Standardization and management of orthopedic implants.

Because the price of orthopedic implants has soared to astronomical heights, and insurance companies are paying less for surgical procedures, institutions must find ways of decreasing their costs and reducing their overhead. In the operating room the orthopedic nurse manager can be instrumental in reducing the amount of implant inventory by collecting and reporting data concerning shelf life of implants and coordinating new product trials and evaluation periods to decrease the number of implant systems to one or two.