STRATEGIC SOURCING & LOGISITICS


STRATEGIC SOURCING & LOGISITICS


Ventilators on standby early in COVID-19 Pandemic. Photo credit: phonlamaiphoto | stock.adobe.com


Stripes, tags can chip away at supply chain ineffi ciencies, tracking-and- tracing troubles


by Rick Dana Barlow A


s the world struggles to emerge from a lingering global pandemic that exposed underlying vulner-


abilities in the supply chain, healthcare organization interest in bar coding and radiofreuency identifi cation ( tools for tracking and tracing products and ser- vices should be that much more alluring. But industry experts tell Healthcare Purchasing News that sourcing and evalu- ating bar coding and  products need to be accomplished with the right inten- tions, motivations and priorities. Strategies vary somewhat, yet an over-


arching theme remains: Start with the endgame and work backwards rather than merely salivate and yearn for the latest gadgets, gizmos and technology generat- ing buzz in conversations and in social and traditional media outlets. t can be tempting to look at tech- nology first,” cautioned Jody Costa, Vice President, Marketing & Strategic artnerships, arcoding nc., but resist that temptation and start with the pro- cess or challenge you need to solve. We recommend building out a current state


workfl ow and a future state workfl ow before reviewing technology. ts vital to talk to users and/or nurses who are handling items and/or caring for patients, as well as the people who access and use the inventory data. hats where the path toward your best solution will begin to reveal itself.


Costa recommends the following considerations: • Always start with the process first. tarting with process fl ows and user interaction will allow you to determine if bar coding or  (or both is the right path forward. Often these tech- nologies are best working together.


• The nature of the materials and environ- ment – radio signals, metals, and liquids can interfere with  signals, while certain environments or exposure to chemicals (like disinfectants, for eam- ple could damage some barcode labels andor devices. hats why its vital to have the right partner helping you.


• Understand the amount and nature of the data youre handling tags and labels can carry more information


18 September 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


than barcodes, and can be “read” in bulk, but if youre looking at patient item tracking, for example, barcode labels are a more appropriate solution.


 ntegration  how is the data being used, stored, accessed, analyzed, and reported? What will be needed to inte- grate the data into your organizations data management system? What level of visibility do you need to meet business goals? These questions will help with solutioning.


• When reviewing the process, does a person need to be involved hats one of the key differences between bar cod- ing and . ar coding needs line-of- sight scanning and  does not. To maximize return on investment,


Costa encourages keeping an eye out for any opportunities to improve accuracy and effi ciency by implementing technol- ogy. Examples might include identifying places where cycle counting is taking sig- nifi cant time.  can often speed up the cycle count process from days/weeks to hours, he said. dentify any work- fl ows that are currently tracking assets


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