The American Hospital Association named three areas where supply chain leaders at hospitals and health systems should set anchor: people, processes and technology.
1. People
The supply chain flow can crumble if there aren't enough qualified people to maintain it, and "getting the right people starts by assessing existing staff resources and knowing what additional resources may be needed," according to the report.
After filling up the ranks, targeted training can help with planning for future needs, such as Minneapolis-based Allina Health's supply team focusing on demand management.
2. Process
Standardizing accepted and contracted products is key to efficiency, but getting there can be tricky amid clinicians' preferences. For each item, price, use and efficacy needs to be analyzed, and both supply employees and clinicians need to reconcile differences.
Product variation or duplicative processes can prevent an organization from fully knowing its clinical, financial and operational statuses.
3. Technology
Similar to cutting down on supply variation, a health system should have only one enterprise resource planning software and materials management information system for its locations.