Vendor tracking ensures security and effective cost control measures
By Jean Sergeant
Vendor tracking is a hot topic amongst our peers. There have been articles, presentations and discussion at various forums over the past few months, including at a conference I attended recently. Several presentations were given on vendor software by facilities that have purchased the applications; the level of success varied.
There has been resistance from the vendor community due to the cost of signing up with each software company, which I can understand. The Joint Commission states in E.C.2.10.5, “Hospitals must identify appropriate patients, staff and other people entering the facilities.” Due to this regulation, we all must be compliant and know who is at our facilities, when, where they are going and the purpose of their visit. As society has evolved, ensuring safety and security for our patients, staff and visitors has become a fact of life. Tracking vendor representatives is a process that should have been employed long ago. It is unfortunate that it had to be mandated to determine a process we all follow. Another aspect to consider is where consultants and service/repair personnel fall. Should they also be required to register prior to their appointments?
Vendor tracking software that has appeared over the past year will give a facility information on a representative. This information includes items such as picture identification, background check, immunizations, all for a fee. The fee to the health care organization also varies.
Vendor identification is determined by an individual organization: red hats in the OR, black scrubs in the OR, badge with a writing that disappears in 24 hours, etc. Most organizations require that vendors sign in either in materials management or at the facility’s reception/information desk.
Many require appointments prior to a vendor entering the facility along with information as to who is being seen and the purpose of the visit.
An after-hours process for registration and identification also must be considered.
Where do you draw the line and who will enforce vendor compliance? Vendors provide food, pens, pencils and pads, travel and research grants, samples, education, consulting, honorariums for lectures and product trials. The process of determining what is acceptable can become complicated very quickly. Several academic medical centers have implemented stringent guidelines for employees and vendors. Acceptable donations can range from absolutely nothing to approval by the dean of the College of Medicine, or the designee, for research funding.
Another reason why we need to track vendors, is to track which physicians and clinicians are speaking with whom so that we know the potential costs of products and services being purchased. We also need to know if the items are on the GPO contract, if they are FDA approved and if they are being marketed for off-label use. Most facilities have a formal process to review, trial and approve or deny new products/services. Many vendors will claim that they are not aware of a process, which is a pet peeve of mine because I’m sure they are educated about how to sell and whom to see in each institution. A true partnership between the vendors and a facility requires trust on both sides.
Environment of care
Other regulatory issues that are hot this year include environment of care. The Joint Commission has placed disaster planning on the forefront as the health care industry anticipates a pandemic in addition to natural disasters. Pandemic preparation needs to be addressed on a global level with a mandate of cooperation from manufacturers, distributors and health care providers. Each facility should determine their needs for gowns, gloves and masks and provide the information to the distributor who will then pass the numbers to the manufacturers.
The next step would be to determine the date manufacturers will have produced the predetermined number of masks, gloves and gowns to be stored at distribution points. My main concern is about stockpiling, which has a negative effect on many as this ties up product needed for day-to-day operations. A plan of action must be put into place to protect all—manufacturers, distributors, health care providers and most importantly, patients. MMHC
Jean Sargent is the director of supply chain management at University of Kentucky Healthcare, Lexington.
This article 1st appeared in the April 2008 issue of Materials Management Magazine.
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