Medical supply chain management is crucial in reducing costs and offering quality healthcare for all health practitioners. The process is complex and feels unending as it ranges from organizing first aid kits to tracking inventory, among other tasks, which can be overwhelming. Below are some tips on successfully managing and ordering medical supplies.
1. Familiarize Yourself With Orders and Medical Kits
Understanding the different medical supplies, quantities, and where the orders are shipped is crucial when placing an order. Such information is essential to avoid the unavailability of the items and restrictions from affecting your medical supplies. Additionally, knowing the delivery destination helps you factor in the shipment time of the medical equipment supplies. When placing the order, be details specific and research on customers, brokers, and storage during shipment. Upon arrival, ensure all the supplies are safe from inappropriate storage units. Some shipping containers do not have a proper environment to store medicines hence the need to find storage units with the right temperature to keep the supplies in good condition.
2. Develop an Effective Inventory Management System
Lack of a proper inventory management system results in underutilization of resources and extra costs due to over-ordering. It also delays inventory movement across the supply chain, causing some medical supplies to expire, reducing the revenue and profits. As a result, having a straightforward inventory system helps you boost the quality of supplies and compliance. An automated inventory system is best since it tracks and traces inventories used in a day, allowing purchasers to track items that need re-ordering quickly. Additionally, a computerized system helps providers identify recalled or damaged supplies and avoid prescribing them to their patients.
3. Monitor Supply Orders
It is vital to have medical supply order guidelines to ensure compliance and prevent unnecessary purchases. As a result, you must have a point of contact, an estimated shipping date, and a tracking number when placing an order. Ensure consistent review of these guidelines to help identify areas requiring improvement, and make the necessary changes. After the arrival of the supplies, create asset tags for all the items to virtually track the equipment. Tracking prevents loss and theft by enabling you to monitor the cycle of valuable medical supplies. Additionally, asset tags with barcodes minimize inventory costs and improve productivity by streamlining healthcare providers' check-in and check-out processes.
Conclusion
Staying in control of the medical supply chain is essential for all healthcare facilities. To manage medical supplies effectively and reduce the complexity of the process, follow the tips mentioned above. You can also seek medical support services to learn more about medical equipment and supply services.
