Lawson Solution Selected by New York Academic Medical Center to help Reduce Surgery Delays, Control Instrument and Staff Costs

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Lawson Software today announces it has signed five new contracts representing 17 hospitals. The healthcare providers licensed Lawson Surgical Instrument Management software to help them reduce surgery delays and control instrument and staff costs.

Winthrop-University Hospital is one of the healthcare providers that chose Lawson's Surgical Instrument Management to assist in automating the management of its surgical instruments and trays. The hospital is a 591-bed university-affiliated medical center and Level 1 Trauma Center located on Long Island in Mineola, N.Y. A major regional healthcare resource, the hospital has been a leading healthcare provider for more than a century and has a deep commitment to medical education and research.

As part of an initiative to revamp its Sterile Processing Department, Winthrop and external consultants from ISH, a firm that provides strategic IT and logistical planning, management and implementation services to the healthcare industry, decided that surgical instrument management software was necessary to reap the best gains in quality and efficiency.

"The administrators at Winthrop University Hospital are providing support and resources to maximize quality outcomes and best practice within the CSS area to assure optimum patient care, said Carol Reilly, senior vice president of clinical practice at ISH.

"Between the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Sterile Processing Department and the Lawson Surgical Instrument Management product, Winthrop University Hospital will be able to meet its vision and goals," added Retta Sengstock, project manager at ISH.

Winthrop wanted to minimize surgery delays caused by instrument set errors and also control surgical instrument costs. After researching their options, Winthrop chose Lawson because of its leadership in resource optimization solutions.

"We looked for a system that would help us improve the quality of our surgical tray assemblies and track instrument exceptions so we could better serve OR staff and patients," said Rich Kraft, director of sterile processing at Winthrop-University Hospital. "A key benefit of Lawson is that it is a critical component of our business process optimization that will enable us to bring our entire surgical instrument management process back in house, resulting in a more cost- and time-efficient department."

In addition to helping Winthrop reduce surgical delays and improve productivity, Lawson will enable the hospital to use best practices along with Lawson's Surgical Instrument Management product to improve training for its sterile processing staff. Winthrop sought a software tool that would shorten training time while improving staff performance. By providing an online visual aid for instrument recognition, the Lawson application will simplify the training process and promote more accurate tray assembly.

"Lawson Surgical Instrument Management helps hospitals efficiently ensure that the right instruments are available where and when they are needed," said Angie Franks, vice president of healthcare market development at Lawson Software. "Winthrop and many other leading healthcare providers are choosing Lawson Surgical Instrument Management to help save valuable time, improve patient care, and bolster their bottom line."

Lawson serves more than 500 healthcare industry clients representing more than 4,500 facilities, including eight of the top 15 integrated delivery networks. The company also serves managed care systems, academic medical centers, hospitals, clinics, physician group practices, home healthcare, long-term care and other health services enterprises.

Source: Lawson Software