By , Syft Chief Technology Officer

3 Critical Attributes for Hospitals

4 Minute Read – Hospitals across the country are evaluating their options when it comes to transitioning to a Cloud-based supply chain management solution. From an infrastructure and resource-optimization perspective, the advantages of the cloud over on-premise solutions are clear. Key benefits include flexibility and scale, enhanced security, automated software updates, and peace of mind that your hospital can continue operations in the event of an on-premise outage or other IT disruption.

While cloud-based supply chain management has significant benefits, hospitals and health systems making the transition must ensure they have a supply chain management optimization partner that seamlessly integrates with, and enhances, their cloud-based approach. If not, their unique needs and objectives as a hospital or health system are unlikely to be met, and they are unlikely to experience the full benefits of a cloud transition. Here are the top three attributes to look for in a supply chain management partner that can complement your move to the cloud:

Attribute #1. An experienced, healthcare-exclusive provider and platform

You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist to treat your migraines or an ophthalmologist to treat your hip pain. When selecting a cloud-based supply chain management solution, seek out a partner that knows healthcare. Syft has worked exclusively with hospitals and health systems for more than 20 years. In fact, we are the first application ecosystem vendor to be Oracle-Cloud certified that is 100 percent healthcare-exclusive. That extensive experience enables us to build our solution based on a solid understanding of hospitals’ needs.

One example? Consider our PAR location management solution. While solutions that aren’t exclusively focused on healthcare approach PAR inventory management in a transactional way, we take the transaction a step further with analytic insights. For hospitals with multiple PAR locations, we help identify where PAR optimization efforts should be focused such as a PAR location with frequent stock outs or fast-moving supplies—drilling down to the location level and item level–and then share recommendations regarding the best next steps.

Attribute #2. A solution that includes workflow-enhancing tools for supply chain teams and clinicians

Supply chain technologies are often designed for supply chain teams, but nurses and other clinical staff also need tools to quickly track and document inventory. Syft’s intuitive platform enables dock-to-doc supply chain optimization, and makes it easy for warehouse, supply chain, and clinical teams to incorporate the platform into their workstreams.

One of Syft’s biggest advantages is that it provides point-of-use supply chain management tools that automate supply-related processes for clinical staff through integrated barcode and RFID scanning technology. This leads to greater efficiency and higher margins in high value, high volume procedural areas.

Attribute #3. Solutions that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

A supply chain management solution should foster continued improvement over time through AI and ML technologies. Syft’s dashboards and analytics provide real-time business intelligence insights that drive inventory and process optimization in all areas, including procedural and surgical settings.

With the right solution, hospitals can use supply chain analytics for demand forecasting, waste reduction, efficiency improvements, and more. For example, they can predict how many total knee or hip replacements will be done in the next six weeks and ensure the appropriate supplies are on hand when needed. They can optimize physician preference cards in the OR by tracking cost and outcomes variance data. And, they can identify supply-level standardization opportunities to reduce waste and improve margins.

The cloud presents great promise for hospital supply chains—but to experience its full benefits, hospitals need the right supply chain optimization partner. Take the time to research which solutions are designed specifically for healthcare and that enhance your processes across the enterprise before you make the leap.

Kishore Bala Chief Technology Officer

Kishore Bala is an accomplished technology professional with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare supply chain, manufacturing, and finance verticals. Known for achieving business goals, he offers a unique blend of healthcare domain expertise, technology experience, executive acumen, sales and marketing experience, application development, and application implementation experience. Mr. Bala has helped develop the Syft supply chain management platform with substantial improvement to business solution offerings at Syft.

Kishore was one of the principals of AtPar, Inc., which Syft acquired in 2010, and has been instrumental in building AtPar’s product portfolio. He has extensive subject matter expertise working with some of the leading healthcare information systems and ERP/materials management systems like PeopleSoft, Lawson, Oracle, McKesson Pathways Materials Management, and Meditech. He also has extensive subject matter expertise in some of the leading and upcoming mobile technologies, standards like HL7, GS1, HBICC, and UDI, and HIPAA regulations, e-Pedigree requirements, etc.

Kishore holds an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, an engineering degree from India, and a diploma in database technologies.

Syft Synergy and Oracle SCM Cloud learn More
By , Chief Nursing Officer

A preference card is a detailed list of a surgeon’s preferences to complete a particular procedure. Preference cards typically contain needed and requested instrumentation and supplies including suture material, implantable devices, and other physician preference items. Preference cards can provide diagrams and pictures for room set-up, table set-up, and needed equipment.

4 Minute Read – How accurate are the physician preference cards in your OR? A recent survey conducted by Sage Growth Partners of 100 frontline OR nurses and OR leaders found that only 3% said their hospital’s preference cards are always accurate. That means 97% of nurses are dealing with inaccurate preference cards.

View the full survey results in our latest report: A Nurse-Centric Supply Chain: What it Looks Like and Why it’s Fundamental to Your Hospital’s Success

That high rate of inaccuracy takes a significant toll on nurses, patients, and hospitals, with consequences that include:

  • Increased supply and labor costs including labor to pick the case, labor to return unused or unnecessary supplies, inadvertently discarded or contaminated supplies, and open but unused supplies on the back table. Supplies that are picked and on case carts are reserved and unavailable for other needs which can also result in overordering and overstocking.
  • Increased patient safety issues when the circulating nurse is forced to leave the OR to retrieve needed supplies that are not on the preference card. This increases the number of times the OR door is opened which can increase risk for surgical site infections according to research.1 Additionally, the added time it takes to retrieve supplies leads to longer anesthesia time for the patient.
  • Increased procedural costs and reduced OR throughput as operating room time is calculated by blocks of time or by the minute. The extra time that it takes to leave the room to retrieve needed supplies that are not on the preference card result in additional procedural costs and the inability to increase case throughput in the OR.
  • Increased surgeon and staff dissatisfaction resulting from not having supplies, instruments, and equipment readily available. This is a significant cause of dissatisfaction for surgeons as well as circulating nurses.

Accurate Data Leads to Accurate Physician Preference Cards. And That’s a Fact.

Accurate and updated preference cards require accurate data to understand true usage by physician and procedure. Two key ingredients are needed in order to accomplish this:

  1. Fully integrated supply chain management software with barcode scanning at the point-of-use.
  2. Nursing compliance in using the technology needed to capture supply consumption.

With these key ingredients in place, OR leaders can present surgeons with quantitative information (precise and objective data) and begin collaborating on how or if to update preference cards.

Let our team of clinical experts help guide you to optimized preference cards and new standardization opportunities. Click here to learn more and to schedule a virtual preference card demonstration.

  1. 1. Sage Growth Partners Survey of 100 frontline nurses and nurse leaders, February 2021

Lee Smith DHA, MBA, BSN, RNFA Chief Nursing Officer

As the CNO at Syft, Lee is responsible for guiding customers through their implementations of Syft Synergy point-of-use (POU) and analytics solutions to drive efficiencies and expense reductions throughout the perioperative environment. With an extensive clinical background, Lee is instrumental in helping hospital clinical leadership and front-line users understand how to best optimize their Syft Synergy technology investments, improve processes and metrics across the perioperative continuum, and use data insights to improve the performance of operating rooms. Lee has more than 35 years of experience in health care, including 21 years in supply chain and information technology. She has held leadership positions in hospitals as well as other health care organizations such as Cardinal Health, CareFusion, and BD. She holds a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, a Master of Science in Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

Physician Preference Cards Learn More