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PRODUCTS & SERVICES


PRODUCTS & SERVICES


To improve clinical service and storage, Supply Chain searches for shelf-confi dence


by Rick Dana Barlow Photo credit: Vadim | stock.adobe.com


S


helving and storage are about as important to inventory management as walls and a roof to a house or


building – without either, all your stuff is exposed to the elements (think damage and infection) and the possibility of theft. Proper storage remains an art as well as


a science. In fact, storage in some cases can serve as an art form as well as something practical. So how can healthcare organi- zations – either acute care or remote care, hospitals and all other facilities – optimize their storage footprint? Think out and up.


Balancing the scales The formula for success always should include employee and patient care, empha- sizes Ian Loper, Vice President, DSI. “As science and art bal- ance each other out in the healthcare field so does the marriage between equipment and the inven- tory on its shelves,” Loper told Healthcare Purchasing News. “The magnet that


Ian Loper


brings science and art together are the people. If the systems and processes in place focus on the employees and the patients, then everything else will fall into


place. Storage equipment plays an integral part within this relationship.” In fact, Loper posits that if a department fails to be organized from a space and work ow perspective that they are liter- ally losing profi ts on the shelves. “The downstream impact of wasting


space can lead to compromising employee care, patient care, and increasing costs throughout a hospital,” he insisted. “Slower than normal retrieval times, delayed supply replenishment, expired inventory stored in sub-optimal spaces, and product over ow into adacent rooms are ust some of the inefficiencies that result in an unorganized Supply Chain. Space Optimization initiatives should be at the forefront of every Supply Chain, Materials, OR, and CS/SPD process improvement list in 2021.”


Loper urges healthcare facilities to investigate the economics buttressing their options. He estimates that the average new construction costs for a hospital can span $400 to $625 per square foot, which can motivate decisions.


Hospitals, by and large, have two choices, according to Loper. “One – keep the same footprint and upgrade to a more space- effi cient storage system, or two - keep the current style of open shelving and plan for


46 July 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


renovation or new construction. The for- mer is cost-effective and non-invasive. The latter is expensive, disruptive on the daily operations, and not optimally designed to maximize space,” he noted.


“One way of making a positive change would be to upgrade the storage equip- ment from traditional open wire shelving to an integrated high-density system with pullout baskets and adustable compart- ments,” Loper advised. “A high-density storage system can save a department up to 25% to 50% of the existing storage space, enabling the department to work and grow organically within the current space with- out any construction or renovation costs, disruptions, etc.” Yet the pendulum can swing between having not enough space to having too much space to having space poorly organized. “Often times we visit hospital supply


rooms and we fi nd that storage space is under- utilized,” observed Zach Malingowski, Senior Director, Medline Supply Chain Optimization. “For example, the room may be set up with wall mounted panels and


Zach Malingowski Page 48


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