Beyond Clean Podcast

Every strong SPD starts with strong leadership. The question is: how do you build it? On the Season 33 premiere of Beyond Clean, we sit down with Jason Minutillo and Concepcion "Connie" Class Ballejo to explore what it really takes to prepare new leaders before they're expected to lead. They discuss everything from mentorship and structured onboarding to creating support systems that help new mana...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us on this week's CE approved episode of Beyond Clean as we embark on a one-of-a-kind conversation with Osama Alsadawi, BSHA, AMST, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER, Assistant Chief of Sterile Processing Services, and self-professed data nerd. Delving into his personal journey and...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean.   Our industry is increasingly becoming a high tech space. But are our technicians and training keeping up? In this week's episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by Amanda Wilcox, CSPDT, the powerhouse Education Coordinator for Sterile Processing at UH Hospitals. Amanda takes...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us this week on Beyond Clean as Jason Minutillo, Regional Director of Quality for HLD and Sterilization at UC Health, takes us on a tour into the intricate data ecosystem of Sterile Processing staffing. From unraveling crucial keywords like FTEs to detailing the nuances...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. In this episode 4 of Season 21 of Beyond Clean, we're joined by the reprocessing tag-team of Tracy Raymond and Jen Barnickel from Vested Medical, to unravel the nuances of vendor-owned inventory management in the Sterile Processing space. The duo highlights the significance...

Sterilization monitoring shouldn't slow your department down. On this week's Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™, Matt Linabery and Larry Talapa from Solventum join us to share how Solventum's latest solutions are helping SPD teams simplify workflows while increasing confidence in their sterilization monitoring processes. From the digital pass/fail results and innovative technology of the 3M™ Attest™ e...

Season 33 launches on July 6th!  In the meantime, please enjoy some of our favorite episodes from Season 21 of Beyond Clean. Join us in this episode 3 of Season 21 on Beyond Clean as we focus in on "technician-specific" instrument data that will make your resume *POP* with industry expert Seamus Johnson, innovation leader at Censis Technologies. Discover the possibilities of capturing technician-s...

Your steam cycle finishes, and out of habit, someone cracks the sterilizer door. Sound familiar? On this episode of Beyond Clean, we sit down with Echo Pontinen, Sterile Processing Educator at Lee Health, to take a closer look at the long-standing practice of cracking the sterilizer door after a cycle. This conversation will dive into what sterilizer IFUs actually recommend, why wet loads happen i...

At first glance, most rigid endoscopes look pretty much the same. So why can some be steam sterilized while others absolutely can't? On this episode of "SPD Fact Check," Kurt Audette, Clinical Specialist at KARL STORZ, helps us look beyond the surface and into the complex design features that determine how rigid endoscopes should be reprocessed. From understanding how optics respond to temperature...

Your SPD has temperature controls, storage policies, and carefully designed workflows to protect sterility. So what happens when your instruments leave your facility and head to a clinic across town? This week, we're sitting down with Krystal Parrish to explore the real-world challenges of maintaining sterile storage best practices across clinics and specialty practices. From soiled instruments wr...

What does it really take to make sure a black speck problem never comes back? In the final episode of "What the Speck?," Sterile Processing expert Kendra Lucas shares the real-world story of how her team worked through one of the most disruptive debris issues a department can face. From canceled surgeries and strained OR/SPD relationships to the detailed root cause analysis needed to uncover the s...

You're doing the work. You're solving the problems. Now it's time to take the lead! On this Season 2 finale of "On Pathogens & PPE," host Jill Holdsworth is joined by Kelly Zabriskie, Lee Smith, Dr. Kevin Bush, and David Jagrosse to take a closer look at what leadership really means in Sterile Processing. From finding your voice and building confidence to forming partnerships and stepping beyond t...

You run a borescope through an instrument, and something doesn't look right. Is it debris? Damage? Or has it always been there? On this episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by William Filipponi to break down one of the biggest challenges teams face after implementing borescopes: knowing what you're actually looking at. From telling the difference between debris and manufacturing artifact to build...

Black specks may be small, but the tension they create between departments can be anything but. In this episode of "What the Speck ? ," Alex Miseirvitch from Aesculap ® joins us again to talk about one of the most overlooked challenges in solving the black speck mystery—finger-pointing. When trays are rejected and surgeries are delayed, the pressure to find someone responsible can quickly overshad...

You're building a tray. The phone rings. Someone needs an update. You step away… and just like that, the process breaks. On this week's episode of "On Pathogens & PPE," host Jill Holdsworth and co-host Katie Belski are joined by Art Babiy, Jennifer Greisen, and Ebow Holdbrook-Smith to talk through the real challenges #CleanFreaks are facing in assembly areas. From stepping away mid-tray and chasin...

$4,999. In many SPDs, that number can be the difference between getting what your department needs—or waiting months for approval. On this episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by Stephen Benzel, Director of Accounting at LifeSpring Health Systems, to take a closer look at the financial decisions directly impacting how your SPD operates day to day. From the risks tied to splitting invoices to how...

When black specks show up in your trays, water is often the first suspect—but is it really to blame? In this episode of "What the Speck?," Christian Abell from Aesculap's Surgical Asset Management team dives into one of the most common theories behind the black speck mystery: water quality. From city water changes and construction disturbances to failing filters and aging equipment, Christian brea...

Think one brush fits all? Think again! On this week's episode of "On Pathogens & PPE," hosts Jill Holdsworth and Trevor Hazen are joined by Nelson Winter, Emily Barnard, and Ron Hunsucker to take a closer look at how brush selection, sizing, and technique impact your manual cleaning process. From choosing the right brush size and type to knowing when a brush has reached the end of its life, this g...

It might only be a few steps from the OR to decontam, so how do you ensure your instruments get there safely? This week on Season 32 "SPD Fact Check," we're joined by veteran Sterile Processing consultant Marc Finch as he shares what it really takes to move contaminated instruments safely through your facility. From what AAMI ST79 requires to why back table drapes and biohazard bags fall short, Ma...

Is the PPE your team relies on actually built for the environment you work in? On this week's Beyond Clean Vendor Spotlight™, Ken Arthur and Desiree Acedo from MAXAIR® Systems join us to explore how the MAXAIR® CAPR® system is redefining safety, comfort, and protection in high-heat, high-moisture decontamination environments. With ANSI-AAMI PB 70 Level 4 Fluid/Splash and NIOSH Approved Respiratory...

Behind every black speck is a process, a piece of equipment, or a hidden culprit waiting to be discovered. In this episode of "What the Speck?," SPD professional and consultant Warren Nist joins us to discuss how departments can move beyond identifying debris and begin uncovering the root cause behind it. From quality reports and workflow data to full department risk assessments, Warren walks thro...

You followed the IFU. You brushed. You flushed. So it's clean… right? On this week's episode of "On Pathogens & PPE," hosts Jill Holdsworth and Brandon Gantt are teaming up with Aaron Preston, Cheron Rojo, and Jahan Azizi to take a closer look at what's hiding inside your lumen instruments. As more departments adopt borescopes, teams are uncovering retained debris, moisture, and internal damage th...

Case carts in, case carts out—but do you really know what's happening inside your SPD's cart washer? On this episode of Beyond Clean, we're joined by Angus Bruce as he breaks down what modern cart washers are actually capable of—and where teams can run into trouble without realizing it. From when it makes sense to run instruments through them to why your chemistries might be expiring in the deterg...

When a black speck shows up in a surgical tray, the first question is simple: "What is it?" But as many Sterile Processing teams discover, the answer is anything but straightforward. On this episode of "What the Speck?," global reprocessing expert Dr. Gerhard Kirmse from Aesculap joins us to explore the science of identifying this pesky, unidentified debris and to tackle the question at the center...

Peel pouches hanging from clips, dust collecting in bins, trays stacked just a little too high… sound familiar? When it comes to sterile storage, small shortcuts can lead to big risks. On this episode of "On Pathogens & PPE," host Jill Holdsworth and co-host Mark Copeland sit down with Tiffany Reece, Malinda Elammari, and Kendall Ashe to dive into the storage challenges showing up in sterile stora...