Best Practices for Using Settrax

Best Practices for Using settraxVM

Updated March 2026

Contents

Section 1: Implementation Guide — for facility administrators and IT staff

Section 2: Staff Adoption Guide — for SPD managers and their teams

Section 3: Vendor Communication Toolkit — ready-to-use templates

Before You Go Live

The single most common cause of a difficult Settrax launch is going live before internal decisions have been made. When staff and vendor reps encounter the system for the first time without clear policies in place, they fill the gaps themselves — inconsistently. Before your go-live date, work through the following decisions as a team and document your answers.

Decisions to make before launch

• Who is responsible for scheduling cases in Settrax? Limiting this to one or two individuals improves accountability and reduces errors.
• What is your facility's check-in deadline? Settrax recommends a minimum of 24 hours before surgery start time.
• What is your checkout window? Settrax recommends 30 hours post-surgery start time.
• Will you enable Force Check Out? If so, what is your window and who will communicate this to vendor reps?
• What is your policy when a vendor rep arrives without having checked in? Your facility decides this. Settrax recommends allowing a one-time exception with documentation, then holding the line. See Section 2 for guidance on handling this with staff.
• Who is responsible for communicating Settrax expectations to vendor reps? See Section 3 for ready-to-use templates.
• Which compliance settings will you enable? See the Recommended Compliance Settings table below.

Making these decisions before launch — and documenting them — gives your staff something concrete to reference and enforce. It also sets clear expectations with vendor reps from day one.

Kiosk Location

Where you place the Settrax kiosk has a significant impact on how well the system gets used.

Our recommendation: Place the kiosk in a secure, accessible location inside or immediately adjacent to the Sterile Processing Department.

When the kiosk is inside the SPD, staff can provide passive oversight without being pulled away from their work. Vendor reps and couriers are more likely to use it consistently when it is clearly part of the check-in process rather than an afterthought in a hallway.

Avoid locations that are behind locked doors — this creates delays, particularly for after-hours deliveries, and makes it easy for reps to justify bypassing the system. Avoid high-traffic areas where space constraints make it difficult to weigh and photograph trays properly.

When kiosk issues arise — a label roll that needs replacing, a camera that isn't focusing, a printer that has gone offline — proximity to the department significantly reduces downtime. Staff nearby can notice and address problems quickly rather than waiting for a vendor rep to report an issue that may have been present for hours.

Scheduling Workflows

Settrax supports several scheduling workflows. The right approach depends on your facility's staffing, volume, and operational needs. Many facilities use a combination of more than one.

Facility schedules everything

The preferred workflow for most facilities. When your team enters cases directly into Settrax, vendors receive automatic time-stamped notifications via text and email. This keeps communication inside the system, creates an auditable record, and reinforces the expectation that all loaner instruments will be checked in through Settrax.

We recommend scheduling cases a minimum of 96 hours in advance. Facilities scheduling early experience better vendor compliance and fewer late check-ins.

Vendor self-schedules at the kiosk

Some facilities allow vendor reps to create cases at the kiosk when they arrive. This workflow works best as a backup option rather than a primary workflow, as it provides less advance notice and reduces the facility's visibility into upcoming cases. If you use this workflow, pair it with clear check-in timeline expectations communicated to vendor reps in advance.

Remote vendor scheduling

With this feature enabled, vendor reps can create and manage cases from their Settrax dashboard before arriving onsite. This is particularly useful for emergent or last-minute cases and for facilities with high courier delivery volume. Remote scheduling does not replace in-person kiosk check-in — vendors must still complete check-in at the facility before the procedure. This feature is facility-controlled and must be enabled by your Settrax administrator. To enable this feature contact your Settrax account manager or our support team.

EMR integration

Settrax integrates with EMR systems including Epic and Cerner. When configured, surgical cases flow directly into Settrax from your scheduling system, eliminating manual entry and reducing errors. This is the most efficient workflow for high-volume facilities. Contact your Settrax representative to discuss integration setup.

Mixed workflows

Many facilities use a combination of the above. A common example is facility-scheduled cases as the primary workflow with vendor scheduling at the kiosk available for emergencies. Whatever combination you use, the key is that expectations are clearly communicated to everyone involved so that no one is uncertain about what is required of them.

Recommended Compliance Settings

The following settings are available in your Settrax dashboard. Settings marked with an asterisk (*) include notes on exceptions.

Key Timelines at a Glance

Settrax works best when every person in the process — facility staff, vendor reps, and couriers — understands what is expected of them. This section is written for SPD managers to use with their teams. It covers what Settrax changes about your day-to-day workflow, how to handle common challenges, and what to do when vendor reps don't follow the process.

What Settrax Changes — and What It Doesn't

Settrax does not change what your team does. You still receive loaner trays, process instruments, and support surgical cases the same way you always have. What Settrax changes is the documentation around those activities — specifically, it moves accountability for loaner instrument check-in and check-out to the vendor rep, where it belongs.

Before Settrax, your team may have had limited visibility into what was being delivered, when, and in what condition. With Settrax, every tray is photographed and weighed at check-in, labeled with case-specific information, and documented throughout its time at your facility. That documentation protects your department.

Understanding Roles

One of the most common sources of confusion during Settrax adoption is unclear role boundaries. Here is a plain-language breakdown.

The vendor rep or courier is responsible for:

• Confirming case details in Settrax once a case has been scheduled by your facility.
• Checking in all loaner trays at the Settrax kiosk before the procedure
• Weighing and photographing each tray layer at check-in
• Printing and attaching Settrax labels to trays
• Checking out trays within your facility's required window post-surgery
• Documenting any discrepancies or damage at checkout

Your team is responsible for:

• Scheduling all surgical cases in Settrax in advance of the procedure, with a minimum of 96 hours notice where possible.
• Verifying that incoming trays have a Settrax label attached
• Accessing the case in Settrax to confirm images and weights were captured
• Noting any visible damage using the tray note feature in Settrax
• Enforcing your facility's Settrax policies consistently

Settrax support is responsible for:

• Technical issues with the kiosk, printer, or camera
• Account access and password resets
• Adding procedures or configuring compliance settings
• Answering questions about system functionality
• Providing guidance on workflow best practices and compliance optimization as your facility's needs evolve — we are here to help you get the most out of Settrax, not just troubleshoot when things go wrong

When a Vendor Rep Arrives Without Checking In

This is the most common challenge SPD teams face, and it is worth addressing directly. The reality is that your team needs those trays regardless of whether the vendor complied with the check-in process. Settrax does not expect you to put patient care at risk to enforce documentation requirements. That is your facility's decision to make, not ours.

What we do recommend is a consistent, documented response that makes clear the expectation going forward.

First offense

Allow the trays through. Document the exception in Settrax using the tray note feature or your facility's preferred method. Notify the vendor rep directly — in writing if possible — that this is a one-time exception and that future deliveries require Settrax check-in. A vendor rep who knows their exception has been logged is far more likely to comply next time.

Repeat non-compliance

Escalate to your SPD manager or director. At this point the issue is no longer a training problem — it is a compliance problem that needs to be addressed at a higher level, potentially involving the vendor rep's company. Settrax compliance reports can be used to document the pattern and support that conversation.

The key in both cases is documentation. Settrax gives you the tools to create a timestamped record of non-compliance. Use them. That record is your department's protection.

When a Vendor Rep Pushes Back

Vendor reps occasionally resist using Settrax, particularly if they are new to the system or accustomed to informal check-in processes at other facilities. Here is guidance on the most common pushback scenarios.

What Success Looks Like

Settrax adoption doesn't happen overnight. Here is a realistic picture of what to expect.

At 30 days

Most vendor reps who work with your facility regularly will have accounts and will be checking in consistently. You may still be working through edge cases with occasional reps or couriers. Your team is building familiarity with the dashboard and compliance reports.

At 60 days

Compliance rates are improving. Your team is using tray notes and compliance flags consistently. You have a clear sense of which vendor reps are repeat non-compliers and can begin addressing those patterns formally.

At 90 days

Settrax is part of your standard workflow. Exceptions are rare and documented. Your compliance data gives you a clear picture of vendor performance that you can share with leadership or use in vendor conversations.

If you are not seeing progress at these milestones, contact your Settrax representative. Adoption challenges are almost always solvable with the right targeted support.

Good vendor communication is the single highest-leverage thing a facility can do to improve Settrax adoption. When vendor reps know exactly what is expected of them before they ever arrive at your facility, compliance improves significantly. Customize each template with your facility name, relevant dates, and any facility-specific policies.

Template 1: Welcome to Settrax

SEND TO: ALL ACTIVE VENDOR REPS BEFORE GO-LIVE, OR WHEN ONBOARDING A NEW VENDOR

Template 2: Policy Reminder

SEND TO: VENDOR REPS WHO ARE NOT FOLLOWING CHECK-IN REQUIREMENTS

Template 3: Force Check Out Announcement

SEND TO: ALL VENDOR REPS — BEFORE ENABLING THE FORCE CHECK OUT FEATURE

Template 4: Account Sharing Warning

SEND TO: VENDOR REPS WHERE ACCOUNT SHARING HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED

Template 5: Escalation Notice

SEND TO: VENDOR COMPANY LEADERSHIP WHEN A REP IS A REPEAT NON-COMPLIER