Penn Medicine opens the largest equipment sterilization facility in the country

The Interventional Support Center, an instrument processing and surgical supply preparation facility, will support two hospitals and three outpatient centers.

Penn Medicine has opened its new Interventional Support Center (ISC), the largest instrument processing and surgical supply preparation facility in the country. Located in Southwest Philadelphia, the ISC is the first facility of its kind in Pennsylvania. In this space, staff will both sterilize and package thousands of instruments each day in preparation for surgeries and procedures—from basic scissors and clamps to advanced robotic instruments.

Gloved hand of a medical professional holding a vacuum-sealed packet of sterilized medical equipment.

At nearly 110,000 square feet, the ISC is designed to process instruments from up to 200 surgical cases each day. Penn purchased the entire building in 2018 and built a physical plant to support the ISC’s operations. Today, the ISC will combine instrument processing services from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH), as well as three outpatient facilities: the Perelman Center, Penn Medicine Radnor, and the Tuttleman Center. The Pavilion—also known as HUP East—will also be supported by the ISC when it opens this fall.

“The opening of the ISC sets a new standard for sterile instrument processing. It also marks a new approach from Penn Medicine,” says Chris Pastore, ISC managing director. “By moving our processing operations from the traditional hospital setting to an offsite, dedicated facility, we’re able to increase efficiency in a high-quality, cost-effective way—all while keeping up with increasing demand.”

Read more at Penn Medicine News.