HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

Health Technology

Abstract

Describes one approach to meeting the health-care cost reduction challenge through the clinic components administration function. Highlights the worth of taking a proactive stance to meet the challenge; moving technology over industry parts, such as employing a just-in-time inventory administration scheme in clinical localities of hospital components administration, and taking up a win-win managerial philosophy. Features a case study to demonstrate the concepts in practice.

Health Technology

Introduction

Some hospitals are proactively adopting change as they arrange for their future. This is an approach that differs markedly from being reactive or waiting until it is broken to rectify it which some clinic managers propose has beset the health-care industry. The active implementation of total value management (TQM) techniques is one way change is occurring[7]. Increasingly, contractors and advisors are involved in the development and implementation of TQ solutions. For example, some clinics contract with unaligned service organizations (ISOs) to handle all their biomedical equipment. The aim is to decline charges and consolidate equipment maintenance charges while obtaining “cutting edge” know-how often not available in-house. In some TQ equipment maintenance programmes, the contractor is literally brought on-site (even in hospitals smaller than 200 beds) by giving the contractor's service technicians a 24-hour a day, seven days a week office in the hospital. Judith Hannan[8], director of expertise administration, for a midwestern ISO, remarks that service-quality is enhanced because the hospital no longer has to: put out a service call to the equipment constructors. We're already there. And, with an on-site cross-equipment taught preventative maintenance (PM) specialist, service calls are at a minimum. Equipment seldom goes out for bench-service[8].

Another approach some clinics are taking to achieve a leadership place is by transferring technology from personal commerce to health care to ensure that they can comprise charges, advance management methods, enhance clientele service grades, and increase their operational efficiency. Hospital components administration is one significant locality in which technology move can be discerned, and scale finances dramatically achieved. For demonstration, some hospitals are using a advisor or materials administration professional that is for the time being put in the function of materials supervisor for one to two years. During this period, the one-by-one evolves and applies materials management answers to strategic materials administration issues. (This implementation often includes in-service training of the hospitals' permanent employees so that they may maintain the changes once the consultant leaves.) Such outsiders often have expertise in both industry and health-care materials management to make possible the “technology transfer”. In effect; “we are portraying as change agencies to be a part of the answer to supply cost-effective value care to hospitals”, remarks Daniel Herrick, President, Interlakes assembly Inc. (IG)[9]. It appears to be working. For example, Herrick, acting as an interim materials manager and consultant, in a large cash-strapped hospital in “strategic crisis”, was able to drive in excess of $22 million (about 3 per cent) out of the hospital's operating budget in approximately ten months. According to managers at this clinic, this was accomplished without decreasing clientele service ...