Do you throw away money on supplies?
Do you throw away money on supplies?
(Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on saving money. Last month, we covered how to save on equipment and gave information on how adding surgeons results in cost savings. This month, we cover how to save money on supplies and how your staff can help save money.)
In most facilities, OR supplies represent 60% or more of the total supply expenses, according to Peggy Camp, RN, BSN, MSN, clinical resource director at HCA Supply Chain, Continental Division, in Denver.
"OR directors and managers are being challenged on a daily and monthly basis to justify the increase in supply expense, she says. Consider "generic" vendor brand products to save money, she advises.
Educate your staff on the cost of every product in every case, advises Beverly A. Kirchner, RN, BSN, CNOR, CASC, president of Genesee Associates in Dallas, which develops, manages, and consults with freestanding surgery centers. "Well-educated team members will bring down the costs and will be conservative," she says. Post the prices, and share them at meetings, Kirchner suggests.
"We take our high-volume, high-dollar cases, and [anonymously] post what each physician costs us to do them," she says. "We depend on each doctor and nurse being competitive to save money." No one wants to be higher priced than their peers, she says. "If their cost is high, they will work to bring it down," Kirchner says.
Roger Pence, president of FWI Healthcare, an Edgarton, OH-based consulting firm primarily for ambulatory health care providers, concurs. "For every specialty and procedure, there are certain physicians who do it faster and with less expense," he says. "When did you last do a blind study and ask the less efficient to justify their work?"
Let go of the old "sacred cows" — supply practices that have been proven to be ineffective, says Kathy Greer Bertillon, RN, BSN, CNOR, consultant with Clinical Resources, a Coatesville, IN-based nurse consulting group that specializes in infection control, supply chain management, and education and support to providers and manufacturers.
"The towels and overdraping are definitely sacred cows as these practices stem from the old days of cotton drapes when layering was necessary to try to keep sheets from soaking through to the patient," she says. "Also, it was thought that more layers provided more protection."
Today's disposable drapes are designed to be used in a single layer, and there is no benefit in layering, Bertillon says. "Square off the surgical site with disposable drape towels," she says. "Squaring off with cotton towels not only creates lint, but also the towels become wet during the procedure, creating a medium for bacterial growth — heat, moisture, time — directly at the surgical site." Instrument rolls made from encapsulated foam are available, Bertillon explains.
Another supply area to target is custom packs, which can become quite expensive if not controlled properly, Bertillon says.
"Specialty items, such as staplers and sutures, can end up costing more when included in the pack," she says. Review the pack contents periodically, and monitor them for waste. According to Camp, ORs waste 13% of supplies annually.
Ask your custom pack company for line item pricing, Bertillon suggests. "This will tell you how much you are paying for each item in the pack," she says. "If you are getting a better price buying an item directly, you should consider removing it from the pack."
Use standard drape packs when possible, Bertillon advises. "You could consider a custom ancillary pack to open with the standard drape pack," she says.
Also, standardize products, Bertillon advises. "Every additional and/or special item increases costs from acquisition and increased inventory," she says. Include physicians in the decision- making process, Bertillon adds. (See list of supply expenses you should monitor, below.)
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