A new study reveals that responsive, flexible hospital supply chains are commonplace rather than exceptional. That’s good news – but what challenges still remain?
Vast, highly complex and in a state of perpetual change, the healthcare industry is both recipient and dispenser of significant financial sums. In Flanders, hospitals alone account for some 7bn euro of annual spend. And while clinical quality and patient safety have always been paramount, today, managers increasingly face challenges brought about by rising costs (such as staff and R&D) and falling public investment. A degree of consolidation may have helped, by way of pooled resources and systems – but for many hospitals, this barely scratches the surface.
Better supply chain management may hold the key; expenditure on supplies may represent as much as 20 per cent or more of a hospital’s operational costs. But while organisations in other sectors have long recognised the impact of the supply chain on their business costs and capacity for efficient service delivery, the healthcare industry has been slow to catch on.
Yet there is ample room for improvement, particularly with regard to inbound supply – simply getting products and services to hospitals in the first place. Focusing on producers, logistic service providers and other service providers, recent research carried out by Vlerick indicates a number of emerging trends and thinking around optimisation of the supply chain – one that has plenty of scope for shaping by key players in the chain as it matures, drawing on specialist knowledge and technology.
Published on 5/10/2010
