If you aren’t able to identify items in your inventory before they expire (because you’re using a manual process or an otherwise ineffective system), donation is an option. In addition to alleviating a present concern, in the future you’ll be able to adjust your buying habits because you’ll know not to order large quantities of the items that frequently end up close-dated or expired. Not only will you be solving your own excess supply problem, you’ll stay ahead of your expired supplies and provide other departments with the inventory they need to adequately do their jobs. Basic items like sutures and gloves can be used in a variety of hospital departments. Your best option for close-dated supplies is to transfer those items to another department within your hospital system that can find a use for them before they expire. When you receive a notification from your expiration date management system that supplies in your inventory are close-dated, you can take action on them and ensure that they don’t end up in a landfill. Transfer to another department prior to expiration
If you can get ahead of that waste with the help of proactive notices from an expiration date management system, you have the ability to redirect that supply waste into something useful for research or hospitals overseas, and maybe even put a bit of money back on your bottom line.ĭownload our free eBook, “Healthcare Quick Guide to Expiration Date Management” to learn about the latest best practices in hospital operations. healthcare system wasted $765 billion a year in their supply chain. The National Academy of Medicine estimated that the U.S. On top of patient safety concerns, the amount of supply waste that occurs in a typical hospital system is unsustainable. That means that your patients are at risk of having expired medical supplies used on them while they’re under your care. It’s possible that one quarter of your staff has witnessed this event taking place, and, without being made aware, you haven’t been able to implement any initiatives to affect meaningful change in this area. According to the Becker Hospital Review, 24% of hospital workers have seen or heard of an expired product being used on a patient. Though you might think of this issue as unlikely, surveys have told a different story. The obvious problem of expired medical supplies is the potential harm they carry for hospital patients. First, let’s jump into how supply waste and excessive expired supplies are becoming a growing issue in the industry. Of course, there are quite a few routes that you can take when determining what to do with your hospital’s expired medical supplies. While it’s clear that expired medical supplies are dangerous to have on hand in case they are used on a patient, leading medical organizations don’t have clear procedures for repurposing or removing expired products from your hospitals. Regulations and recommendations surrounding out-of-date or expired medical supplies are relatively vague compared to the rest of the medical industry’s guidelines.