ConCensis

A Sterile Processing Podcast from Censis

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ConCensis is a sterile processing podcast from Censis Technologies. Each episode explores how hospitals and health systems can improve efficiency, safety, and visibility in their Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs). Hear insights from SPD leaders, healthcare professionals, and Censis experts on the latest tools, productivity hacks, and perioperative best practices.

1 day ago

From Experience to Impact: A Preview of CtUC Virtual 2026

This episode's guests: Melissa Higgins, Director of Customer Advancement at Censis TechnologiesJacob Long, Director of Sales Engineering at Censis TechnologiesOlivia Fistek, Regional Account Manager at Censis TechnologiesSterile processing has become one of the fastest changing environments in the hospital. Instruments that were once straightforward now arrive with multilayered assembly requirements, robotic components and manufacturer instructions for use that change without notice. The technology used to reprocess and sterilize them has grown just as complex. What a technician needed to know five years ago is not what the role demands today, and the list keeps growing. Every new service line, every new specialty and every new device adds to the body of knowledge a department is expected to carry. That pace creates a quiet gap. Departments are held to evolving standards and regulatory expectations while the day-to-day work of keeping cases moving never pauses, which leaves little room for structured learning. Compliance strains first, then confidence. There is also a second gap that receives less attention. Knowing the correct practice is one challenge. Capturing it digitally, configuring software to match a specific workflow and proving it later is a separate one. Education has to close both. How can a sterile processing team turn three days of education into changes that hold up back in the department? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Melissa Higgins, Director of Customer Advancement at Censis Technologies, Jacob Long, Director of Sales Engineering at Censis Technologies, and Olivia Fistek, Regional Account Manager at Censis Technologies, to preview CtUC Virtual 2026 and the thinking behind this year's theme, From Experience to Impact. Together, they discuss the three-day tiered track structure, the industry topics shaping this year's agenda, the live question-and-answer format, the peer collaboration that happens between attendees and the first major software refresh Censis has undertaken in years. The conversation offers sterile processing professionals a clear picture of what the September event covers, how to plan their three days and which conversations are worth showing up for. What You'll Learn... Why continuing education functions as an operational requirement rather than a professional perk, as instrument complexity and manufacturer instructions for use change faster than most departments can absorb on their own.How the three-day tiered structure splits into a general track, a leadership track and a technician track so attendees can build an agenda around their actual scope of work.The role water quality is playing in this year's agenda, and why industry experts leading the regulatory conversation were brought in to address it directly.What the first major software refresh in years brings to the platform, including an updated user interface and changes to how CensiTrac Intelligence handles metrics and KPI reporting.How attendees reach Censis expertise during the event, from live question-and-answer sessions and clinical educators fielding questions in real time to one-on-one time with a customer success manager.Why the peer conversation is often the highest-value part of the event, as a nine-tray ambulatory surgery center and a thousand-bed trauma hospital discover they are solving the same problems very differently.About the Guests Melissa Higgins is Director of Customer Advancement at Censis Technologies, where she leads the clinical education team. Her team delivers Service Plus, the add-on subscription that helps customers examine their workflow and get more out of the software they already own. She treats CtUC as the flagship presentation Censis gives its customers each year, pairing outside industry standards with internal guidance on system utilization. Jacob Long serves as Director of Sales Engineering at Censis Technologies, where he prepares and supports the commercial team and works across clinical education, implementation and product. His earlier work training customers in person gave him a view of departments at every scale, from single-procedure outpatient clinics to thousand-bed trauma centers running thirty rooms and eighty technicians. He watches closely for how customers configure the same software to fit very different worlds. Olivia Fistek is Regional Account Manager at Censis Technologies, working on the sales side with facilities bringing Censis in for the first time and with existing customers expanding their portfolio. She partners closely with the customer success team and focuses on keeping facilities supported as their hospital needs evolve. Her vantage point comes from being in customer doors regularly and hearing which challenges are surfacing right now.
1 day ago · Video

From Experience to Impact: A Preview of CtUC Virtual 2026

This episode's guests: Melissa Higgins, Director of Customer Advancement at Censis TechnologiesJacob Long, Director of Sales Engineering at Censis TechnologiesOlivia Fistek, Regional Account Manager at Censis TechnologiesSterile processing has become one of the fastest changing environments in the hospital. Instruments that were once straightforward now arrive with multilayered assembly requirements, robotic components and manufacturer instructions for use that change without notice. The technology used to reprocess and sterilize them has grown just as complex. What a technician needed to know five years ago is not what the role demands today, and the list keeps growing. Every new service line, every new specialty and every new device adds to the body of knowledge a department is expected to carry. That pace creates a quiet gap. Departments are held to evolving standards and regulatory expectations while the day-to-day work of keeping cases moving never pauses, which leaves little room for structured learning. Compliance strains first, then confidence. There is also a second gap that receives less attention. Knowing the correct practice is one challenge. Capturing it digitally, configuring software to match a specific workflow and proving it later is a separate one. Education has to close both. How can a sterile processing team turn three days of education into changes that hold up back in the department? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Melissa Higgins, Director of Customer Advancement at Censis Technologies, Jacob Long, Director of Sales Engineering at Censis Technologies, and Olivia Fistek, Regional Account Manager at Censis Technologies, to preview CtUC Virtual 2026 and the thinking behind this year's theme, From Experience to Impact. Together, they discuss the three-day tiered track structure, the industry topics shaping this year's agenda, the live question-and-answer format, the peer collaboration that happens between attendees and the first major software refresh Censis has undertaken in years. The conversation offers sterile processing professionals a clear picture of what the September event covers, how to plan their three days and which conversations are worth showing up for. What You'll Learn... Why continuing education functions as an operational requirement rather than a professional perk, as instrument complexity and manufacturer instructions for use change faster than most departments can absorb on their own.How the three-day tiered structure splits into a general track, a leadership track and a technician track so attendees can build an agenda around their actual scope of work.The role water quality is playing in this year's agenda, and why industry experts leading the regulatory conversation were brought in to address it directly.What the first major software refresh in years brings to the platform, including an updated user interface and changes to how CensiTrac Intelligence handles metrics and KPI reporting.How attendees reach Censis expertise during the event, from live question-and-answer sessions and clinical educators fielding questions in real time to one-on-one time with a customer success manager.Why the peer conversation is often the highest-value part of the event, as a nine-tray ambulatory surgery center and a thousand-bed trauma hospital discover they are solving the same problems very differently.About the Guests Melissa Higgins is Director of Customer Advancement at Censis Technologies, where she leads the clinical education team. Her team delivers Service Plus, the add-on subscription that helps customers examine their workflow and get more out of the software they already own. She treats CtUC as the flagship presentation Censis gives its customers each year, pairing outside industry standards with internal guidance on system utilization. Jacob Long serves as Director of Sales Engineering at Censis Technologies, where he prepares and supports the commercial team and works across clinical education, implementation and product. His earlier work training customers in person gave him a view of departments at every scale, from single-procedure outpatient clinics to thousand-bed trauma centers running thirty rooms and eighty technicians. He watches closely for how customers configure the same software to fit very different worlds. Olivia Fistek is Regional Account Manager at Censis Technologies, working on the sales side with facilities bringing Censis in for the first time and with existing customers expanding their portfolio. She partners closely with the customer success team and focuses on keeping facilities supported as their hospital needs evolve. Her vantage point comes from being in customer doors regularly and hearing which challenges are surfacing right now.
30 Jul · Video

Beyond the Spreadsheet: SPD Leaders on Reporting Reimagined

Reporting is one of the most foundational functions in a sterile processing department, and for years it has also been one of the most manual. Answering a single question about productivity, throughput or case readiness has often meant running several reports, exporting the results into spreadsheets and merging the data by hand before any of it could be presented. The information existed. It simply was not assembled into a form teams could act on in the moment. That gap carries real operational cost. Time spent gathering and reconciling data is time not spent interpreting it, and every manual merge introduces the possibility of error or misrepresentation. Staffing requests, resource conversations and committee reporting all slow down when leaders must first defend where their numbers came from. For many SPD teams, the constraint was never the availability of data. It was the time and the confidence required to trust it. What changes for a sterile processing team when reporting becomes centralized, visual and available in real time? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Alma Mendivil, Director of the Sterile Processing Department at University Medical Center of El Paso, and Hana Rogers, Quality Assurance Manager of the Central Sterile Processing Department at Boston Medical Center, for the show's first cross-leader roundtable. Pairing a director's leadership lens with a day-to-day operational view from the floor, the conversation compares the old reporting workflow against their experience with CensiTrac Intelligence and traces the downstream effects on decision-making, manual workload, team morale and collaboration with partner departments. The discussion offers practical perspective for SPD leaders evaluating what they should expect from a reporting tool and how better reporting reshapes far more than reporting itself. What You'll Learn... Why answering basic operational questions once required multiple reports and manual spreadsheet work, and what that pattern cost teams in both time and accuracy.How the ability to see a report build in real time shifts effort away from preparing data and toward interpreting it.The new reporting use cases these leaders unlocked, including prep and pack dwell time, five-day case forecasting, daily huddle notes and employee performance metrics.Why a single trusted source of data changes the tone of conversations with hospital leadership, operating room partners and outside committees such as infection control.How real-time visibility into productivity supports more timely recognition, coaching and staffing adjustments across shifts.What questions SPD leaders should ask before adopting a reporting tool, and what long-term impact to expect as surgical volumes continue to grow.About the Guests Alma Mendivil is Director of the Sterile Processing Department at University Medical Center of El Paso, one of the busiest medical centers on the southern border. She oversees departmental operations in a high-volume environment and led her team's reporting transition alongside her department manager and floor educator, giving her a direct view of how reporting shapes staffing decisions, leadership reporting and cross-department collaboration. Hana Rogers is Quality Assurance Manager of the Central Sterile Processing Department at Boston Medical Center, a major academic medical center in the Northeast. Her work centers on the day-to-day operational realities of a high-inventory department, including throughput visibility, instrument movement and the practical workflow effects of how reporting is built and used on the floor.
30 Jul

Beyond the Spreadsheet: SPD Leaders on Reporting Reimagined

Reporting is one of the most foundational functions in a sterile processing department, and for years it has also been one of the most manual. Answering a single question about productivity, throughput or case readiness has often meant running several reports, exporting the results into spreadsheets and merging the data by hand before any of it could be presented. The information existed. It simply was not assembled into a form teams could act on in the moment. That gap carries real operational cost. Time spent gathering and reconciling data is time not spent interpreting it, and every manual merge introduces the possibility of error or misrepresentation. Staffing requests, resource conversations and committee reporting all slow down when leaders must first defend where their numbers came from. For many SPD teams, the constraint was never the availability of data. It was the time and the confidence required to trust it. What changes for a sterile processing team when reporting becomes centralized, visual and available in real time? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Alma Mendivil, Director of the Sterile Processing Department at University Medical Center of El Paso, and Hana Rogers, Quality Assurance Manager of the Central Sterile Processing Department at Boston Medical Center, for the show's first cross-leader roundtable. Pairing a director's leadership lens with a day-to-day operational view from the floor, the conversation compares the old reporting workflow against their experience with CensiTrac Intelligence and traces the downstream effects on decision-making, manual workload, team morale and collaboration with partner departments. The discussion offers practical perspective for SPD leaders evaluating what they should expect from a reporting tool and how better reporting reshapes far more than reporting itself. What You'll Learn... Why answering basic operational questions once required multiple reports and manual spreadsheet work, and what that pattern cost teams in both time and accuracy.How the ability to see a report build in real time shifts effort away from preparing data and toward interpreting it.The new reporting use cases these leaders unlocked, including prep and pack dwell time, five-day case forecasting, daily huddle notes and employee performance metrics.Why a single trusted source of data changes the tone of conversations with hospital leadership, operating room partners and outside committees such as infection control.How real-time visibility into productivity supports more timely recognition, coaching and staffing adjustments across shifts.What questions SPD leaders should ask before adopting a reporting tool, and what long-term impact to expect as surgical volumes continue to grow.About the Guests Alma Mendivil is Director of the Sterile Processing Department at University Medical Center of El Paso, one of the busiest medical centers on the southern border. She oversees departmental operations in a high-volume environment and led her team's reporting transition alongside her department manager and floor educator, giving her a direct view of how reporting shapes staffing decisions, leadership reporting and cross-department collaboration. Hana Rogers is Quality Assurance Manager of the Central Sterile Processing Department at Boston Medical Center, a major academic medical center in the Northeast. Her work centers on the day-to-day operational realities of a high-inventory department, including throughput visibility, instrument movement and the practical workflow effects of how reporting is built and used on the floor.
16 Jun

Dodging Data Disasters

Sterile processing departments rely on data to drive everything from tray tracking and workflow visibility to reporting, compliance and operational decision-making. But when that data becomes inconsistent, incomplete or disconnected from day-to-day workflows, even the most advanced technology can struggle to deliver meaningful insights. What often appears to be a software issue is frequently the result of workflow drift, inconsistent scanning practices, inaccurate tray builds or training gaps that have accumulated over time. For healthcare organizations focused on operational excellence, the challenge is not collecting more data. It is ensuring the data reflects reality. Without trustworthy information, reporting becomes unreliable, accountability becomes difficult and SPD teams can lose confidence in the systems designed to support them. How can sterile processing leaders identify the warning signs of poor data quality before they create reporting issues, workflow inefficiencies and operational blind spots? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Jill Sweeney, Senior Clinical Educator at Censis Technologies, and Jennifer Bingaman, Director of Business Services at Censis Technologies, to explore the root causes of common “data disasters” in sterile processing departments. Together, they discuss how workflow consistency, scanning compliance, tray accuracy, reporting practices and ongoing training all contribute to cleaner data and more effective SPD operations. The conversation provides practical guidance for organizations looking to improve system utilization, increase trust in reporting and create a stronger foundation for data-driven decision-making. What You'll Learn... • Why unreliable data is often a symptom of workflow inconsistency rather than a technology failure, and how organizations can identify the root causes before they impact operations. • How inconsistent scanning behaviors create downstream reporting challenges, reduce visibility and weaken confidence in system data. • The role tray builds, instrument records and data accuracy play in maintaining trust across SPD teams and leadership. • Why reporting frustrations frequently stem from process issues and workflow variation rather than incorrect reports. • How onboarding drift, training gaps and evolving departmental practices can slowly erode data quality over time. • Practical strategies for leaders and frontline teams to improve accountability, strengthen workflow compliance and build a culture of continuous data integrity. About the Guests Jill Sweeney serves as Senior Clinical Educator at Censis Technologies, where she works directly with healthcare facilities to improve workflow adoption, system utilization and sterile processing best practices. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in the SPD industry, she helps organizations align technology, training and operational processes to support stronger performance and more reliable outcomes. Jennifer Bingaman is Director of Business Services at Censis Technologies. She specializes in helping healthcare organizations understand, interpret and act on operational data. Her work focuses on identifying workflow gaps, improving reporting accuracy and helping SPD leaders transform data into actionable insights that support efficiency, accountability and continuous improvement.
9 Jun · Video

Dodging Data Disasters

Sterile processing departments rely on data to drive everything from tray tracking and workflow visibility to reporting, compliance and operational decision-making. But when that data becomes inconsistent, incomplete or disconnected from day-to-day workflows, even the most advanced technology can struggle to deliver meaningful insights. What often appears to be a software issue is frequently the result of workflow drift, inconsistent scanning practices, inaccurate tray builds or training gaps that have accumulated over time. For healthcare organizations focused on operational excellence, the challenge is not collecting more data. It is ensuring the data reflects reality. Without trustworthy information, reporting becomes unreliable, accountability becomes difficult and SPD teams can lose confidence in the systems designed to support them. How can sterile processing leaders identify the warning signs of poor data quality before they create reporting issues, workflow inefficiencies and operational blind spots? Welcome to ConCensis. In this episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B, sits down with Jill Sweeney, Senior Clinical Educator at Censis Technologies, and Jennifer Bingaman, Director of Business Services at Censis Technologies, to explore the root causes of common “data disasters” in sterile processing departments. Together, they discuss how workflow consistency, scanning compliance, tray accuracy, reporting practices and ongoing training all contribute to cleaner data and more effective SPD operations. The conversation provides practical guidance for organizations looking to improve system utilization, increase trust in reporting and create a stronger foundation for data-driven decision-making. What You'll Learn... • Why unreliable data is often a symptom of workflow inconsistency rather than a technology failure, and how organizations can identify the root causes before they impact operations. • How inconsistent scanning behaviors create downstream reporting challenges, reduce visibility and weaken confidence in system data. • The role tray builds, instrument records and data accuracy play in maintaining trust across SPD teams and leadership. • Why reporting frustrations frequently stem from process issues and workflow variation rather than incorrect reports. • How onboarding drift, training gaps and evolving departmental practices can slowly erode data quality over time. • Practical strategies for leaders and frontline teams to improve accountability, strengthen workflow compliance and build a culture of continuous data integrity. About the Guests Jill Sweeney serves as Senior Clinical Educator at Censis Technologies, where she works directly with healthcare facilities to improve workflow adoption, system utilization and sterile processing best practices. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in the SPD industry, she helps organizations align technology, training and operational processes to support stronger performance and more reliable outcomes. Jennifer Bingaman is Director of Business Services at Censis Technologies. She specializes in helping healthcare organizations understand, interpret and act on operational data. Her work focuses on identifying workflow gaps, improving reporting accuracy and helping SPD leaders transform data into actionable insights that support efficiency, accountability and continuous improvement.
14 May

Unlocking CensisAI²: The Metrics That Matter for Smarter SPD Decisions

Sterile processing departments are swimming in data, from workflow automation and supply data to patient outcome and quality metrics. But the real challenge is not collecting more information; it is knowing which metrics actually improve SPD performance, technician education, OR readiness and patient safety. For Censis, a leader in surgical asset management, the focus is on helping SPD teams turn that data into clearer instrument tracking, stronger workflow efficiency and better compliance. Censis estimates that an average OR minute costs about $60, making delayed cases a clear example of how operational data can quickly become a financial issue. When every scan, delay and quality event generates another data point, how can SPD teams tell which metrics are worth acting on before inefficiencies turn into OR delays, rework or patient safety risks? Welcome to ConCensis. In the latest episode, host Daniel Litwin, the Voice of B2B at MarketScale, welcomes Beth Perry, Business Intelligence & Analytics Engineer at Censis Technologies, for a presentation on how SPD teams can turn large volumes of operational data into practical decisions that improve productivity, quality, technician education and instrument availability. The discussion explores how CensisAI² helps teams identify the right metrics, understand what those metrics reveal and connect insights to measurable operational action. What you’ll learn… Data only matters when it drives action. Perry explains that meaningful metrics should provide clear insight and influence decisions, helping SPD teams move from passive reporting to practical improvement.Productivity metrics should be tied to operational drivers. The discussion highlights items processed, count sheet quantity, average seconds per instrument assembled and time spent on core SPD workflows as ways to understand and improve throughput.Quality data can guide smarter technician education. Perry shows how event count, error rate, case delay minutes, responsible party count and average repertoire size can help managers decide whether an issue calls for individual coaching, team-wide training or proactive skill development.Beth Perry brings more than a decade of experience in business intelligence, analytics, reporting and data systems, with a long tenure at Censis Technologies. In her current role as Engineer of Business Intelligence & Analytics, she focuses on translating business needs into effective data solutions that support clearer reporting and better decision-making. Her career also includes experience in systems engineering, enterprise data analysis, technical services, logistics, sales administration and technology adoption.
23 Mar

Understanding Joint Commission 360 Standards: What They Mean for SPD Teams (Part 2)

Healthcare teams today are feeling the pressure to move beyond last-minute compliance and instead build processes that work consistently every day. That shift is especially clear in sterile processing departments (SPDs), where the Joint Commission 360 model is redefining what “survey readiness” really means. With patient safety directly tied to instrument quality—and studies consistently linking process variability to surgical risk—the stakes for getting SPD workflows right have never been higher. So what does it actually look like for SPD teams to move from reactive compliance to a culture of continuous readiness—and can they do it without burning out their staff? That’s the question at the heart of this episode of ConCensis. Host Daniel Litwin sits down with Dr. Ivan Salgo, Chief Medical Officer at Censis and ASP, and Sabrina M. Ford, Market Manager of Central Sterilization at CommonSpirit. Together, they unpack how Joint Commission 360 standards are transforming SPD workflows, leadership expectations, and the role of technology in sustaining compliance—building on key themes introduced in the first part of the conversation. Top insights from the talk… From reactive to proactive compliance: Teams must embed standards into daily workflows—“stay ready so you don’t have to get ready”—eliminating last-minute audit stress.Data and visibility drive accountability: Instrument tracking systems, KPI dashboards, and real-time documentation are essential for identifying gaps and sustaining performance.Culture and leadership alignment are critical: True transformation requires engagement from frontline staff to the C-suite, shifting SPD into a strategic clinical partner role.Dr. Ivan Salgo is a physician-executive and Chief Medical Officer at Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP)/Fortive, with extensive leadership experience across medical devices, life sciences, and healthcare technology, spanning R&D, clinical affairs, regulatory strategy, and commercialization. He has led breakthrough innovations—from NIH-funded research to global market leadership—including key contributions to Philips Live 3DTEE and significant growth in cardiology ultrasound, and is recognized for shaping strategy and accelerating adoption of high-impact clinical technologies. Sabrina M. Ford is the Market Manager of Central Sterilization at CommonSpirit Health, where she leads SPD strategy and operations across multiple facilities. Known for her focus on Lean principles, staff competency development, and operational discipline, Ford has been instrumental in advancing continuous readiness models within large health systems. In her role, she also emphasizes team accountability, data visibility, and standardized workflows to support consistent survey readiness and performance improvement.

ConCensis is a sterile processing podcast from Censis Technologies. Each episode explores how hospitals and health systems can improve efficiency, safety, and visibility in their Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs). Hear insights from SPD leaders, healthcare professionals, and Censis experts on the latest tools, productivity hacks, and perioperative best practices.

Creator

A Sterile Processing Podcast from Censis
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

92
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2024
Show Website

ConCensis