From SPD to OR: AI in Surgery Is Raising the Bar on Patient Safety

Hospitals are facing mounting pressure from staff shortages, rising costs, and increasingly stringent compliance requirements. Surgical suites and sterile processing departments (SPDs) are two of the most resource-intensive areas, yet many still rely on manual processes and fragmented data. According to the American Hospital Association, nearly 1,400 hospitals, or 31 percent of hospitals, reported a critical staffing shortage to the federal government as of January 19, 2022, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions. In response, AI in surgery is gaining traction as a practical tool to augment clinical teams and streamline perioperative workflows without compromising patient safety.

How can hospitals use AI to increase surgical efficiency, meet compliance standards, and improve patient outcomes without overwhelming already-burdened staff?

This episode of ConCensis by Censis Technologies, hosted by Amy Chadoff, features Harshil Goradia, Chief Technology Officer and VP of IT at Censis. Together, they explore how AI in surgery is transforming sterile processing and operating rooms, highlighting real-world examples from hospital networks and unpacking how AI is shifting from pilot phase to enterprise necessity.

Key Highlights:

• AI Drives Throughput Without Adding Burden: At St. Luke’s Health Network, AI tools helped increase sterilization throughput by 20 percent, processing 5,000 more trays a month with the same staff.

• Agentic AI Enables Real-Time Action: Emerging agentic AI can autonomously adjust surgical schedules, flag shortages, and optimize workflows, offering actionable insights instead of just analytics.

• Compliance and Safety at Scale: AI supports SPD technicians by cross-referencing IFUs in real time, identifying assembly errors, and improving standardization across facilities.

Harshil Goradia is the Chief Technology Officer and VP of IT at Censis Technologies, where he leads R&D, AI innovation, and IT strategy. Prior to Censis, he served in the AI Center of Excellence at Fortive and spearheaded digital transformation initiatives in manufacturing and healthcare. His background spans predictive analytics, generative AI, and large-scale system integration, making him a thought leader in operationalizing AI across healthcare environments.