In 1994, the pathology lab of the former University Medical Center (now Shands Jacksonville, a member of Shands HealthCare system) of Jacksonville, Fla., moved to a new facility. To maximize capacity and efficiency, while ensuring security and planning for future growth, the department elected to use high-density mobile storage.
Left: Spacesaver mobile storage system doubled the capacity of stationary shelves.
At the time of the move, the staff was able to custom-design the storage areas for both their lab and office. A mobile storage system was chosen for each. The new space in the hospital’s four-story expansion allowed a welcome change from its former storage ‘system’ — retrofitted cabinets in multiple on-site and off-site locations. Seven years later these same two high-density mobile systems are still meeting department needs, even after a 1999 merger that significantly increased the lab’s processing load.
Years of dealing with inefficient storage gave the staff a good idea of what they wanted from the new storage areas. “We needed efficient, flexible storage that would help us organize and control items critical to the smooth operation of the department,” said current pathology supervisor Becky Garrison.
The department stores a variety of items including pathology slides, bulky paraffin blocks and patient medical records. Confidentiality and control were critical to the system’s success. “Accountability was difficult prior to the move because items were stored in so many places,” Garrison said. The new systems had to work efficiently, accommodate anticipated future growth, and be accessible only to pathology department employees. Working within these parameters, the staff selected two mechanical-assist, high-density mobile storage systems from Spacesaver Corp. (www.spacesaver.com) of Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Why high-density mobile?
The staff chose high-density mobile storage because it offered efficiency, security and room to grow. The concept is simple; storage units, mounted on carriages and rails, move and compact. This eliminates aisles and creates double the storage capacity of stationary shelving. The increased capacity meant all current items could be stored in one place, with room for future growth. The consolidation also guaranteed better material control and improved patient confidentiality.
Right: Rousseau drawers organize and store glass slides for histology, cytology and tumor analysis.
There are four types of mobile storage systems — manual, mechanical-assist, powered and programmable powered. The terms indicate how the storage units are moved. After a cost/benefit analysis, the staff determined that mechanical-assist mobile systems were the most cost-effective way to meet both lab and office needs, since access would be controlled by a limited number of users who could be trained to operate the system. Each system includes safety sweep and safety brake features that protect both users and items in the aisles.
Why Spacesaver?
The University Medical Center had past experience with storage systems designed by Spacesaver, a company that specializes in innovative, cost-effective, high-density mobile storage solutions, in two other hospital departments.
Meeting department goals
Have the systems met department goals? At the seven-year mark, Garrison’s answer is an unequivocal “yes.” Storage capacity, department efficiency and item security have all improved, and the system has accommodated most of pathology’s growing storage needs. Furthermore, despite rigorous, daily use, the system has needed only one minor repair. Garrison believes benefits of the system have been both tangible and intangible. “A huge benefit is just the sense that you can do your job well. Now our employees feel that they’re working in a well-organized department,” she said.
Increased capacity
Although it’s difficult to compare current space efficiency with the scattered storage in the prior location, the baseline capacity increase for high-density mobile vs. stationary shelving is generally about double.
Comparing a static system with high-density mobile. Equal capacity static shelving would require 176 more square feet.
With the Spacesaver system, the lab currently stores four years worth of blocks and approximately 17 years worth of slides. The system makes efficient use of available vertical space with heavier slides stored at eye level and below; the lighter blocks are in cabinets above. “Slide accessibility is especially important because we are a teaching hospital with a pathology residency program. Our staff and residents need immediate access to materials,” Garrison said.
The storage density of the office system allows the department to keep both current and archival documents in one place. “Although our records are on computers, we have chosen to archive paper records as well,” Garrison said. “We keep current-year records in manila folders and past-year documents in bound books. As you might imagine, this requires a huge amount of space, but the Spacesaver system lets us keep 10 years worth of records right in the office.”
Improved efficiency
Lab efficiency also has increased since the mobile storage system’s installation. The previously scattered storage arrangement meant that staff had to leave the department to retrieve slides and blocks. Couriers had to be dispatched off-site when archived materials were needed, and re-filing took people away from the department for as long as an hour at a time. “Now that most of our slides and blocks are in one location, the staff almost never has to leave the department,” Garrison noted. “They can pull and re-file between other activities. There is a near-constant flow of people and phone calls, and it’s vitally important that someone from our staff be there for assistance.”
The current system also allows better organization of stored items. All slides and blocks have numerical reference numbers that are displayed on the ends of the rows to aid in finding and re-filing.
Increased security
High-density mobile storage has improved security and patient confidentiality at Shands Jacksonville. The systems’ built-in controls limit access to department employees. Stored items are easy to monitor and much less likely to be misplaced. Additional features protect stored items. In the lab, for instance, custom-made wood inserts cushion slides when drawers are opened or closed. The systems can be locked after hours.
“We have an obligation — to our patients and to the hospital — to be able to find specific slides, blocks or records quickly,” Garrison said. “With Spacesaver, because items are in one place and access is controlled, procedures for signing out and returning stored items are followed and tracking of items is easy. Patient confidentiality is also assured.”
High-density vs. stationary storage
Although cost was not the most important factor in the purchase decision, high-density mobile offered a very real cost advantage in terms of square footage saved and the expense of the storage units themselves. The space saved in the lab alone was approximately 176 sq. feet. When you consider today’s cost per square foot for new hospital construction, the savings are significant. The high-density mobile system also offered cost savings over stationary storage cabinets.
The lab area Spacesaver system provided 133,200 filing inches at a total cost of $63,390. Lab cabinets would have cost considerably more. Assuming 108 filing inches per cabinet, it would take 1,233 cabinets to equal 133,200 filing inches. At just $100 per cabinet, the cost would be $123,300. The pathology department has been extremely satisfied with its choice to go mobile for storage. Shands Jacksonville has since installed three additional mobile systems, one each in medical records, pharmacy and the mammography center.
Vicky Franchino is a freelance writer based in Madison, Wis.
