Author: Brittni Straseske

Responding to Frequent Drug Shortages

By: Brittni Straseske, Rachel Gerlach
Date: November 16, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Drug Shortage, Drug Supply, Pharmacy

Drug shortages continue to pose challenges for provider pharmacies in the final quarter of the year. While the causes for drug shortages can vary from natural disasters to voluntary recalls, one thing remains consistent: provider organizations need to have the ability to react to the inevitable shortages. Hospitals and health systems that are unable to […]

Observing Best Practices in Healthcare Sustainability Efforts

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: October 30, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Envision, Gundersen Health System, Sustainability

One of the leaders in healthcare sustainability efforts has been Gundersen Health System, located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The organization has a centralized sustainability program called Envision that is tackling environmental stewardship from several angles. HBI recently visited Gundersen’s main campus to learn about Envision and observe the program’s operations firsthand. Gundersen originally began exploring […]

How Provider Supply Chains Can Prepare for Extreme Weather Events

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: August 30, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Disaster preparedness, Extreme weather events, Supply chain readiness

According to the National Climate Assessment, a team of experts working under the Federal Advisory Committee, extreme weather events have been increasing in frequency, particularly over the last several decades. Floods, hurricanes, snow storms, droughts, and massive wildfires pose a significant health threat and can cause serious disruptions in the production and logistics of medical […]

Recent Supply Chain Survey Highlights Issues with Customer Service

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: June 26, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: Clinician satisfaction, Customer satisfaction, Expired devices, Recalls

In March, Cardinal Health published “Hospital Supply Chain Survey,” a document detailing the results of a survey the company conducted in November of last year. The survey’s respondents were 305 hospital workers; 128 of which were clinicians, 100 were OR-specific supply chain administrators, and the remaining 77 were general supply chain administrators. Results of the […]

FDA Makes Updates to AccessGUDID Database

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: April 24, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: AccessGUDID, GUDID, UDI, unique device identifier

As the unique device identifier labelling requirement compliance dates set by the FDA continue to roll out, the agency is providing support for stakeholders by hosting the GUDID, or global UDI database. GUDID, which acts as a catalog for all medical devices containing a UDI label, is publicly accessible through AccessGUDID. In the past few […]

Point-of-use Cleaning in the OR: What Does Supply Chain Need to Know?

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: February 27, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: OR, Point-of-use cleaning, scrub technicians, Supply chain

Point-of-use cleaning, recommended by numerous industry organizations, is an OR process of rinsing instruments during the operation and preparing them for transportation to the decontamination area or sterile processing department after the procedure concludes. A number of industry organizations advise that all reusable instruments should be wiped—and any lumens flushed—with sterile water between uses during […]

Diversifying Contract Portfolios Provides Mutual Benefits

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: January 4, 2018
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: MBEs, minority business enterprise, Minority-owned businesses, supplier diversity

Hospitals and health systems are central pillars in many communities, serving as anchor institutions that not only deliver healthcare to the local population, but also provide jobs, donate to charitable organizations, make community investments, and stimulate the economy. In many communities, the local hospital or health system may be the largest organization in that community. […]

Fine-Tuning an RFID System

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: October 31, 2017
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: asset tracking, equipment tracking, RFID

Almost one-third of hospitals and health systems have implemented radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, according to Supply Chain Academy data. Briefly explained, RFID allows organizations to track the movement of equipment throughout their facilities; a system of RFID tags and sensors transmit location data to a centralized “map.” Initially, the technology enabled equipment managers to react […]

The Growing Feasibility of Using 3D Printed Surgical Models

By: Brittni Straseske
Date: September 5, 2017
Category: Supply Chain
Filed under: 3D Printing, Stereolithography

The use of 3D printing has been making notable waves in the medical world for the last few years, with headlines, articles, and videos detailing how printers can create custom prosthetics, organ replacements, and even skin grafts that can be printed directly onto the patient. To the average news consumer, the use of 3D printers […]