4 ways to give your supply chain relief

The hospital and health system supply chain is under more pressure than ever before to improve efficiency, control costs and support quality outcomes. As healthcare shifts to a value-based care model, supply chain managers can look at four specific areas to improve the health of their supply chains.

Here’s an overview of each:

  1. Distribution services: What can you do to help ensure that the right products are in the right place, at the right time and at the right price? Analyzing utilization data can help hospitals better understand which supplies are being used and at what quantities. As a result, hospitals can set inventory levels based on actual utilization. You can also employ utilization data to standardize products, identify clinically equivalent items at lower prices, avoid stockouts and prevent “hoarding” by clinicians.
  2. Freight management: An often-overlooked supply chain expense is the cost to ship supplies to you and distribute them throughout your hospital or health system. When you consider the volume of shipments that you receive, the savings can really add up. Key to success is maximizing the participation of your suppliers; the more shipments you can aggregate under your freight management program, the more your savings can be. Also be sure to include large freight shipments (over 150 pounds) and same-day courier services. Above all, work with a freight management company that has the scale and expertise to help you get more value out of every aspect of your shipping processes
  3. Surgical procedure kitting: Custom procedure packs are an established strategy for improving efficiency in the operating room. By including as many preference card items as possible into each pack, you can minimize the number of single sterile items that must be pulled off the shelf. The time saved can be redirected to focus more on patient care. You can further improve efficiency, reduce waste and control costs by standardizing items within each pack, as well as standardize the packs themselves for use throughout your hospital or across your health system. To develop your kits, work with a company that brings both clinical and supply chain expertise to the table and can make the greatest impact on your OR workflow.
  4. Automated inventory management: You can’t manage what you can’t see. A technology-enabled supply chain improves inventory visibility from the manufacturer to the point of use in your hospital or health system. Accurate real-time data can help you improve workflows, decrease waste, optimize your supply chain spend and make more informed decisions to support patient safety. Automated inventory management can help ensure that the right products will be where they need to be, at the moment it matters.

These four areas can help support the health of your supply chain, empowering your hospital or health system to be resilient and remain responsive to patient needs. Most importantly, you’ll be supporting patient safety and quality outcomes, no matter what happens next in healthcare.

Visit here for more resources on supply chain.

 

 

The hospital and health system supply chain is under more pressure than ever before to improve efficiency, control costs and support quality outcomes. As healthcare shifts to a value-based care model, supply chain managers can look at four specific areas to improve the health of their supply chains. Here’s an overview of each: 1. Distribution services: What can you do to help ensure that the right products are in the right place, at the right time and at the right price? Analyzing utilization data can help hospitals better understand which supplies are being used and at what quantities. As a result, hospitals can set inventory levels based on actual utilization. You can also employ utilization data to standardize products, identify clinically equivalent items at lower prices, avoid stockouts and prevent “hoarding” by clinicians. 2. Freight management: An often-overlooked supply chain expense is the cost to ship supplies to you and distribute them throughout your hospital or health system. When you consider the volume of shipments that you receive, the savings can really add up. Key to success is maximizing the participation of your suppliers; the more shipments you can aggregate under your freight management program, the more your savings can be. Also be sure to include large freight shipments (over 150 pounds) and same-day courier services. Above all, work with a freight management company that has the scale and expertise to help you get more value out of every aspect of your shipping processes. 3. Surgical procedure kitting: Custom procedure packs are an established strategy for improving efficiency in the operating room. By including as many preference card items as possible into each pack, you can minimize the number of single sterile items that must be pulled off the shelf. The time saved can be redirected to focus more on patient care. You can further improve efficiency, reduce waste and control costs by standardizing items within each pack, as well as standardize the packs themselves for use throughout your hospital or across your health system. To develop your kits, work with a company that brings both clinical and supply chain expertise to the table and can make the greatest impact on your OR workflow. 4. Automated inventory management: You can’t manage what you can’t see. A technology-enabled supply chain improves inventory visibility from the manufacturer to the point of use in your hospital or health system. Accurate real-time data can help you improve workflows, decrease waste, optimize your supply chain spend and make more informed decisions to support patient safety. Automated inventory management can help ensure that the right products will be where they need to be, at the moment it matters. These four areas can help support the health of your supply chain, empowering your hospital or health system to be resilient and remain responsive to patient needs. Most importantly, you’ll be supporting patient safety and quality outcomes, no matter what happens next in healthcare. Visit here for more resources on supply chain.

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