What’s inside:
Managing medical inventory in ASCs (ambulatory surgery centers) is a difficult task, and today’s video explores:
- The challenges of managing medical inventory in ASCs
- The automated healthcare technology designed to improve ASC supply chain management.
- Item level inventory tracking – in smart cabinets, in storerooms, and at the point of care
- Why hospitals fail to collect 100% usage data at the point of use.
- Best practice for ASCs in inventory management, and the ROI of an effective automated solution
This video is about successfully managing medical inventory in ASCs – the ambulatory surgery center setting. It is the next video in an educational series examining how to manage medical inventory in different settings.
Medical inventory is particularly complex to manage in ambulatory surgery centers.
This video is an educational session on the difficulties of implant tracking, it looks at how to improve the management of medical devices and implants in the ambulatory surgical setting.
We also review new technology – a robust solution for end-to-end inventory tracking for owned stock and consignment, as well as for all items consumed at the point of care, including bill-only items.
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Introduction to managing medical inventory in ASCs
Welcome to our series of short educational presentations on managing medical inventory in different settings.
Today we look at the difficulties of managing medical inventory in the ambulatory care setting and discuss why healthcare supply chain management is such a difficult task in the ambulatory care sector. We’ll also look at new technology that‘s adding speed and efficiency to this task.
The challenges of ASC inventory management
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that managing inventory in the ASC setting is such a challenge.
Multi-specialty ASCs use a wide range of medical inventory for different types of procedures and surgeries. They will need to keep track of this stock and ensure that every reportable and billable item is tracked efficiency, while in stock and when consumed.
Management of this complex inventory may or may not involve a dedicated materials manager. Many smaller ASCs operate with nursing and back-room staff managing this function.
Because it’s not easy to keep track of every item many can suffer from surpluses, shortages and stockouts, which can of course impact on the provision of prompt patient care.
Automated healthcare technology for managing medical inventory in ASCs
The current technology and systems used to manage inventory, such as barcode scanning and manual keying in of data, have very real limitations when it comes to dealing with the ‘real world’ problems of operating rooms.
What’s needed is a solution that can achieve end-to-end tracking and charge capture of EVERY type of item – including owned stock, consignment, and bill-only items.
Let’s look at how IDENTI Medical tackles inventory tracking in the ambulatory care sector.
Complete solution for ASC inventory management
First of all, it’s important to recognize that different types of items are monitored in different ways. Some high dollar items will be RIFD tagged. Other items, like trunk stock, may arrive directly to the point of care. Any system documenting consumption will need to be able to deal with all types of stock, however they are tracked.
The system should be suited to different clinical environments, as each has its own needs.
The storage location is also important – is it stored in a cabinet or on the storeroom shelves.
The best inventory management systems can offer a solution to all types of stock stored in different locations.
TotalSense – total solution for automated implant tracking in smart cabinets and storerooms
The TotalSense RFID smart cabinet comes in a range of configurations to suit different settings.
The cabinet is an automated item-level implant tracking system that helps providers to comply with UDI regulations and track all activity – both for products and users.
So, let’s look at how healthcare technology is solving supply chain management challenges in the ASC sector. Check out these three features:
- Total Sense is a UHF RFID smart cabinet that perpetually tracks every item, reports on inventory levels, and monitors expiry. It records when items are removed from the cabinet, including the user who took them.
- The technology can be shared with partners such as vendors, distributors and GPOs, making it ideal for pain-free consignment management as well as local owned-stock management.
- Inventory that’s not in the cabinet, but sits on the shelves, can also be tracked. IDENTI’s Total Sense Mobile turns storerooms into a virtual smart cabinet. Using RFID tags, a mobile scanner and our AI cloud management system ensures comprehensive stock management for items in the cabinet or on the shelves.
TotalSense can provide a comprehensive medical inventory management solution for all those products that need item level tracking.
Solving healthcare implant management challenges
At IDENTI Medical we can help you in several ways.
We can give you complete visibility and control of your inventory and ensure that prompt and accurate medical inventory data is available for improved management and planning.
We can help you manage expiry and reduce product wastage and to streamline the inventory for reduced case costs and supply chain expenditure.
And most importantly, we can ensure that patients have the right stock available at the right time, and that items are monitored carefully to boost patient safety by preventing unsafe items being accidentally used.
Next generation medical inventory management system
IDENTI Medical has created the next-generation of medical inventory management using:
- Advanced data-sensing hardware
- AI cloud software that taps into a global SKU database and is fully interoperable with hospital systems.
And what about the point of use?
Currently, existing systems over-rely on busy nurses, are too barcode-dependent, are held back by clunky software, and constrained by out-of-date catalogs.
It’s time for an upgrade.
Snap&Go computer vision technology for enhanced OR utilization documentation
IDENTI’s surgical supply documentation solution for ASCs brings the barcode era to an end and heralds in a brand-new way of capturing utilization data – by recording an image of the product packet or label.
At IDENTI, we don’t scan we snap, and go.
So, let’s find out about Snap&Go.
Our next generation point of care utilization documentation tool uses image recognition technology turns item capture into a 3 second task!
It delivers automatic item identification via a globally-populated SKU database (supported by a human back office) ensuring that every item is identified, whether it finds a match in the local Item Master or not. Whether it’s a stock item or not. Whether it’s barcoded or not.
The AI platform produces metrics, reports and data analytics to improve healthcare management and margins.
Recording small consumable for orthopedic ASCs
We understand the needs of different departments, for example, in orthopedic surgical areas we have a way to record the nuts, bolts and screws used in surgery. Our system can ‘read’ hand-written implant sheets, making it easy to digitally record the small consumables used in surgery.
ROI on new OR data collection technology
Just look at the power of 100% data collection!
10 to 20% increase in reimbursement!
70% or higher reduction in wastage!
30 to 40% reduction in nurse admin time
25% reduction in inventory
And more…
The role of OR surgical supply data in healthcare management
Data is central to modern healthcare management. It’s the gas that feeds vital workflows and informs management decision-making.
Snap & Go is fully interoperable with existing systems such as the ERP, EHR, MMIS so that data is fed into operational workflows for maximum efficiency.
IDENTI has reimagined supply chain data collection giving you medical inventory data sensing tools, automated product identification via a global, virtual database, and vital point of use consumption data to drive through efficiencies and improve organizational performance.
ASC inventory management solution
IDENTI has reimagined ASC surgical supply data collection, giving you custom-designed data sensing tools, automated product identification via a global, virtual database, and vital OR and procedure room utilization data, in order to drive through efficiencies and improve organizational performance.
If you’re struggling with an inefficient inventory management system and inadequate point-of-use product usage documentation tool, it’s time to join the image-to-data revolution.
Contact us for a chat or demo.
