Relocating Sterile Processing Activities to an Off-Site Facility: Cost, Design, and Project Management Considerations

When space limitations prevent sterile processing department personnel from meeting the needs of the perioperative departments that they serve, leaders should consider expansion options. At one large multifacility health care system in Pennsylvania, leaders considering expansion assessed several factors, including the costs versus benefits, logistics, real estate space, regulatory requirements, and the overall effect on employees. After reviewing all of the information, the leaders decided to move the sterile processing department for two hospitals and two outpatient centers to an off-site location. They designed a space to accommodate the sterile processing of instruments for these identified facilities and, if needed, additional facilities in the future. This article highlights the issues that the leaders considered when preparing for the move and discusses the processes and project management structures used to complete the building design.