Contract management is critical to the modern healthcare field. Maintaining the right vendor connections and supply chain elements can produce improved outcomes for patients and help medical facilities to maintain financial viability in the competitive healthcare marketplace. The prompt and reliable delivery of medical equipment can be a matter of life or death for patients in the hospital and clinical setting. Ensuring that essential equipment arrives on time and in good condition is essential to protect the health and welfare of patients and the performance of the medical supply chain.
Regulations and public safety
Medical equipment suppliers must adhere to a wide range of federal and state regulations to maintain the integrity and functionality of these items while ensuring sterile handling conditions throughout the journey. Selecting vendors who maintain strict adherence to these regulatory requirements can increase the stability of the supply chain for medical institutions. These safety regulations can also provide added assurance for healthcare providers that the equipment received will be of good quality, free from contamination and in working order when it arrives at the point of patient contact and use.
Seeking transparency
One issue with medical equipment supply chain arrangements is a lack of transparency in the selection and qualification process. Even for suppliers who comply fully with federal regulatory requirements, failure to disclose the full extent of the supply chain, the provenance and point of origin of medical devices and the specifications for healthcare equipment can reduce confidence among healthcare providers and lead to reduced orders and a smaller customer base. By contrast, medical equipment vendors who maintain absolute transparency from point of origin to healthcare facility receiving dock can enjoy a greater degree of trust and improved sales and profits. Healthcare providers benefit, as well, by establishing positive relationships with reliable vendors in the medical marketplace.
Reduced risk of medical liability
Medical care providers can reduce the risk of equipment failure and patient injury by choosing equipment providers that practice full disclosure regarding manufacturers, construction materials, delivery routes and methods and packaging data. For instance, heat-sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment can fail if not transported in climate-controlled shipping containers. Plastics can warp or become deformed in similar extremes of heat. Cold weather, by contrast, can make some materials brittle or less flexible and may lead to premature failure in certain cases.
Cost and value
Cost is rarely the determining factor in the selection of medical equipment supply companies. However, identifying suppliers who consistently provide superior products at lower-than-average prices can help hospitals and other healthcare facilities to reduce costs and produce improved cost efficiency for shareholders and administrative boards. Implementing an advanced healthcare contract management system can be the first step toward making significant improvements in the hospital supply chain and in selecting the best medical equipment vendors for the needs of the facility.
Tracking and oversight of medical equipment vendors can be achieved quickly and easily with advanced contract management software designed specifically for use in the healthcare field. By integrating these technological solutions into existing workflows and processes, healthcare providers can enjoy added benefits in cost management and on-time delivery, ensuring that patients receive the best care possible in the modern medical marketplace.
Jana works as a contract and vendor relationship manager for a hospital, where she relies heavily on software to take care of all the tasks at hand in an efficient and accurate manner. She knows that there would be many more problems to tackle in her job without this tool, and highly recommends it to others in the field.
Marty Huggins
