With healthcare equipment prices rising and lead times remaining long, there does not seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. There are some glimmers of hope that things are improving, and that relief is on the way! The three key issues contributing to the supply chain issues are raw materials/component shortages, transportation/freight breakdowns, and labor shortages. All three have contributed to the price spikes and volatility in the industry.
Pushing, pulling, and transporting patient beds and stretchers is fairly common in most hospitals. Transporting beds from one area of the hospital to another can also be problematic. Many beds that are moved are “specialty” by nature, including Air Fluidized Therapy (AFT) and Bariatric beds, which are extremely heavy (up to 1500 lbs.) and sometimes have patients on them! Transportation routes can include slopes, ramps, carpets, and other obstacles that magnify the problem. Moving these beds and stretchers can cause strain; straining incidents are the NUMBER ONE cause of injury to healthcare workers. Workers’ compensation costs can be upwards of $5,000 per case, not to mention the loss of the healthcare worker for potentially extended periods. Hospitals are experiencing labor shortages, so minimizing workplace injuries is a BIG focus.
Crash carts or code carts are one of the most important tools used at medical facilities. If one of these code blue carts is called into action, someone's life is on the line. This is why each emergency crash cart should be optimized to be as efficient as possible. Here are some common issues medical staffers have faced with these medical carts and the innovations Metro has created to combat them.
Each year in the United States alone, 7,000 to 9,000 people die because of medication errors. Some of these tragic incidents are associated with calculation of medication dosages based on incorrect weights. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of other patients experience, but often don’t report, an adverse drug event or other complications due to medication errors in general. The total cost of looking after patients with medication-associated errors is estimated to exceed $40 billion each year.1
The CME Corp. Government Team has over 30 years of government sales experience and the resources to make your projects and everyday purchasing go smoothly from start to finish. Whether you are purchasing a singular replacement product or outfitting a new facility, remodeling or expanding an existing location, our project planning, turnkey logistics, and services are completely tailored to meet government client’s needs. CME can assist you with identifying and procuring healthcare equipment for all your government projects, whether for DoD, VA, Indian Health, state, or local government facilities. To make acquisition of product easier, we hold major federal contracts including a Federal Supply Schedule, GSA, DoD ECAT, DoD DAPA. We are also and contracted supplier for some State / Local government co-ops / gpo’s.
The United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation, yet pressure is growing for healthcare organizations to reduce their costs everywhere. Hospitals are taking a hard look at lessening expenses while maintaining the quality of care by looking for ways to avoid and reduce unplanned costs. One of the main areas they are looking at is the operating room (OR), the area of the hospital that generates the most costs and revenue.
CME Corp has been a member of the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) for 40+ years and HIDA has been a great partner for us. HIDA is the national trade association for healthcare distributors. Nearly 100% of patient procedures and patient diagnoses involve medical products bought from a distributor. The members operate 500+ distribution centers, delivering medical supplies and equipment the last mile to hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, laboratories, and home health agencies. HIDA supports and promotes distributors to be the best they can. Here are three ways HIDA has helped through the years.
Let us review the logistics necessary to complete a procedure or operation in the healthcare setting whether it is in the hospital or in an outpatient setting. The patient is prepped in one room, on a stretcher. The patient is moved to the OR and transferred to a surgery table. After the procedure, the patient is transferred to another stretcher or recliner for the recovery period. This process requires at least two patient transfers, lifting of the patient, and multiple healthcare workers to accomplish. Using a TransMotion (TMM) Stretcher-Chair can save a facility time and money. The stretcher-chair is a transfer stretcher, surgery/procedure table, and recovery recliner all-in-one that creates a no-lift, no-transfer, safe, clean, and very efficient operating room (OR).
Acute Care facilities require their medical devices to provide certain benefits and features, and scales are no exception. Hospitals are always looking for products that improve workflow, are easy to use, keep patients and caregivers safe, and are cost-effective. When deciding on medical scales, hospitals need to take all these patient variables into consideration.
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