Supply Chain
Attitudes toward healthcare financing have been fairly conservative ever since the general economy collapsed with the stock market in 2008.
Hospitals and health systems try their best to anticipate and meet the demand for specific drugs. But drug shortages - whether due to outbreaks of specific illnesses or unanticipated supply bottlenecks - are a fact of life in the medical world.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will sponsor the advanced development of a next-generation portable ventilator to help fill the need for portable, low-cost, user-friendly and flexible ventilators in a pandemic or other public health emergency.
New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Premier, Inc., concludes that the inappropriate use of antibiotics in U.S. hospitals could result in an estimated $163 million in excessive costs.
The incidence for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), a bulging, weakened area of the aorta, has led the U.S. market for AAA repair to increase rapidly. It is currently valued at $600 million annually and is forecasted to grow to $1.6 billion worldwide by 2015.
The 340B program is critical for hospitals and other providers that serve some of our country's poorest and most vulnerable patients. When providers monitor compliance and track 340B drugs properly, the program can fulfill its intended purpose.
The drought in California has everyone concerned that food prices will skyrocket, but so far, the impact of the severe weather has been low for most hospitals, and where felt, strategies have been implemented to minimize the damage.
One of the most daunting challenges any newly appointed healthcare supply chain leader will face is establishing direction. The best practices listed below, gathered from my 16 years of experience in supply chain, will get you moving in the right direction.
A primary key to survival for providers will be their ability to increase efficiency and reduce costs in the supply chain, but participating in a GPO is not enough.
Radiology reimbursement continues to drop, but healthcare providers often can achieve significant savings off the quoted vendor price for CT systems. Keys to finding savings include creating a strong, united team approach and determining what service coverage is best for a particular CT scanner.