In the fast-paced and dynamic landscape of healthcare, efficient delivery and installation of medical equipment is critical for ensuring the uninterrupted operation of healthcare facilities and safeguarding their ability to deliver quality patient care. Managing all the moving parts of medical equipment procurement, from the moment an order is placed through to delivery requires the expertise of project managers, logistics teams, delivery experts, and biomedical technicians.
This complex medical equipment procurement case study demonstrates how proactive communication and collaboration with customers, vendors, logistics, delivery, installation, and biomedical teams streamlines the procurement process and ensures the seamless delivery of medical equipment.
The Project
When the Mohawk Valley Health System decided to build a new hospital, they enlisted IMEG to plan and design the new nine-story Wynn Hospital. Suraj Soudagar, Principal at IMEG, then turned to us when they began planning medical equipment for the new hospital.
Our focused medical equipment expertise and comprehensive services of project management, logistics, biomedical check-in, delivery, and installation made us the logical choice to procure the high volume of equipment.
Account Managers (AM) leveraged their medical equipment knowledge and that of their manufacture’s representatives to recommend the right products and configurations to meet the needs of the facility. Internally, AM’s coordinated with CME teams to ensure orders were processed in the exact manner the customer requested.
Against the backdrop of tight timelines and stringent regulatory requirements, CME navigated through a mire of supply chain challenges and logistical hurdles to successfully deliver and install over 6,000 individual items from 122 unique product types. As the project unfolded over several months, distinct but interdependent teams demonstrated flexibility and innovative problem-solving to overcome the challenges presented.
Project Management – The Ace up the Sleeve
CME’s project management (PM) team is comprised of professionals dedicated to a project, from start to finish. They are the central point of contact and are responsible for proactively communicating and collaborating with all stakeholders, externally and internally. This continuous level of communication is essential for the seamless coordination of all aspects of complex medical equipment procurements. Think, central processing unit.
For this project the project management team implemented the following communication strategies:
Weekly Tracker Reports: Sent weekly tracking reports to the customer detailing the status of orders, equipment received at the warehouse, and any issues identified during the incoming equipment inspections.
As the project moved toward completion tracker reports included the delivery and installation status of equipment. These reports demonstrated transparency and equipped the customer with information needed for “in the moment” decision making.
Weekly Meetings with the Customer: As the project closed in on the grand opening, the PM held weekly meetings with the customer to review project milestones, discuss upcoming deliveries, scheduling of subsequent deliveries, and address any concerns or delivery requirements. These meetings encouraged collaboration and ensured alignment of the distributor’s internal teams with the customer’s expectations.
Communication with the Warehouse Logistic Team: The PM maintained open communication with the warehouse logistics team to ensure the project management team had the most up-to-date information related to receiving and inspections and, as deliveries were scheduled, the status of staging and loading the delivery trucks.
Communication with the Direct-to-Site (DTS) Delivery Team: Open communication with the DTS team ensured critical scheduling and delivery instructions from the customer were forwarded to (and received by) the delivery teams. Proactively sharing information streamlines delivery and installation as well as mitigates the risk of delivery errors or actual delays.
Issue Resolution: Throughout the project PMs actively worked to resolve issues, such as shipping damage, as they arose. Although communicated to the customer, the focus was to ensure the issue was invisible in terms of impact on delivery milestones.
Review and Submission of Paperwork: The PM meticulously reviewed signed receivers against pick slips to submit accurate and timely invoicing paperwork.
Challenges and Solutions – Innovation and Flexibility in Action
CME’s logistics, direct-to-site delivery, and installation services are one of a kind within the healthcare industry. The statistics associated with this project underscore that fact and show the level of expertise and dedication of the teams, despite the challenges presented.
It’s a fact, no matter how carefully and thoroughly a project is managed there will be challenges. Here are some of the more significant challenges faced by the teams on this project…
Ongoing Facility Construction: The facility was still undergoing minor construction the week the bulk of the medical equipment was delivered which limited accessibility to and within the facility. Ongoing construction posed the challenge of delivering the equipment to the required locations efficiently and ensuring the team (and the equipment) arrived safely and undamaged.
Elevator Bottleneck: With only one operable elevator shared among several vendors, including furniture suppliers, the loading and unloading process faced significant bottlenecks. By its nature a bottleneck slows down the delivery process and generally hinders efficiency.
Loading Dock Congestion: Limited availability of loading dock positions was the catalyst for congestion and the disruption of delivery workflows. There were occasions during the seven intense delivery days where the team had to get creative.
That creativity manifested itself through the use of a liftgate vehicle to unload the delivery truck in the parking lot and transport the equipment to the facility. Another instance necessitating on the spot innovation required that the trailer of equipment be unloaded, then used for debris removal.
Warehousing: Storing 6,017 individual pieces of medical equipment for a single project requires warehousing flexibility. For this project we strategically allocated warehouse space to accommodate the wide variety of equipment and promote a systematic cadence of storage, staging and assembly. The volume of medical equipment was managed with next level inventory control, coordination, and planning to ensure efficient and timely access to equipment scheduled for delivery.
Wall Mounting Requirements: The installation of 608 wall-mounted items was challenging in that it required planning and coordination with busy hospital stakeholders to ensure the proper placement of the items. Adherence to applicable regulations added a layer of complexity to the task. By the project’s end 122 hours had been logged mounting wall mounted items.
Receiving and Assembly: The volume of medical equipment arriving at the warehouse that needed to be uncrated, labeled, put away, assembled or staged, and loaded onto delivery trucks required balancing available manpower, delivery schedules, and quality standards. This project required over 1,000 dedicated hours to fulfill these tasks.
Collaboration, Flexibility, Innovation, and Passion – the Core of Success
By the project’s end the DTS team had made 5 deliveries in the month preceding the opening of the hospital and in the 7 days prior to receiving patients, the team of 11 unloaded and installed medical equipment delivered on 17, 26’ trucks from early morning to after 8 o’clock each evening.
The collaboration, flexibility, innovation, and passion for excellence of all CME’s teams supporting the project resulted in the successful delivery and installation of the medical equipment, by the agreed upon date. The new hospital opened their doors to receive patients … on time.
Within the healthcare industry there are medical equipment distributors large and small. It is safe to assume most can source quality medical equipment at competitive pricing.
But how many:
- only specialize in medical equipment,
- offer project management, white glove delivery and installation, and biomedical services, or
- are truly a one-stop-shop?
CME Corp. is the only one… nationwide.
Procurement Management, Logistics, Direct-to-Site, and Biomedical services distinguish CME Corp. from other distributors,
Helping new medical facilities open on time is one of CME Corp’s calling cards.
Click CHAT to begin the conversation with a CME expert about what your new medical construction project needs from a specialized medical equipment distributor.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers. With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
