CME Insider's Blog Posts

Integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and other healthcare providers are always deliberating on how to make healthcare more cost-efficient. Many organizations have turned their focus to supply chain management.  

According to some research, this function makes up 40 to 50% of the operating expenses for healthcare systems and hospitals.  In healthcare, the supply chain management function has evolved beyond the scope of simply determining how much of each type of supply to purchase and carry in the storerooms.  

Today, those managers must effectively manage relationships with vendors and companies at the upstream source of products and downstream, to the end users to minimize supply costs and transform the function into a bottom line asset for the organization.

Concealed damage occurs when a product arrives at a warehouse or place of business, and it is not physically obvious that the item has been damaged in the shipping process.  As the receiver, it may be very difficult to prove or disprove fault of the damage.  

If a company receiving the items is unable to make a realistic assessment of the delivery upon arrival, it can lead to issues when the entire shipment is finally unwrapped and distributed.  A medical distribution company can ensure concealed damage is addressed immediately and arrange for replacement goods so you don't need to worry.

When you are opening a new medical facility your number one focus is on profitable, effective patient care.  In order to open on time and on budget, it takes a team of professionals your facility might not have neither the time nor budget to hire.  At CME Corp, we provide a Direct-to-Site (DTS) delivery service that uses proven tactics to create an airtight timeline that will ensure you are set up well before opening your doors.

Medical procurement can be a complex, multifaceted endeavor with many options and factors to consider.  One area to think about is delivery: you need to know where your products will be sent and how they will be setup and installed once they are received at your building.

In order to get the best sense of how your hospital or medical facility should handle this aspect of procurement, consider the results from a recent direct-to-site delivery study conducted by CME (formerly Hospital Associates) that involved an IDN medical clinic with multiple specialties in California.

When you are preparing to undergo a major, or even minor, capital equipment installation/setup such as wire shelving, it might be tempting to take the DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to save money. However, DIY is often not always the fastest or the safest solution.

Time is money and you have to ask yourself how long it will take to put everything together.  Here are the considerations involved when undergoing a capital equipment installation/setup on your own.

Do you enjoy what you do? WE DO!  We love working with people like you -- hospital purchasing managers/buyers, clinical department managers, and other large facility equipment purchasers. And we love working with hospital space planners who find the challenges of space planning projects stimulating and rewarding.  

While we do not do space planning, we love working with the people who do in order to address the logistics and delivery issues that may arise.

Whenever you want to get new equipment for your medical facility, there will be several types of costs involved.  Besides the price of the products that you are getting delivered, you must also consider PO costs, delivery charges, administrative fees, staging, and cleanup.  Basically, all the costs that are involved with a product in its journey through the  supply chain, from the time the PO is created until the time the product is put to use by the end-user. Sometimes these costs can be nearly as much as the cost of the equipment items themselves.

It has been said that people do not plan to fail, but they do fail to plan which often results in the same thing. Pre-planning is very important to assure the success of any project, but for the delivery, set-up and operation of major medical equipment, it is essential.

While CME is not in the business of space, equipment or facility planning, we work closely with, and certainly appreciate the value that equipment planners bring to new construction, expansion, or remodeling of medical facilities.