Consignment items have been a frequent subject of conversations we have with inventory managers in procedural areas of hospitals. Many hospitals that we’ve visited have a mix of consigned and owned products in their inventory. However, when you dig deeper you’ll find that many supplies were added to inventory as consigned or owned for inconsistent […]
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In a walkthrough of a major academic hospital in the Northeast US, the Chief of Surgery was lamenting how little space she had for new operations. The new hybrid Operating Room she was planning was going to be larger than their typical OR, making the issues even worse. As we walked through the ORs, a
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Today, most hospitals are starting to understand what items and supplies they use by looking at data coming out of their documentation or materials management systems. Maybe they even go a step further to standardize on certain products (it seems like every hospital has a “Product Standardization Committee” and/or “Value Analysis Committee”). But does your
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This is part of a series of interviews being held with professionals who have deep expertise in the requirements and protocols around endoscope reprocessing in hospitals. The goal is to learn about and educate on existing and emerging best practices in endoscope reprocessing. I had a chance to sit down with Jhmeid Billingslea, the Director
Insights From a Scope Pro – Jhmeid Billingslea Read More »
For those directly involved with patient care, supply management for patient procedures or risk assessment, how does your team effectively manage the inventory of implantable items that are about to expire? Or more importantly, the items that are already expired? When we look at how the procedure areas in hospitals – ORs, Interventional Radiology, Cath
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This is the first in a series of interviews being held with professionals who have deep expertise in the requirements and protocols around endoscope reprocessing in hospitals. The goal is to learn about and educate on existing and emerging best practices in endoscope reprocessing. I had a chance to sit down with Andy Young, the
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The US Healthcare system lags behind the rest of American industries when it comes to using their supply chains as a competitive advantage. Looking at Amazon, and its strategic use of its supply chain as a primary competitive advantage, highlights the differences between other industries and healthcare. Amazon has invested billions of dollars to build
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The Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Buffalo, NY is notifying over 500 patients that a recent endoscope procedure may have exposed them to a life-threatening illness. The news was reported by The Buffalo News last week, and continues the trend of endoscope-related issues across the US. The Buffalo VA Medical Center was cited in
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Purchasing and supply chain efficiencies continue to be viewed as the primary ways to drive cost savings at hospitals. This is according to the recent survey titled 2017 HealthLeaders Media Cost and Revenue Strategies: The Need for Transparency and Understanding True Costs. According to the survey, respondents aren’t seeing any signs of diminished returns from
Supply Chain Efficiencies and Process Redesign Top Survey of Cost Containment Strategies Read More »
The Joint Commission (TJC) recently released a Quick Safety update titled “Improperly Sterilized or HLD Equipment – A Growing Problem”. The release was issued in response to what TJC perceives as a growing threat to patient safety. In their analysis, they state that in 2016, 74% of immediate threat to life (ITL) declarations issued by