JUNE 2009 Volume 33, No. 6
DEPARTMENTS
People, Places, Processes & Products that Influence the Supply Chain
NEWS
22 Infection preventionists, vendors must ‘speak the 6 Newswire/Fast Stats
same language’ 8 Revenue Cycle/Supply Chain

Strategies
Just as hospitals are scrambling to ramp up their
14 Up Close
arsenal of policies, procedures and products to help
with VHA’s Dave Hinkle
fight healthcare acquired infections, infection
15 Dell, Apple, bridge IT with imaging
preventionists face increasing regulation and report-
ing requirements. Consequently, companies that sell
OPERATING ROOM
products and services need to understand some of 16 Temperature Management
the basics of microbiology and epidemiology to em-
16 Outpatient Connection
phasize solutions. For more details, turn to Healthcare
Purchasing News’ annual Infection Control Buyer’s
INFECTION CONTROL
Guide.
Cover illustration courtesy Megan Russell,
22 Infection Control Buyer’s Guide
www.mrillustration.com
Infection preventionists, vendors
8 Connecting, signing on dot
CONTENTS
ted line
must ‘speak the same language’ 22
HAI Prevention tool kit 26
High-touch equals high-risk 28
One of the buzzworthy phrases making the rounds in healthcare information technology
IC Product Spotlights 30
circles is “closed-loop solutions.” But in the cloudy realms of revenue cycle and supply
Infection Control Vendor chart 32
chain management connections, closed loop is more conceptual than commonplace.
CS CONNECTION
16
42 Disinfectants & Sterilants
Managing temperature drives
50 Self Study Series
improved surgical outcomes
TASS awareness

54 IAHCSMM Viewpoint
For temperature management, today’s technol-
55 CS Solutions
ogy options are light years ahead of what was
available only a few short decades ago. Tem- PRODUCTS & SERVICES
perature can be manipulated—increased or de-
48 What Works
creased—to treat, or even anticipate, conditions that can
A new way to negotiate contracts
detrimentally affect patients. Clearly, the normothermia-
56 Inventory Management
driven products in use by clinicians now are not your
father’s thermometry devices.
60 New Products
64 What Works
Scripting software streamlines MMIS,
42 Aiming lethal weapons against
supply chain processes
microbial foes
PEOPLE & OPINIONS
4 Fast Foreward
Media reports of contaminated endoscopes that may have
40 Baseline
exposed thousands of patients to hepatitis C or HIV
Remembering pioneers who cleared brush,
have underscored the importance of safe, appropri- forged paths by Fred Crans
ate and consistent instrument disinfection. Such re-
62 Newsmaker
ports show that instrument processing-related errors
Targeting pest management requires
can occur at virtually any healthcare facility, al- good A.I.M. with Orkin’s Patrick T. Copps
though many of these incidents go undetected and
62 Worth Repeating
never make headlines.
63 Letters
66 Having My Say
56 Boxed in by moving boxes?
How to reduce costs by minimizing
healthcare-associated infections
by Allan J. Morrison, Jr, MD
In the diverse manufacturing, distribution and retail worlds outside of healthcare, inven- 68 Clinical Business Strategies
tory management represents a fundamental business practice to be mastered because par- Linking supply chain & revenue cycle
ticipating companies widely and wisely recognize that bottom-line performance directly
by Lee Brooks
impacts top-line revenue and profits. Unfortunately, such a philosophy has yet to perme- 70 Back Talk
ate healthcare. Game changed by 2009 recession
by Robert T. Yokl
2 June 2009 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS www.hpnonline.com 69 Advertiser Index/Classified
0906-TOC.pmd 2 5/14/2009, 2:45 PM
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