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The Challenge

Kaiser Permanente wanted to transform its 50,000 square foot warehouse into a full-scale disposition center where it could effectively manage the lifecycle of its medical equipment and supplies. However, the facility was filled with unused devices that had been accumulating for years. In addition, Kaiser had medical equipment stored in five of its healthcare facilities and wanted to remove it as part of its effort to expand and enhance patient care.

With multiple projects in the works, the organization quickly concluded that didn’t have the resources to conduct the move effectively and efficiently. Kaiser’s clinical engineering department began its search for a proven partner who had the resources, technology, and expertise to complete the removal in a coordinated effort with minimal disruption to its operations.

reLink Medical was selected to head the project.

The Solution

Collaborating closely with the Kaiser team, reLink worked to understand the organization’s unique needs and requirements and took the lead in implementing the operation.

The move was a highly complex multi-phase project that needed to be completed in a 24-hour span. Three reLink teams were assigned, each handling a specific phase of the move.
Team 1: Remove, sort, and triage all equipment from Kaiser’s warehouse
Team 2: Coordinate removal of equipment from four of Kaiser’s healthcare facilities
Team 3: Remove equipment from Kaiser’s active acute care facility, which was actively treating patients.

In the hospitals, Kaiser and reLink had several critical objectives:
• Minimize disruption to patients and providers
• Mitigate equipment damage
• Protect the facility from hazardous materials and other damages that could occur during the move.

To optimize resources and control costs, reLink logistics experts spent considerable time planning and coordinating the moves between the warehouse and the healthcare facilities. Routes were mapped out to optimize resources and maximize efficiencies.

To ensure that care was unimpeded at Kaiser’s acute-care facility, it was decided that the move would be conducted at night.

reLink handled every aspect of the three-phase operation. Our professionals picked, sorted, palletized, and wrapped more than 16,000 pounds of equipment. Equipment was then loaded into eight semi-trucks and shipped them to our facilities for inspection.

At our warehouse, asset stickers were removed to break the chain of liability, and ePHI was stripped in accordance with HIPAA requirements. Unvalued equipment was properly recycled to meet the highest standards of sustainability.

The Results

reLink removed and triaged more than 600 pieces of equipment, giving Kaiser the space it required to meets its goals opening a state-of-the-art disposition center and enhancing patient care and reducing liability through the management of out of service medical devices.

reLink provided expert guidance during the rehoming process, recommending which devices should be resold, recycled, or donated.

Equipment that could be sold was posted on the relink 360 online marketplace, where it was exposed to more than 12,000 vetted buyers, generating considerable revenue for the organization.

reLink helped mitigate substantial risk for Kaiser Permanente, by working to ensure employee and patient safety. With its ePHI removal with DOD standards, serial number logged and tracked, photo documentation, reLink also helped protect Kaiser from potential legal exposure with their five-prong safety approach.

Project Recap

Pieces of medical equipment decommissioned: 698
Pounds of medical equipment decommissioned: 24,125
Total Equipment Sold: 281
Total Revenue Earned: $51,600.00
Total Equipment Recycled: 410
Total Pounds of Equipment Recycled: 11,706
Total Equipment Donated: 7

Contact our team to learn how we can help your hospital properly manage your unused medical assets.