ORANGE, California. — St. Joseph Health, a $4.6 billion healthcare system headquartered in Orange, California, today announced a partnership with RF Surgical Systems, the market leader in the prevention and detection of retained surgical sponges. As part of its ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality of safe patient care, St. Joseph Health will utilize the RF Assure Detection Technology in operating rooms throughout its system to improve patient safety.

”At SJH, it is our goal to ensure the care we provide is the safest care to our patients. We are always looking for opportunities to implement evidenced based technology as part of our commitment to continuously raise the bar on patient safety,” states Dr. Clyde Wesp, Chief Medical Officer at St. Joseph Health. “The partnership with RF Surgical Detection will help provide additional patient safety measures in our hospitals utilizing a sustainable approach, which aligns with our desire to achieve perfect care.”

RF Surgical’s RF Detection Technology utilizes radio-frequency (RF) detection technology to identify and prevent retained surgical items (RSI) from remaining inside a patient following surgery. A RSI is any item such as a sponge, gauze or towel, left inside a patient after a surgical procedure is completed, which can result in a variety of medical complications including the need for follow-up surgery. St. Joseph Health will use the RF Assure Detection System in addition to its current best practices, which include manual counting of surgical materials and verifying counts. The RF Detection Technology, along with St. Joseph Health System’s current practices, will increase intraoperative efficiency across all surgical services including trauma and maternity services.

“RF Surgical is pleased to partner with St. Joseph Health to bring the radio frequency detection technology into all of the operation rooms in the St. Joseph Health System,” said Dr. Jeffrey Port, founder and chairman of RF Surgical. “We are excited to support St. Joseph Health’s leadership in patient safety and committed efforts for achieving optimal care.”