With the mounting attention on reducing costs and improving outcomes in today's healthcare market, providers are feeling the pressure. Savvy healthcare providers realize the importance of appropriately managing their inventory of medical and surgical supplies and the benefits of precise inventory management.
Supply chain management is a specialized function that can directly affect both the organization’s bottom line and patient outcomes, for better or for worse. In other words, effective control and management of medical and surgical supplies improves the delivery of healthcare services, patient care, and the provider’s financial performance. Owens & Minor can be an important partner in helping hospitals achieve these positive outcomes.
Historically, inventory management was not really viewed as a critical function鈥攖o have a whole process for managing sutures, for example, was an innovative idea. Traditionally, the focus was solely on the patient and patient care. However, the advancement of healthcare services and medical products has changed that, putting more focus on life-saving products, high-tech implants, and even organ transplants.
The biggest challenge is the environment for the operating room or perioperative care. In many hospitals, it is an area of signific