The hospital is buying too many product variants. This may cause bottleneck in its operation and increase operational expense. So procurement manager suggests to standardise products.
This is an example of the benefits of product standardisation:
Saint Thomas Health, a system of 5 hospitals, needed to find a way to reduce costs. They were purchasing different SKUs for products that were very similar, in this case, labels. They bought label rolls for $3 and a very similar product for $1. This oversight in product purchases impacted the overall costs of the system. After partnering with a sole source vendor it was able to save $200,000 over a four year span. They accomplished this simply by standardizing label products. These savings, however, only account for the immediate savings from standardizing products. The saving that are not factored into that number are the savings from soft or hidden costs.
On a national scale, hospitals lose millions of dollars per year in hidden expenses due to missed opportunities for cost containment and incorporation. Some of the hidden elements that increase overall costs for a healthcare provider include the following:
- Redundant purchasing
- Freight
- Excessive purchase orders
- Multiple vendor relations
- Low efficiency
- Joint commission fines
- HAI
By implementing product standardization, hospitals and health systems reduce vendors, are able to reduce SKUs, purchase orders, inefficiency, freight costs, fines, and off-contract spending. All of this adds up to large savings for the organization as a whole.
96% of the respondents in the survey agree that consolidating suppliers and standardizing product purchases across organization would reduce hidden costs.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 157-159
- 3 Ways Product Standardization Can Help You Get a Bonus - ConnectID (pdchealthcare.com) LO 3, AC 3.4