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Optimizing Endoscope Reprocessing Resources Via Process Flow Queuing Analysis

  • Systems-Level Quality Improvement
  • Published:
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Abstract

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is merging its older endoscope processing facilities into a single new facility that will enable high-level disinfection of endoscopes for both the ORs and Endoscopy Suite, leveraging economies of scale for improved patient care and optimal use of resources. Finalized resource planning was necessary for the merging of facilities to optimize staffing and make final equipment selections to support the nearly 33,000 annual endoscopy cases. To accomplish this, we employed operations management methodologies, analyzing the physical process flow of scopes throughout the existing Endoscopy Suite and ORs and mapping the future state capacity of the new reprocessing facility. Further, our analysis required the incorporation of historical case and reprocessing volumes in a multi-server queuing model to identify any potential wait times as a result of the new reprocessing cycle. We also performed sensitivity analysis to understand the impact of future case volume growth. We found that our future-state reprocessing facility, given planned capital expenditures for automated endoscope reprocessors (AERs) and pre-processing sinks, could easily accommodate current scope volume well within the necessary pre-cleaning-to-sink reprocessing time limit recommended by manufacturers. Further, in its current planned state, our model suggested that the future endoscope reprocessing suite at MGH could support an increase in volume of at least 90% over the next several years. Our work suggests that with simple mathematical analysis of historic case data, significant changes to a complex perioperative environment can be made with ease while keeping patient safety as the top priority.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Thom Cerruto, Carole Shea, Karen Taborda-Marin, Willie Roberts, Meaghan Gray, Gayle Fishman, Julianne Miodonka, Carmine Defilippo, Bethany Daily, Cecilia Zenteno, and Martin Copenhaver for their assistance throughout this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perioperative Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, White 400, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Mark T. Seelen, Tynan H. Friend & Wilton C. Levine

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  1. Mark T. Seelen
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  2. Tynan H. Friend
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  3. Wilton C. Levine
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Correspondence to Mark T. Seelen.

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Mark T. Seelen declares that he has no conflicts of interest. Tynan H. Friend declares that he has no conflicts of interest. Wilton C. Levine declares that he has no conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement

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Seelen, M.T., Friend, T.H. & Levine, W.C. Optimizing Endoscope Reprocessing Resources Via Process Flow Queuing Analysis. J Med Syst 42, 111 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-0965-y

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