MHA Society for Purchasing & Materiel Managers

AHRMM announces on-line survey to gauge executives' perceptions of supply chain management

The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management recently announced an online survey to gauge hospital executives’ perceptions of the importance of supply chain management within their organizations, as well as issues and trends in the industry. The survey will be distributed to hospital CEOs, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and health care supply chain leaders. Survey results will provide insight into the goals, priorities and performance of supply chain management so executives can optimize their organizations’ supply chains.

[ via AHA News Now ]

AHRMM to host regional seminars

The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management will host four regional seminars in 2008. The seminars will feature educational sessions on “Lean Six Sigma” for the health care supply chain and radio frequency identification.

For more information or to register, visit www.ahrmm.org. AHRMM is an American Hospital Association personal membership group for executives in health care resource and materials management.

Supply-chain group pushes international standards

The Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Coalition is recommending the industry adopt standards established by the international standards organization GS1 to improve delivery of quality patient care.

The Chicago-based coalition endorses using a global location number and a global trade identification number, two GS1 standards used to identify and track products. According to a coalition news release, using GS1’s standards will ensure supply-chain participants in the healthcare industry will be able to identify every organization and every product the same way, cutting costs and confusion.

“This is a monumental step forward from our current state, where trading partners record organizational and product information differently and often manually, leading to tremendous inefficiency, waste and inaccuracy,” said Joseph Dudas, coalition co-chairman and director of accounting and supply chain informatics at the Mayo Clinic, in a written statement.

The coalition based its recommendation on results of a one-year survey of its members, which include supply-chain trade groups and healthcare providers. That survey showed most of its participants already were considering whether to adopt an organizational identifier on products, and were considering using GS1 standards.

[ via Jean DerGurahian, Modern Healthcare's Daily Dose ]

Medtronic recalls defibrillator leads

Medtronic Inc. has voluntarily removed its Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads from the market, citing the potential for the electronic wires to fracture, the company announced on Oct. 15. The leads are used to deliver therapy in defibrillators, including implantable cardioverter devices.

According to a statement by the Food and Drug Administration, current information indicates that fractures have occurred in less than 1% of the roughly 268,000 leads implanted worldwide. The agency said the leads should no longer be implanted in patients, adding, “Neither FDA, Medtronic, nor representatives of the Heart Rhythm Society recommend the routine surgical removal of a fractured lead because removal carries risks.”

FDA said it agrees with Medtronic’s recommendation that defibrillator settings be adjusted at the patient’s next scheduled visit with their doctor.

[ via AHA News Now ]

ASHCSP to merge with international association

The American Society for Healthcare Central Service Professionals, an American Hospital Association personal membership group, plans to unite with the International Association of Healthcare Central Service and Materiel Management. ASHCSP said the merger, to be finalized by year-end, will allow the organization to build for the future and eliminate duplication. The organizations represent managers and technicians involved in sterile processing and supply distribution functions.

FDA approves updated labeling for anticoagulant

The Food and Drug Administration has approved updated labeling for Coumadin, a widely used blood-thinning drug. The agency expects makers of warfarin, the generic version of Coumadin, to add similar information to their product labeling.

The labeling updates are based on recent studies that found people respond to the drug differently based in part on whether they have variations of certain genes. The new labeling highlights that genetic testing may help optimize the use of warfarin and lower the risk of bleeding complications from the drug.

[ via AHA News Now ]

The Energy-Efficient Supply Chain

In light of rising energy costs, regulation concerns, and the demands of conscientious customers, companies are increasingly motivated to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. One major opportunity lies in the industrial supply chain, which is typically more wasteful than necessary. To address the green challenge, leaders will need to adjust their supply chains by using a toolbox that includes information technology, management practice, incentives, and sheer common sense.

Read the full Resilience Report here.

Survey assesses use of supply standard identifier

The Healthcare Supply Chain Standards Coalition has launched an online survey to assess the use of organizational identifiers in the health care supply chain and problems associated with the lack of a common standard. Health care providers, group purchasing organizations, distributors, manufacturers and other vendors are encouraged to respond to the survey by Aug. 24.

The coalition plans by late September to recommend a standard for identifying organizations in the health care supply chain. The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management, an American Hospital Association (AHA) personal membership group, supports adopting the Global Location Number as the standard.

The AHA is a member of the coalition, which recommends uniform supply chain data standards and works to facilitate their adoption.

[ via AHA News Now ]

AHRMM releases disaster preparedness manual

The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management recently published the Disaster Preparedness Manual for Healthcare Materials Management Professionals, which provides an overview of the specific value and expanded leadership roles supply chain professionals can play in the planning, mitigation, response and recovery phases of the health care sector’s disaster preparedness. The easy-to-read manual offers materials management professionals specific suggestions and ideas for procurement and distribution to help sustain their operation’s agility and redundancy during a disaster.

Supply chain professionals can order a copy of the manual online or by calling (800) 242-2626 and requesting product number 142940. AHRMM is an American Hospital Association personal membership group.

FDA asks company to recall medical devices

The Food and Drug Administration on May 2 issued a formal request that Shelhigh Inc. recall all of its medical devices remaining in the marketplace, including hospital inventories, because of sterility concerns. On April 17, U.S. Marshals seized all medical devices and components at Shelhigh’s facility in Union, NJ, after the FDA found significant deficiencies in the company’s manufacturing processes.

According to the FDA, the company declined to perform a voluntary recall at that time. The agency recommends that doctors and hospitals consider using alternative products.

The Shelhigh devices include pediatric heart valves, tube-like devices for blood flow (conduits), surgical patches, dural patches to aid in tissue recovery after neurosurgery, annuloplasty rings to help repair heart valves, and arterial grafts.

"Since these are critical devices implanted into seriously-ill patients, ensuring their sterility is absolutely essential to prevent infection," said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. For more information, see the FDA news release.

[ via AHA News Now ]