In a September webinar hosted by Becker’s ASC Review and sponsored by Cardinal Health, Penny Williams, senior consultant of clinical operations of Cardinal Health, and Caitlin Duggan, regional director of ASCs for Cardinal Health, discussed the importance of implementing a clinically integrated supply chain in your ASC and the resulting benefits.
See below to read three takeaways from this webinar:
- Regular, ongoing communications is critical to successful implementation. Many ASCs are relying on texting and communication boards to keep staff informed. Nurses can make a significant contribution by ensuring surgeons' preference cards are complete and updated as products change. Work with your facility to discover what form of communication works best.
- Educating clinicians and soliciting their input eases adoption and change. Clinicians need to understand how the supply chain disruptions over the past 18 months have impacted the items they need and prefer. "We need to be transparent with our staff regarding substitutes and encourage them to be open-minded about the adoption of different products and their standardization," Ms. Williams said. One way to do this is to involve as many of the staff as possible in trials and evaluations of new products. "When clinicians are involved in the procurement process, it increases the quality of patient care. It also decreases cost by offering like products on an even playing field.
- A clinically integrated supply chain means higher quality, less waste, reduced cost and fewer silos, leading to better patient outcomes. "When we create silos, we lack a meaningful connection and exchange of information with other departments," Ms. Williams said. By improving communication and integration through the supply chain, the organization can work together to determine the best products that deliver the best care at the best price. "In the end, this contributes to increased patient satisfaction while lowering costs," she added. "The standardization of specific products and vendors often results in better contract pricing and clinical process standardization, which can lead to fewer errors and improved overall efficiency."
Although managing a clinically integrated supply chain within an ASC is complex, a supply chain assessment with Cardinal Health can help. The assessment helps you identify opportunities to increase efficiencies and reduce waste within your supply chain, optimizing performance and finding real savings. Request a no-cost to you supply chain assessment here. To view the rest of the takeaways, visit Becker’s full webinar recap article.