MATERIALS MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL

Materials Management Proposal



Materials Management Proposal

Introduction

Role of material management in hospital

One of the many hidden challenges in hospital systems is to ensure that all required supplies are available at the right time, in the appropriate quantity and in the proper locations. To secure uninterrupted patient care and make sure that items are readily and easily available, clinical care staff invests significant manpower in a wide range of material management tasks, including purchasing, stocking, searching and counting inventories. An optimum supply chain which utilizes modern technology and centralized distribution will help to minimize costs throughout the medical system and improve access to care. Hospital operations management covers fairly large range of functions in a hospital as compared to well-known boundaries of operations management function in business. Harnessing full potential of hospital operations management is desirable in order for the hospital to stay cost-competitive, profitable and of immense service to the society at large(Berry, 1999).

Hospital operations management concerned with applying traditional managerial functions (planning, organizing, directing and control) to hospital daily services, namely, outpatient services, inpatient services, emergency services and diagnostic services, and management of other activities such as hospital pharmacy, vendor managed and co-managed inventory control, supply chain management, warehouse management, pharmacy management, etc. Hospital operation management includes all day-to-day activities that it is busy all throughout the day but functions particularly marketing, accounting and finance, and HR, but no less important traditionally kept out of its scope. This is because unlike outpatient or inpatient services; marketing, finance and accounting, and HR are not daily routine activities (Mital, 2011)

Discussion

Role of Operations manager in Hospital

Directs and coordinates activities of workers engaged in crating, moving, and storing household goods and furniture.

Inspects warehouse facilities and equipment and recommends changes in the allocation of space, and crating procedures to Warehouse Supervisor (motor Trans.).

Purchases moving equipment such as dollies, pads, trucks, and trailers.

Plans pickup and delivery schedules for Truck Drivers, Heavy (any industry).

Answers such inquiries as type of service offered, rates, schedules, and areas serviced.

Examines items to be moved, to ascertain approximate weights and type of crating required.

Investigates customers' complaints involving such matters as damaged items, overcharges, and delay in shipment, and makes necessary adjustment.

Interviews, select, train, and assign additional personnel.

May call on customers to solicit new business.

May prepare cost estimates for clients (Kamath, 2011).

Possible Constraints

Many hospitals try to maintain an internal hub and- spoke model. They have a central warehouse (the hub) for daily purchasing, goods receipt, put-away, counting, and picking for delivery. This then supplies multiple storage locations (spokes) of varying size and type (cupboard, cart, bin, desk etc.) which employ random methods of requesting refills. Eliminating these different “spokes” and replacing them with a supplier to point-of-use distribution model promises to enhance supply chain efficiency. However, before this can be implemented, we need to thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current material management situation (Beach, 2000). Common issues include:

High spend with zero accountability and control

State-of-the-art inventory management systems which automate the inventory reconciliation and visibility process remain ...