Hancock, Mich.-based UP Health System-Portage embarked on a journey to streamline orthopedic implants to make their department more efficient and cost-effective: standardizing implants, according to a report from The Mining Gazette.
UP Health System-Portage isn't the only hospital standardizing implants and far from the first. Hospitals across the country are settling on one or two implant companies for orthopedic procedures to achieve efficiency in the OR — instrument prep is the same every time — and achieve the best price point through bulk purchasing from the device manufacturers.
While standardizing implants can have distinct benefits, there could also be drawbacks. Cleveland Clinic decided to standardize to Stryker and Zimmer implants in September 2015. At least one orthopedic surgeon wasn't happy with the policy and took his long-running practice to St. John Medical Center, a University Hospital facility, in order to continue using the DePuy implants.
In UP Health System-Portage's case, the hospital's orthopedic department chose to purchase Synthes implants and instrumentation, a Johnson & Johnson company with headquarters in Switzerland and Pennsylvania. The hospital had used Synthes implants for 15 years in addition to other companies; now, the company fulfills nearly all of the hospitals orthopedic implant and instrument needs.
The postoperative process is also streamlined when partnering with a single company. UP Health System-Portage employs a four-step procedure when cleaning surgical implants to avoid infection.