Steve Clareen, Business Unit Manager at DePuy Synthes Select, a part of DePuy Synthes, discusses inventory management at ambulatory surgery centers as well as making effective inventory decisions.
Question: What innovations are you seeing in inventory management at ASCs? How can administrators and physician investors decide which ordering and inventory options are best for them?
Steve Clareen: In orthopedics we are seeing a larger push for vendor managed inventory much like what the retail space has been utilizing for years. ASC customers in particular seem to be looking for a just in time inventory model with an even more limited touch (i.e. when a need for a product arises, we deliver if for use). As a result, DePuy Synthes and Select are making significant investments in facilities, technologies and software that will not only allow our organization to bring the right products even closer to the customer but also to transform the way the customer interacts with our organization.
For example, we are developing a state-of-the-art system which will allow our ASC customers to access and reserve our inventory when surgical cases are scheduled. This system will be used to enhance, not replace, the relationship they have with our sales consultants. When reservations are made the demand signal will be sent directly the DePuy Synthes Select personnel who will be able to view the request and act on it immediately.
DePuy Synthes Select wants ASCs to gain an even greater level of trust with our organization so they know that when they press a button they’ll have the inventory and OR support they need. Our mission is to organize ourselves in such a way as to be more responsive to the ASC's needs, to increase their confidence in our delivery of assets or support, and to help facilities move toward more efficient interactions with our organization so that there is shared value creation in an otherwise outdated model.
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Question: What innovations are you seeing in inventory management at ASCs? How can administrators and physician investors decide which ordering and inventory options are best for them?
Steve Clareen: In orthopedics we are seeing a larger push for vendor managed inventory much like what the retail space has been utilizing for years. ASC customers in particular seem to be looking for a just in time inventory model with an even more limited touch (i.e. when a need for a product arises, we deliver if for use). As a result, DePuy Synthes and Select are making significant investments in facilities, technologies and software that will not only allow our organization to bring the right products even closer to the customer but also to transform the way the customer interacts with our organization.
For example, we are developing a state-of-the-art system which will allow our ASC customers to access and reserve our inventory when surgical cases are scheduled. This system will be used to enhance, not replace, the relationship they have with our sales consultants. When reservations are made the demand signal will be sent directly the DePuy Synthes Select personnel who will be able to view the request and act on it immediately.
DePuy Synthes Select wants ASCs to gain an even greater level of trust with our organization so they know that when they press a button they’ll have the inventory and OR support they need. Our mission is to organize ourselves in such a way as to be more responsive to the ASC's needs, to increase their confidence in our delivery of assets or support, and to help facilities move toward more efficient interactions with our organization so that there is shared value creation in an otherwise outdated model.
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