SPECIAL FOCUS


develop throughout our system as each site began planning for potential disruptions.” Geisinger’s CLAM distribution center embarked on a demand-and-control mode for product access.


“To increase physical controls to protect critical supplies, new processes were imple- mented to reduce the risk of product being removed from the hospital inappropri- ately,” Goyne noted. “To aid in limiting the order disruption experienced in response to the allocation process, we transitioned to a very manual, paper-request process for those items experiencing allocation restrictions. It meant a lot of extra work at the distribution center, but the team took on this challenge with a positive attitude and were phenomenal in meeting the new demands. The additional workload was worth the burden as our caregivers had what they needed, when they needed it.” Geisinger also revamped analytics tools,


such as standard usage dashboards that the team had developed, according to Goyne. “These were refined to make informed inventory decisions, to be able to home in on who was using what, how fast we were using it, and how long we would survive with what we had,” he said. “This data- driven view of consumption allowed us to monitor the effectiveness of protocols and conservation strategies, as well as anticipate future needs to proactively begin to source alternative products in categories that expe- rienced extremely high demand.” With their boots on the ground, Sup-


ply Chain kept senior-level executives in the C-suite informed and up-to-date on capabilities. “The data we had put together, with a lens for data visualization to ease under- standing, also helped with our communica- tion channels engaging senior leadership in being fully transparent with supply on hand and demand forecasting,” Goyne said. “This transparency through visualiza- tion of the data allowed us to effectively communicate how well we were doing day- to-day, and drive action when additional support was needed from those who could help in uence the reuired changes such as adherence to conservation protocols.” Geisinger also relied on its team of experienced sourcing professionals to vet alternate sourcing channels, exploring both non-traditional suppliers, as well as direct-to-manufacturer opportunities to obtain quality product, according to Goyne. “This sourcing process reuired signifi cant attention to thorough vetting to mitigate any potential risk to the organization, as the market presented signifi cant threat of fraudulent activity,” he said. “Once a poten- tial supplier was vetted for legitimacy, we


were able to freely have conversations regarding availability, pricing, terms, turnaround, etc., to help supplement the additional supply demand our system was experiencing.”


Pursue innovation


Regardless of crisis or disaster type, focus- ing on the “5 rights” – right product, right time, right place, right quantity and right price – will continue to be impor- tant well into the future, insists LeAnn Born, Vice President, Supply Chain, M Health Fairview, Minneapolis. M Health Fairview earned HPN’s Supply Chain Department of the Year award in 2017.


“We knew this before the


pandemic and we know more about it today,” Born declared. “About the prod- uct, we need to know what is being used, how it is being used, what the acceptable alternatives are and how we can access those alternative products. Related to right time and place, we need to know when and where the product is available – this can either mean moving it around our own health system or by sharing data and plans with distributors and manufacturers to understand when it will be available on-site. It can even mean partnering with other health systems to borrow or share products.”


LeAnn Born


Born points to consumption as driving quantity decisions.


“For the right quantity, it has been impor- tant to ensure appropriate use and look for ways to conserve,” she continued. “There were many moments when price was not even a consideration because there was a real or perceived lack of product available. Yet it was still important to understand price in order to report it as the incremental cost of the pandemic, which has been important to understand for gov- ernment support and grant purposes. After the initial urgency that created a willingness to pay outrageous prices, came a reality that fi nancial resources were even tighter than they were before the pandemic.” Born challenges her industry colleagues not to lose sight of innovation, but focus on it.


“We have experienced situations when what we knew was right for care before the pandemic was no longer available,” she said. “e had to discover fi gure out and seek approval for alternative products and alternative ways of using traditional products. e also need to defi ne ways to conserve, even though, according to previ- ous requirements and regulations, [it] was not appropriate.


“Awareness to all of this is supported by talented people using their knowledge of policies and standard procedures supported by reliable technology,” she added. “A lot of really well-intended people helped in such a variety of ways that the supply chain lost a lot of its control, effectiveness and effi ciency. inding the right balance of understanding and staying true to standard purchasing rules have been very important.”


Embrace suppliers


Sometimes, effective Supply Chain leaders can embrace the good but acknowledge – and even accept – the bad as they play the long game, according to Joe Colonna, Chief Supply Chain and Project Manage- ment Offi cer iedmont ealth tlanta. Piedmont Health earned HPN’s Supply Chain Department of the Year award in 2018. “We must understand that we may need to pay more for some items to ensure that there is a stable supply closer to home,” Colonna admitted. “Per-


Joe Colonna


haps form co-ops. Several regional health systems invested in local manufacturing for a short run of needed PPE supplies. Purchase time on the line, supply the raw material.”


Rather than blame suppliers for any product shortages, providers instead should work with them.


“We need to help these companies be


more effi cient and help them with demand planning,” Colonna insisted. “Perhaps work with manufactures to ‘rotate’ crops. Many of the same materials are used to make similar items. There may not be enough business/ profi t for a company to ust make gowns but if enough of us committ to annual bulk buys, the company could do a run of gowns one month, masks the next, shoe covers the next and so on. [Sign] longer-term commit- ments so companies can drive down their raw material costs with longer-term projec- tions. I could see 10-year, price-controlled contracts with guaranteed supply. Since the surge of patients can come quickly, all of us either need to have extra storage or buy storage capacity from third parties. Bottom line, the game of give-and-take must be played more effectively to care for patients. “e need to fi nd out what they need from us in terms of information and partnership,” Colonna concluded.


Pivot with data


Kathleen Gathers, Director, Supply Chain, Terrebonne General Medical Center,


hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • September 2020 11 Page 12


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62