Supply Chain

If hospitals are required to record unique device identifiers (UDIs) in electronic health records, there will be a need for supply chain involvement. But what that involvement should look like--and when--is still unknown.

Approximately 5 million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease each year. Given the not-inconsequential costs of treating this condition, hospitals can benefit from exploring creative ways to purchase artificial replacement valves at a reduced price.

An increasing number of healthcare organizations are turning to demand forecasting, crunching numbers to help them determine potential device usage, patient demand and even to decide whether or not to build new facilities.

Supply chain departments are integral in reducing costs across our nation's healthcare system. But in the midst of the worries and fires they put out when trying to reduce costs and improve outcomes, supply chain teams may be overlooked in getting their due credit.

Two giants in the medical products business have agreed to consolidate services that bring supplies to physician offices.

After several years of modest increases, U.S. spending on medications is projected to shoot up by 12 percent this year, pushing the nation's drug bill to between $375 billion and $385 billion.

In today's anesthesia machine market, high-acuity systems have become the fastest growing segment. Purchasing trends indicate that anesthesiologists prefer these systems and that hospitals find top-tier systems are worth the additional cost.

Shares of medical device maker Medtronic Inc. surged Tuesday after the Minneapolis-based company said it would go ahead with its planned $49.2 billion merger with Covidien.

There's a great deal at stake in hospital sourcing and the management of medical supplies. A focus on lowering costs by standardized purchasing of drugs or devices can't come at the expense of compromising high-quality care.

Opportunities still exist within the healthcare supply chain for improvement and greater efficiency of operations. Lately, price alignment strategies appear to be at the forefront as the newest hope for cost containment.