Six
years ago, UPMC Health System, a Pittsburgh-based multi-hospital system that
befits the description of integrated delivery network, broke the traditionalist
mold and reached outside the confines of healthcare supply chain – and
healthcare itself – to pluck someone from industry to realign, re-energize and
reposition its own supply chain operations. Boy, did they ever.
Since the financial crash of 2008 the average
salary of healthcare supply chain professionals surged a cumulative 34.7
percent, stuffing nearly $21,500 in additional compensation into the past
four-year period, according to Healthcare Purchasing News’ 2012 salary survey.
During a time when hospitals are working
harder than ever to increase efficiencies, improve care decision-making and
patient outcomes, and aid the capture and communication of critical patient
data, it stands to reason that medical technologies that can meet each of
these requirements has become a top purchasing priority – patient monitoring
systems being no exception.
Infusion pumps may deliver medication and
nutrients to patients with a greater level of control, accuracy, and
precision than ever before, preventing countless potential medication
errors, but as with any medical device, such functionality doesn’t occur
without risk.
Besides harboring medications and supplies,
carts and workstations increasingly serve as point-of-care gateways to
patients’ electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic medication
Six
years ago, UPMC Health System, a Pittsburgh-based multi-hospital system that
befits the description of integrated delivery network, broke the traditionalist
mold and reached outside the confines of healthcare supply chain – and
healthcare itself – to pluck someone from industry to realign, re-energize and
reposition its own supply chain operations. Boy, did they ever.
Providers,
suppliers pumped about FDA safety regs
