Following the Wall Street Journal article that questioned the validity of The Joint Commission’s accreditation practices, the government has stepped up inquiries into the hospital accreditation process. The Joint Commission, as the largest accreditation agency, is now under increased scrutiny and hospitals may be exposed as a result. Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) has sent a […]
Are Public Inspection Reports Coming? Read More »
A recent study by Navigant Consulting concluded that the average hospital could achieve supply savings of nearly $10 million annually, or 17.8%, by pursuing some basic strategic initiatives. With hospital margins often hovering near breakeven, that is an additional $10 million in savings that can flow directly to the bottom line. The other key finding
Hospital Supplies– A $23 Billion Savings Opportunity? Read More »
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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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 »
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
Insights From a Scope Pro – Andy Young Read More »
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
The Importance of a Supply Chain Technology Strategy For Hospitals Read More »
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
What the Infection Risk at the Buffalo VA Can Teach Us Read More »
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
Fujifilm Medical Systems USA recently recalled its duodenoscopes, joining the prior recall of Olympus duodenoscopes and a field correction issued to Pentax duodenoscopes. With the ever-changing hardware and cleaning instructions, many endoscopy and sterile processing professionals may find themselves wondering, “Exactly how safe are the duodenoscopes that I’m managing?” It’s a tricky question, and one
How Safe Are Your Duodenoscopes? Read More »