Empirical comparison of just-in-time and stockless materiel management systems in the health care industry

Despite the limitations, this study is the first comparative empirical investigation of two relatively new materiel management systems applied in hospitals. The results show that hospital managers have significantly rated the possibility that more effective use of some materiel management resources can be achieved by adopting either a JIT or stockless system over conventional materiel management systems.     

CEO expectation: the Star Wars materiel manager of the 1990s, or C-3PO as role model

Materiel-intensive expenditures account for a significant portion of all hospital costs, second only to salaries and wages, yet materiel managers may often be overlooked as key members of the management team. This is alarming since the potential exists for materiel managers to impact annual savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars by operating efficient departments. Materiel managers have a tremendous opportunity to enhance their image and improve hospital productivity in the coming decade. The challenges of the 1990s will stretch materiel managers' skills toward enhancing their professionalism and achieving the expectations of themselves and top management. If materiel managers will effectively utilize (C3)PO they will increase their educational levels, continue to learn new skills, maintain a customer-oriented management style, exercise creativity, develop and adhere to standards, and be proactive in their responsibilities. The benefits of their success will be felt by patients, hospitals, the industry, and materiel managers everywhere.     

How is your materiel management audit program?

This article has provided a view from the auditor's eyes of some key components inherent in a sound materiel management system. Every system, however, has its own unique characteristics, some of which may contain internal control situations that are not addressed herein. Although most will apply, not every comment contained in this article will be practical to all systems. The hospital size, utilization, patient mix, service mix, physical outlay, organizational structure, financial condition, and management philosophy will all have an influence on the role of materiel management. Automation of various materiel management functions can be beneficial by providing informational and control enhancements not feasible in a manual system. However, automation also raises new internal-control concerns that need to be addressed. Strong internal control techniques and compliance with adequate policies and procedures will prepare materiel management for its role in future hospital operations.     

The materiel manager-chief financial officer alliance.

There is a gold mine of potential inventory reductions, expense reductions, and revenue increases in most hospitals that can be tapped by more intensive materiel management. The first step is incorporating the necessary ingredients for a strong materiel management effort--the right people and a state-of-the-art computer program. Reorganization may be necessary to establish a more unified, consolidated approach to materiel management. Second, conduct an audit of the entire hospital to identify opportunities for improvement and to establish baseline management data. Finally, push forward the process of system changes (which also establishes necessary controls) until results are accomplished--a process that usually requires one to three years. The alliance between the materiel manager and the CFO is definitely beneficial to the hospital and to the individuals involved.     

航材供应链管理的集成体系

基于现代物流供应链集成管理理论,结合航材工作的军事特征,给出航材供应链管理的基本内涵。在此基础上,系统提出以航材供应链的战略管理、航材供应链的信息管理、航材供应链的流程重组及航材供应链的风险管理等为主要构成的航材供应链管理的集成体系。     

Strategic imperatives for managing materiel into the next century

The next century of opportunity is less than a decade away. Materiel management must involve itself in the strategic changes occurring within the health care industry and its respective institutions. Those materiel managers who are aggressively ensuring that their operations are supported by a well-developed and well-orchestrated operational infrastructure are now well positioned to address the future challenges of this decade. Unfortunately, many other materiel managers are focusing their attention and efforts solely on the management of materiel for which they currently have control. Materiel managers must develop an acute awareness of the support needs of their respective organizations. Those who are not apprehensive about venturing from the traditional materiel management world will be exposed to incredible educational opportunities and will receive responsibilities of unparalleled organizational importance.     

Hospital material management in Taiwan: a survey

The new insurance policy that began in 1995 for all people in Taiwan and severe competition within the health care industry are some of the pressing issues forcing hospitals to improve their operational efficiency. A primary productivity improvement for hospitals is the reduction of the cost of material management because the materiel function on average controls 30-40 percent of the operating dollars in a Taiwan hospital. In this article, a fuzzy clustering method is used to classify the different types of materiel management systems within Taiwan hospitals. Inventory turnover rates and fill rates are compared among those different types of systems by using multivariate analysis of variance. The results show that the differences in both inventory turnover rates and fill rates are statistically significant among different material management systems.     

Partnership in education: central service prepares students for materiel management duties

Partnership in education looks at one technical college's approach to meeting the demand for trained workers in central service and materiel management. This article examines the partnership formed between a college, area health care facilities, and industry to design, develop, and implement a central service materiel management program.     

Reengineering materiel management for strategic placement

The future of a hospital's materiel management function will depend on how well aligned it is with the institution's strategic direction. A sleek, customer-directed, information-rich supply process will provide the competitive edge. A reengineering mindset is needed to meet the challenge.     

Business process reengineering: a pathway for performance improvement

Health care materiel management executives are coping with a revolutionary environment. Demands and constraints are being placed on hospitals that necessitate both long-term solutions and rapid responses. Materiel management executives can play a vital role in transforming their areas from a passive service center to an active command center. It is essential that the materiel management executive play an active role in the change process.     

The materiel manager's role in executive management

The ability to achieve advancement for materiel management is a potential that few have challenged and achieved. Reasons for this lack of growth vary in degree, but the opportunities in the 1990s will be tremendous. The political skill and team leadership ability expressed by materiel managers throughout hospitals will ultimately result in whether this challenge is met or not. Materiel managers will need certainly to change their perception of their own role, as well as the perception of hospitals, in order to achieve this. The road will be challenging, but with the winning attitude, skill building, and proven management ability, I believe that materiel managers will become successful in hospital executive management in the 1990s.     

The role of certification in the buyer/planner position: a case study at Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

The use of buyer/planners may becoming more popular. If they are, the reason is probably that many companies are integrating materiel management skill sets as a way of increasing the effectiveness of their supply chains. Harley-Davidson recently created a supply management function composed of buyer/planners. This article describes the method it used to achieve the transition, the training plan it implemented to support the process, and the role management played in achieving success.     

CEO expectations of the pharmacist materiel manager

The pharmacist possesses the knowledge and skills required of a materiel manager. The pharmacist must be willing to adapt to the materiel management environment. The resultant loss of certain clinical skills is inevitable. The pharmacist who does not accept this will not succeed. The CEO should expect this.     

Restructuring materiel management functions: a method for prioritizing changes and reducing costs

The success of any manager depends highly on the ability to seize on opportunities that will achieve the organization's goals. Hospitals are currently searching for ways to reduce costs while maintaining or enhancing the quality of services. Quality services are increasingly being defined as those that are most responsive to customer needs. It is important, as hospital management restructures materiel systems or methods of operation for reduced costs, to focus on the user departments as the customers. The consolidation of materiel management activity should not be seen as a loss of control at the user department level. Instead it can be seen as a new way of providing service with higher quality. User departments should see concrete benefits on a weekly basis, including reduced time spent on materiel management functions; increased planning of purchasing, inventory, and distribution functions; and assistance in meeting restricted supply budgets.     

Survival depends on effective partnerships with suppliers, management, and physicians

Partnering in health care materiel management circles is a concept that has been discussed for years. We, as materiel managers, have never accomplished effective partnering; but I propose that if we are to have a professional future, we should learn to establish effective partnership arrangements with our various customers--externally and internally.     

Central service as a clinical department.

Central service is a viable, moving, dynamic area that provides service and expertise in finance, production, and clinical care. To recognize and understand its financial and production-based aspects and yet ignore the clinical aspects is to operate ineffectively. Clinical application of the central service area is an operational imperative for materiel management. It is a vehicle for direct participation in clinical care, and it should be developed extensively. By advocating central service as a clinical area, materiel management becomes an integral, clinical part of health care provision.     

Developing rapport between materiel management and surgery

A materiel management system, developed into an efficient organization, seems to be the most practical solution to solve interrelations between two complex operational departments, the CPD and surgery, be it for supply acquisition, inventory, processing, or distribution. The goal is to develop the most intelligent and efficient method so that the materiel management facility renders the required service to the surgical department, which in turn, services patient needs at the lowest possible cost.     

Efficient materiel handling and distribution: a design perspective

This article offers a condensed examination of facility design and the interface between owners, hospital managers, and architects in planning for hospital materiel handling and storage needs. A brief history is given of the evolution of materiel management and progress today in efficient ordering, storing, distributing, and inventory and billing. The article closes with a discussion of work redesign and personnel vs. equipment concerns. Two case studies exemplify similar goals from different approaches.     

Materiel management reengineering: value creation through innovation

By reengineering their department's core processes, materiel managers can expand their role in the health care setting while realizing significant cost savings. Using a team model, Inova Health System materiel management staff integrated their processes for vendor selection, purchasing, inventory reduction, and utilization across three hospitals and ancillary services. An integrated approach at all levels of the organization gained buy-in from administrators and staff systemwide.     

Managing materiel in a multidivisional corporation

By using centralized purchasing and prime vendor contracts, the Allied Services material management department has been able to handle very effectively the purchasing needs of this multidivisional health care complex. Through active enforcement of Allied Service's materiel management policies and procedures, the department continues to be able to acquire the products and services that are necessary to keep the many programs running. Most importantly, these products and services continue to be acquired while the three significant attributes of materiel management--quality, availability, and service--are maintained.