Managing unofficial inventory: a piece of the materiel management foundation

The implementation plan will remain the same: target an area of opportunity, measure and document the amount and value of the unofficial inventory, establish PAR levels, implement the use of hand-held terminals to assist in inventory control, and integrate inventory control with the implementation of new programs that will impact ordering, receiving, distribution, and invoicing. It is anticipated that the inventory in the main OR alone can be reduced by $1.5 million if we move forward with a stockless JIT system. This would reduce the days of inventory on hand from approximately 100 days to between 7 and 14 days. This could also mean a holding cost reduction of $150,000. The merit of reducing unofficial inventory is evident. Managing unofficial inventory is merely one piece of the successful materiel management foundation. The other foundation pieces include contract compliance and price negotiations, systematic methods of ordering products, and timely distribution of products to the end user. PHS cannot effectively move forward to a new, innovative materiel system for the future until we first measure, analyze, and document the present conditions. Once the foundation is laid by improving present business practices, then the framework of the structure can be designed and constructed. The goal is to implement a system that utilizes the full potential of people, equipment, logistics, and information so that our customers, the patient caretakers, do not have to worry about anything except the delivery of quality care.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Vying for time. Work and family

Time--there is never enough of it. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything at work and at home. Today's employees, forced to choose between work obligations and family responsibilities, often feel frazzled and guilty. Some employers recognize these conflicts and are finding ways to lighten the work/family load. They are offering a sophisticated combination of dependent-care options, flexible work hours and family-related benefits tailored to meet the needs of the employees within their specific industries. HRMagazine looks at leaders in six major industries--manufacturing, health, communications/technology, financial management, government and retail. No one can give employees that 25-hour day that everyone feels they need to juggle all their work and family obligations. But these industry leaders have provided a nurturing environment where employees can successfully balance those obligations.