services, and clinical laboratory trends. As founder of KLN Communications, she partners with healthcare organizations—from medical device companies to health systems—to produce research-driven thought leadership, case studies, and executive-level storytelling.

The Silent Foundation of Patient Safety: Why Water Quality Matters in Sterile Processing

In healthcare, patient safety and operational efficiency often depend on invisible systems working perfectly in the background. One of those systems—water quality—has quietly become a defining factor in sterile processing success. With new standards such as AAMI ST108 setting stricter expectations, hospitals and SPDs (Sterile Processing Departments) are rethinking how they monitor, manage, and measure their water. Considering that a single SPD will likely use thousands of gallons of water daily, the stakes for getting water quality right have never been higher.What does “good water quality” actually mean for sterile processing, and how can hospitals transform it from a compliance checkbox into a driver of patient safety and efficiency?Welcome to ConCensis. In the latest episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale, sits down with Jeffrey Paquet, CEO of VERDA Water Quality Systems, to unpack the unseen yet critical role of water in healthcare operations. Together, they explore how water quality impacts everything from instrument integrity to infection prevention, and how technology and cross-disciplinary teamwork are reshaping the way SPDs think about their most used resource.What you’ll learn…Water as a performance multiplier: From detergents and enzymes to sterilizers, proper water quality determines how effective every step of the SPD process can be. Poor water equals damaged instruments, higher costs, and potential infection risk.Three essential water types: Paquet breaks down utility, critical, and steam water—each with unique standards, uses, and monitoring requirements that SPDs must understand and routinely test for.Data-driven management: Technologies like VERDA’s real-time monitoring systems and Censis’ CensiTrac enable departments to correlate water data with instrument outcomes, helping pinpoint and solve quality issues before they escalate.Jeffrey Paquet is an accomplished healthcare and engineering executive with over two decades of experience leading innovation in medical infrastructure and water quality management. As CEO of VERDA Water Quality Systems and Mobile Medical International Corporation (mmic™), he specializes in ensuring hospitals maintain operational continuity through high-quality temporary surgical and sterile processing facilities. His career highlights include advancing sustainable water quality solutions for healthcare environments and guiding cross-industry engineering design and product development through his firm, Dimension Business Group.

The SPD Hack Playbook: Streamlining Sterile Processing with Smart Tech and Team Buy-In

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) are the unsung backbone of surgical care — ensuring every instrument, tray, and tool is safe, sterile, and ready when needed. Yet, despite their vital role, SPD workflows often rely on manual processes and underrecognized best practices. As healthcare systems push for greater efficiency and staff well-being, SPD managers are turning to smarter tools to bridge that gap. Recent research underscores that inefficiencies in sterile processing can ripple through the entire surgical ecosystem, reinforcing why technology-driven improvements in inspection, tracking, and assembly are essential to reducing workflow disruptions and delays.Could technology be the key to unlocking new levels of accuracy and efficiency in sterile processing? And how are innovative SPD leaders using platforms like CensiTrac to save time, strengthen compliance, and boost team morale?That’s the focus of this episode of ConCensis, hosted by Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale. Joining him is Amy Webb, Manager of Sterile Processing at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, who shares her real-world strategies for improving department efficiency — from smart organization systems to leadership approaches that keep teams engaged. Together, they explore how digital tracking tools, data-driven insights, and a people-first mindset are transforming the SPD landscape.Key takeaways from the conversation…Organizational Overhaul: Webb explains how assigning each tray its own labeled container streamlined workflows, improved inventory visibility, and reduced search time for critical instruments.Human-Centered Management: Her leadership style prioritizes open communication, trust, and staff empowerment — creating buy-in that makes process innovation stick.Tech-Driven Efficiencies: By leveraging CensiTrac, Webb and her team can now automate documentation, monitor productivity in real time, and integrate performance data with hospital systems — cutting manual record-keeping and aligning SPD output with OR needs.Amy Webb is the Manager of Sterile Processing at Dignity Health, bringing over a decade of hands-on experience in sterile processing and surgical support. Beginning her career as a Certified Nursing Assistant, she advanced through roles at Banner Health and Atlas Healthcare Partners before leading operations at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Certified in Sterile Processing and currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Webb is known for her leadership in optimizing workflows and elevating SPD team performance.

How Censis’ AI-Powered Final Check Drives Compliance, Accuracy, and Confidence in Sterile Processing

Sterile processing teams are under constant pressure—handling growing surgical demands, working short-staffed, and navigating strict regulations—so getting every instrument tray assembled right the first time has never mattered more. Even a single assembly error can cascade into costly OR delays or, worse, compromise patient safety. Recent research highlights that most surgical instrument errors stem from failures in inspection and identification, and these mistakes frequently lead to operating room delays and wasted resources. In this climate, artificial intelligence tools are stepping in to help SPDs raise their quality benchmarks.How can AI-powered verification like Censis’ Final Check feature transform the daily realities of sterile processing teams? And beyond efficiency, what impact does this technology have on compliance, staff morale, and hospital culture at large?This episode of ConCensis, hosted by Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale, dives deep into these questions with guest Greg Warino, the Market Director of Central Sterile Processing at Mercy Health. Together, they explore how Final Check is reshaping workflows, reducing errors, and reinforcing trust across OR teams.The key topics of discussion are…Error reduction at scale: Since implementing Final Check, Mercy Health’s SPDs dropped tray indicator errors from 15–20 per month to virtually zero across three hospitals and a surgery center.Compliance and confidence: Final Check provides photographic proof of tray accuracy, easing survey readiness and empowering technicians with verifiable documentation.Culture shift and retention: By embracing cutting-edge AI, SPD teams report higher confidence, lower turnover, and renewed trust from perioperative staff.Greg Warino, CRCST, CHL, is an experienced sterile processing leader with over a decade in perioperative support operations. He currently serves as the Market Director of Central Sterile Processing at Mercy Health, where he has led teams for nearly seven years, overseeing quality, compliance, and efficiency across multiple hospitals. Previously, he managed sterile processing at Steward Health Care for five years, strengthening his expertise in team leadership, process improvement, and patient safety.