Hospital Materials Management Research Articles

Design and Implementation of Medical Consumables Management Information Systems Based on Cloud Server

There are common problems in realistic medical consumables management such as inconsistent material names, irregular billing, extensive management of sub-warehouse. It is necessary to use information systems to achieve full-process, refined, traceable management of medical consumables. A cloud-based information management system of medical consumables is introduced, which connects consumables access, acceptance, consumption and settlement by matching UDI code, charge code and medical insurance code. The system connects to external systems such as charging system. The system realizes traceable management of full-process from manufacture, supplier to hospital material management department, and finally to consumption department. The management efficiency of medical consumables supply chain is improved.

Can automating surgical processes reduce operating room supply costs? A pilot study of a novel OR based technology.

Introduction In the struggling economic post covid era, there will be greater cost containment, efficiency, and quality pressures. How does novel technology to dynamically digitize and automate surgical processes, as an adjunct to existing static workflows, impact surgical supply costs in knee replacement surgeries compared to traditional non automated knee replacement surgeries? Materials/Methods A novel innovative patented technology (SIGHT Medical, Alexandria LA) was created to digitize surgical processes and interface with hospital data systems (EMR- EPIC and ERP- Lawson) within Ochsner health system. Medical Surgical supplies and billable medical supplies were captured by the OR staff using standard hospital EMR and materials management workflows. Outcome measures included costs of surgical supplies, length of stay and number of cases captured using the Ochsner Health system data analytics platform (Tableau, Seattle, WA). Results 1023 knee replacement surgeries were reviewed over 3 years by 3 surgeons at 3 different hospitals within the Ochsner Health system. There was an average of $479/surgery in medical surgical supply costs for automated surgeries and $557/surgery for traditional surgeries. There was an average of $2,444/surgery in billable medical supply costs for automated surgeries and $4,660/surgery for traditional surgeries. Discussion Deploying innovative technology to create a real time dynamic communication and transparency platform can create significant supply cost savings. An average of $78 in medical surgical supply cost savings and $2216 in billable medical supply cost savings can be achieved by automating many of the surgical workflows and processes.

Material Logistics in Hospitals: A Literature Review

Purpose – In order to cope with steadily increasing healthcare costs in industrialized countries, hospital material management has been identified as one key cost containment lever. The purpose of this work is to present the state-of-the-art of research on material logistics management in hospitals.Design/methodology/approach – A systematic approach is undertaken in order to identify the relevant literature from 1998 to 2014. Applicable publications are categorized thematically and methodologically and future research opportunities are worked out. Particular focus is given to articles that apply optimization methods.Findings – In total, 88 publications are identified and discussed in this work. Literature is categorized into four streams, i.e., (1) Supply and procurement, (2) Inventory management, (3) Distribution and scheduling, and (4) Holistic supply chain management. The application of optimization techniques is constantly gaining importance. The number of respective publications has continually grown and has peaked over the last three years. Optimization has been successfully applied in research streams (1), (2), and (3). Category (4) comprises a rather qualitative research field of literature dealing with supply chain management issues and business process redesign tools, transfer of logistics concepts from other industries, and benchmarks, best practices, and cost analyses.Originality/value – Our contribution for practitioners and academics is threefold: First, we provide research guidance through categorizing literature and identifying major research streams. Second, we discuss applied methodologies and third, we identify future research directions.

Material management and modern methods in hospital

In this study, the health sector to sustain the activities of the most important organizations in hospital supplies and materials aimed to emphasize the importance of management. Starting from the planning of material requirements, the need for a process of procured materials management including elimination of expressing carried out effectively and in a coordinated manner as is required for the maintenance of health services. Material Requirements Planning, Just in Time, Barcode-Data Matrix, RFID and Pyxis are the modern methods used in hospital materials management.

Cost savings in hospital materials management: look-back versus look-ahead inventory policies

The hospital materials management process deals with the coordination of all activities related to materials ordering, holding, and administering. It is usually treated with a look-back approach, by which materials are 'pushed' into the hospital on the basis of demand forecasts, while high stock levels are distributed throughout the system to prevent stockouts. This study analyses the possibility of reducing stocks while assuring a high service level to patients, and proposes an integrated approach to the supply chain. Medical information is used to issue orders (look-ahead approach), in a 'pulled' flow of information from bed to hospital pharmacy warehouses. The two approaches are compared by means of a discrete event simulation in different scenarios: cost savings can range from 2% to 7%; the higher the demand variability, the greater the convenience; the savings are slightly influenced by variations in external stockouts and pharmacy ordering costs.

Modelling Hospital Materials Management Processes

Materials management is an important issue for healthcare systems because it influences clinical and financial outcomes. Before selecting, adapting and implementing leading or optimized practices, a good understanding of processes and activities has to be developed. In real applications, the information flows and business strategies involved are different from hospital to hospital, depending on context, culture and available resources; it is therefore difficult to find a comprehensive and exhaustive description of processes, even more so a clear formalization of them. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it proposes an integrated and detailed analysis and description model for hospital materials management data and tasks, which is able to tackle information from patient requirements to usage, from replenishment requests to supplying and handling activities. The model takes account of medical risk reduction, traceability and streamlined processes perspectives. Second, the paper translates this information into a business process model and mathematical formalization. The study provides a useful guide to the various relevant technology-related, management and business issues, laying the foundations of an efficient reengineering of the supply chain to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of care.

The impact of surgeon choice on the cost of performing laparoscopic appendectomy

While laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) can be performed using a myriad of techniques, the cost of each method varies. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of surgeon choice of technique on the cost of key steps in LA. Surgeon operative notes, hospital invoice lists, and surgeon instrumentation preference sheets were obtained for all LA cases in 2008 at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA). Only cases (N = 89) performed by fulltime staff general surgeons (N = 8) were analyzed. Disposable costs were calculated for the following components of LA: port access, mesoappendix division, and management of the appendiceal stump. The actual cost of each disposable was determined based on the hospital's materials management database. Actual hospital reimbursements for LA in 2008 were obtained for all payers and compared with the disposable cost per case. Disposable cost per case for the three portions analyzed for 126 theoretical models were calculated and found to range from US $81 to US $873. The surgeon with the most cost-effective preferred method (US $299) utilized one multi-use endoscopic clip applier for mesoappendix division, two commercially available pretied loops for management of the appendiceal stump, and three 5-mm trocars as their preferred technique. The surgeon with the least cost-effective preferred method (US $552) utilized two staple firings for mesoappendix division, one staple firing for management of the appendiceal stump, and 12/5/10-mm trocars for access. The two main payers for LA patients were Medicaid and Health Safety Net, whose total hospital reimbursements ranged from US $264 to US $504 and from US $0 to US $545 per case, respectively, for patients discharged on day 1. Disposable costs frequently exceeded hospital reimbursements. Currently, there is no scientific literature that clearly illustrates a superior surgical method for performing these portions of LA in routine cases. This study suggests that surgeons should review the cost implications of their practice and to find ways to provide the most cost-effective care without jeopardizing clinical outcome.

Educating perioperative managers about materials and financial management

One of the most resource intensive areas in many hospitals is the OR, which often accounts for more than 50% of a hospital's materials management budget. Surgical services managers often have no formal training in materials and financial management, but they are held accountable for one of the most costly clinical areas in the hospital. A program proposed for Navy perioperative nurse managers is a five-day course that covers the basics of Navy medical materials and financial management as they apply to the OR. Application strategies for the civilian sector also are discussed.

Economic analysis of linking operating room scheduling and hospital material management information systems for just-in-time inventory control.

Operating room (OR) scheduling information systems can decrease perioperative labor costs. Material management information systems can decrease perioperative inventory costs. We used computer simulation to investigate whether using the OR schedule to trigger purchasing of perioperative supplies is likely to further decrease perioperative inventory costs, as compared with using sophisticated, stand-alone material management inventory control. Although we designed the simulations to favor financially linking the information systems, we found that this strategy would be expected to decrease inventory costs substantively only for items of high price ($1000 each) and volume (>1000 used each year). Because expensive items typically have different models and sizes, each of which is used by a hospital less often than this, for almost all items there will be no benefit to making daily adjustments to the order volume based on booked cases. We conclude that, in a hospital with a sophisticated material management information system, OR managers will probably achieve greater cost reductions from focusing on negotiating less expensive purchase prices for items than on trying to link the OR information system with the hospital's material management information system to achieve just-in-time inventory control. In a hospital with a sophisticated material management information system, operating room managers will probably achieve greater cost reductions from focusing on negotiating less expensive purchase prices for items than on trying to link the operating room information system with the hospital's material management information system to achieve just-in-time inventory control.

Economic Analysis of Linking Operating Room Scheduling and Hospital Material Management Information Systems for Just-in-Time Inventory Control

Operating room (OR) scheduling information systems can decrease perioperative labor costs. Material management information systems can decrease perioperative inventory costs. We used computer simulation to investigate whether using the OR schedule to trigger purchasing of perioperative supplies is likely to further decrease perioperative inventory costs, as compared with using sophisticated, stand-alone material management inventory control. Although we designed the simulations to favor financially linking the information systems, we found that this strategy would be expected to decrease inventory costs substantively only for items of high price ($1000 each) and volume (>1000 used each year). Because expensive items typically have different models and sizes, each of which is used by a hospital less often than this, for almost all items there will be no benefit to making daily adjustments to the order volume based on booked cases. We conclude that, in a hospital with a sophisticated material management information system, OR managers will probably achieve greater cost reductions from focusing on negotiating less expensive purchase prices for items than on trying to link the OR information system with the hospital’s material management information system to achieve just-in-time inventory control. Implications In a hospital with a sophisticated material management information system, operating room managers will probably achieve greater cost reductions from focusing on negotiating less expensive purchase prices for items than on trying to link the operating room information system with the hospital’s material management information system to achieve just-in-time inventory control.

A case of successful technology transfer to health care. Total quality materials management and just-in-time.

Describes one approach to meeting the healthcare cost reduction challenge through the hospital materials management function. Highlights the value of taking a proactive stance to meet the challenge; transferring technology across industry sectors, such as employing a just-in-time inventory management system in clinical areas of hospital materials management, and adopting a win-win managerial philosophy. Features a case study to demonstrate the ideas in practice.

Managing Hospital Materials Management

Managing Hospital Materials Management

Multiple productivity measurement approaches for management

Managers may desire an approach to combining multiple productivity measurements into one score. This article demonstrates two approaches to aggregating multiple measurements, data envelope analysis (DEA) and the Multicriteria Performance/Productivity Measurement Technique (MCP/PMT). These methods are applied to actual hospital materials management data and do not result in significantly different results. The productivity analysis must then be tempered according to managerial judgement.

Hospital Materials Management: Systems and Performance

This study was designed to examine the relationship between hospital materials management performance and the use of a computerized inventory control system. Twenty-two general hospitals in the state of Georgia were analyzed. Research findings indicate that those hospitals using computer-based systems exhibited a better fill-rate performance, but also experienced significantly higher inventory and labor costs per average daily census. Implementation and maintenance problems appear to be probable causes for the poor performance.

Prime Vendor/Hospital Purchasing Relationships

Sourcing research to date has concentrated on manufacturing, primarily in the form of just‐in‐time purchasing systems. This study examines sourcing in an important service industry – hospitals. Hospital materials management integrates purchasing, inventory control and distribution. A prime vendor relationship, an agreement between a multi‐line distributor and a hospital, streamlines the purchasing process by reducing the number of vendors and paperwork for the buyer. An examination of 22 general hospitals in Georgia, USA, yielded preliminary evidence the prime vendor relationship led to better materials management performance. This article explores the potential advantages and disadvantages for hospital buyers and vendors and the implications for performance.

Hospital Materials Management: Potential for Improvement

Hospital Materials Management: Potential for Improvement

Hospital Material Management

Hospital Material Management