Management of patient floor supplies typically account for most of the labor needs inside an acute care hospital environment. Our consultants understand the importance of using activity based staffing while using reasonable expectancies and understanding the service challenges to meet the clinical staff expectations. Here are some key questions our consultants could answer for the healthcare supply management teams:

• What is the optimal frequency for replenishment of PAR supplies based on space availability, labor availability and service requirements?
• How to use lean six-sigma principles in improving supply replenishment processes and related clinical processes?
• How to create a continuous improvement process to enable staff in embracing ongoing changes?
• How to train employees to understand and implement new processes?
• How to measure process compliance as it relates to supply replenishment operations?
• How to optimize supply needs inside patient rooms?
• How to optimize use of handhelds and other technology options to improve labor productivity as it relates to patient floor supplies?
• How to improve service levels for supply items not stocked on patient floors?
• How to minimize supply returns/credits from the patient floor?
• How to minimize supply waste on patient floors?
• Is KanBan the right supply delivery process for patient floor supplies?
• How to re-layout the supply rooms and organize supplies on patient floors to improve supply search time for clinical staff?

Our approach to patient floor supply management reinforces trust between supply chain staff and clinical staff which leads to lower involvement from clinical staff in managing
supplies. Our team typically uses following set of tools to study patient floor supply operations:

• Time and Motion studies
• Interviews
• Analytical tools
• Benchmarking & Productivity standards

Availability of clean patient care equipment such as IV pumps, SCD pumps, food pumps, etc. is a key concern of most clinicians. Hoarding and hiding of such equipment is
common practice in healthcare facilities mostly due to their unavailability when it is needed. This is mostly a trust issue based on their past experience. Our consultants are
well versed with RFID based equipment tracking systems and more importantly have analytical information to improve their availability. Here are some key questions our
consultants could answer for the healthcare EVS/supply management teams:

• What is the optimal frequency of cleaning/sanitizing patient floor equipment and what is the best model (centralized or decentralized) to clean such equipment?
• How to use lean six-sigma principles in improving equipment management processes and related clinical processes?
• How to create a continuous improvement process to enable staff in embracing ongoing changes?
• How to train employees to understand and implement new processes?
• How to measure equipment availability for all reusable equipment?
• What is the right location to store clean equipment specific to each patient care unit?
• How to optimize use of RFID and other technology options to improve labor productivity as it relates to patient floor equipment?
• How to improve service levels for equipment not stocked on patient floors?
• What equipment should be owned versus rented?
• How to re-layout the clean equipment rooms and soiled rooms on patient floors?

Our approach to patient floor supply and equipment management reinforces trust between supply chain staff and clinical staff which leads to lower involvement from clinical staff in managing reusable equipment. Here is a list of equipment typically managed inside healthcare facilities:

• Infusion Pumps
• SCD Pumps/ALPs
• PCA Pumps
• Feeding Pumps
• K-Pads
• Suction
• Hypothermia Machines
• Syringe Pumps
• Specialty Beds
• Wound Vacs

Surgical supply assembly (Case Carts) and supplies stored in sterile cores and OR suites account for large portion of Med-Surg supply expense within acute care hospitals and surgery centers. Our consultants have worked inside hundreds of surgical supply operations across North America. Here are some key questions our consultants could answer for Surgical Supply/ Preoperative management teams:

• What is the right time to assemble case carts based on surgery schedules specific to each operation?
• How to use lean six-sigma principles in improving surgical supply processes?
• How to create a continuous improvement process to enable staff in embracing ongoing changes?
• How to train employees to understand and implement new processes?
• How to minimize the returns coming back after surgeries?
• How to improve availability of equipment needed for surgeries?
• How to optimize availability of anesthesia supplies and their delivery process?
• How to reorganize preference cards based on usage data specific to each card?
• What is the right location to stock PRN supplies?
• How to re-layout and reorganize supplies within surgical storeroom, sterile processing, surgical cores and OR suites?
• Are the current processes JCAHO compliant?
• How to coordinate sterile instruments as part of case cart assembly?
• How to optimize surgical supply inventory and sterile instrument inventory?
• How to improve availability of sterile trays, specialty trays, and peel-packs?

Our approach to surgical supply management reinforces trust between supply chain staff
and clinical staff which leads to lower involvement from clinical staff in managing
supplies. Our team typically uses following set of tools to study surgical supply
operations:

• Time and Motion studies
• Interviews
• Analytical tools
• Benchmarking & Productivity standards

Automated Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS), Pneumatic Tube Systems (PTS) and Pneumatic Chute Systems (PCS) are examples of technology alternatives adopted by
many healthcare organizations. Our consultants have worked at many such operations across North America. Here are some key questions our consultants could answer for
Healthcare management teams:

• Are we getting the best value from the investment we have made in automation technology?
• How to minimize congestion and wait times while using automation alternatives?
• How to train employees to understand and implement processes to help improve productivity?
• How to evaluate latest activity matrix to help improve system performance?
• Are there any layout changes needed to improve system performance?
• Are the current processes relating to automation JCAHO compliant?

Our team typically uses following set of tools to study automation operations:

• Time and Motion studies
• Interviews
• Analytical tools
• Benchmarking & Productivity standards

Most healthcare facilities have their laundering facility at an offsite location which adds to logistical activity in shipping soiled linen and distributing clean linen upon its arrival at
loading dock. Our consultants have worked at many such operations across North America. Here are some key questions our consultants could answer for Healthcare management teams:

• Are the current clean and soiled linen operations performing at their highest productivity levels?
• How to minimize number of touches involved in handling linen?
• How to train employees to understand and implement processes to help improve productivity?
• How to minimize rewashing of clean linen with use of various linen distribution models?
• What are the right dispensing methods to make linen easily accessible to clinical staff?
• Are there any layout changes needed to improve linen distribution?
• Are the current processes relating to linen distribution JCAHO compliant?
• Is the current linen tracking technology used to its capability?
• What are alternative technologies and automation options that could help streamline the linen distribution process?

Our team typically uses following set of tools to study linen distribution:

• Time and Motion studies
• Interviews
• Analytical tools
• Benchmarking & Productivity standards