St. Joseph Health System, a $4.6 billion healthcare system headquartered in Orange, CA, announced a partnership with RF Surgical Systems, Bellevue, WA, market leader in the prevention and detection of retained surgical sponges.

St. Joseph Health System will use the RF (radio-frequency) Assure Detection Technology to identify and prevent retained surgical items (RSI) from remaining inside a patient following surgery. An RSI is any item such as a sponge, gauze or towel, left inside a patient after a surgical procedure is completed. This can result in a variety of medical complications, including the need for follow-up surgery. St. Joseph Health System will use the RF Assure Detection System in addition to its current best practices, which include manual counting of surgical materials and verifying counts. 

RF Surgical Systems also announced recently a partnership with Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, MN.