Recognize key players and what motivates them
An effective supply chain needs support from clinicians. The next time you enact change in your facility, instead of viewing frontline staff as an unwilling party that needs to be convinced, turn them into your secret weapons. If you identify what drives them, clinicians can be your biggest advocates. Meeting regularly to discuss the needs of frontline staff and how the supply chain can support their goals positions you as an ally and not an aloof, independent decision maker doling out changes without regard to their experience. The greatest efficiencies can only be gained when supply chain experts and clinicians work together strategically.
Walk a mile in their shoe covers
Supply chain staff often wear many hats, but first and foremost, a supply chain leader must understand the experiences of hospital staff. Before you can propose improvements or changes in processes, you must explore the current environment that frontline staff work in every day. If you’re in the trenches and know where staff are coming from when they provide feedback, you can foster a sense of credibility and understanding. Maintaining these relationships and sharing success stories with all players makes staff feel included and potentially more open to future change.
Educate, don’t dictate
When it comes to product standardization and other supply chain initiatives in procedural areas, a cost savings story without data-driven rationale is not enough to create alignment. Make sure you arm yourself with the information necessary to persuade clinicians and remind them that your ultimate goal is also improved patient care. This may mean using RFID and other technologies to collect product usage data by clinician, procedure, patient and outcome. Or, cloud-based analytics and dashboards can help clinicians understand — and buy into — the reality that product standardization can improve efficiency and, thus, drive down the total cost of delivery without compromising care.
Go the extra mile
When you think about major issues in your hospital or health system, it’s likely that a few obvious problems with clear fixes come to mind. It’s often easy to identify what’s broken and what may need to be changed, but is action being taken? Next time you schedule a meeting with staff to discuss a problem, identify at least three steps that can be taken by each player toward solving that problem or making a major change to eliminate that problem entirely.
Or, just go the extra yard
Big projects can often be an exciting way to revolutionize the supply chain in your hospital or health system, but don’t overlook the power of small changes. A willingness to step in and help out with something that may seem like a minor problem can make a major difference in the daily experience of a staff member. Even if there’s no evident financial benefit, small actions add up and can have a profound impact on employee satisfaction and even patient outcomes.
