Methods and apparatus for healthcare supply planning for healthcare continuity and/or patient surge

• US 8,190,448 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Bajars, Erika L., Bagnato, Bridget C., Callison, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAULS, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US11/948,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 621/27, 235/381, 705/2, 705/7, 705/10, 705/28, 706/50, 707/100
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for determining a minimum recommended healthcare product supply to maintain a healthcare facility through a supply chain disruption, patient surge or a combination of both are described. Embodiments of the invention include the ability to make a combined list of healthcare products, minimizing the number of different healthcare products which are required to maintain a minimum inventory.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a healthcare facility for a supply of healthcare products using a computer program executed by a computer having a processor, the method comprising:

providing in the computer program a first list comprising a list of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical healthcare continuity products, wherein the healthcare continuity products are selected based on typical usage by the healthcare facility;

providing in the computer program a second list comprising a list of surge preparedness pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical healthcare products, wherein at least a portion of the surge preparedness healthcare products are selected to treat symptoms and/or complications of a specified illness;

on an input screen generated by the processor, providing to the computer program assumptions related to a potential supply disruption, the assumptions including an estimate of a population served by the healthcare facility and a period of time of the potential supply disruption;

on the input screen generated by the processor, providing to the computer program a set of assumptions relating to a patient surge, the set of assumptions including a pandemic disease attack rate a total population served by the healthcare facility, a hospitalization rate of the population based on the pandemic disease attack rate and a length of a pandemic disease outbreak; and

executing the computer program using the computer to process the list of healthcare continuity products, the list of surge preparedness healthcare products and assumptions related to the supply disruption, the patient surge, or both, to obtain recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply disruption and the patient surge.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering into the computer one or more of healthcare product categories, healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs), and the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs) to obtain the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs is manually entered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs is obtained upon entry of an identification number for the healthcare facility.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining from the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs different healthcare product SKUs having redundant functions and wherein the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having a redundant function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more of:

obtaining a cost analysis of the recommended minimum healthcare product inventory;

entering current healthcare facility inventory of supply chain healthcare products subject to supply disruption; and

determining the difference between the recommended minimum healthcare product inventory and a current healthcare facility inventory of supply chain products subject to supply disruption, and obtaining a cost analysis of the recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to bring supplies to the minimum level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program is linked to an inventory system of the healthcare facility and a pricing system of a healthcare product supplier and, optionally, automatically places an order for healthcare products to bring the inventory to the recommended minimum healthcare product level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the assumptions related to the patient surge further include a number of beds in the healthcare facility.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining from the computer program an estimate of a rate of increase in a number of patients admitted to the healthcare facility due to the pandemic disease outbreak.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising performing one or more of:

obtaining a cost analysis of the recommended minimum healthcare product inventory;

entering current healthcare facility inventory of healthcare products; and

determining a difference between recommended minimum healthcare product inventory and a current inventory of healthcare products, and obtaining a cost analysis of recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to bring supplies to the recommended minimum product inventory.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer program is linked to an inventory system of the healthcare facility and a pricing system of a healthcare products supplier and, optionally, automatically places an order for healthcare products to bring the inventory level to the recommended minimum healthcare product level.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease is influenza.

13. A method of preparing a healthcare facility for a potential healthcare product supply chain disruption using a computer program executed by a computer having a processor, the method comprising:

providing in the computer program a list comprising a list of healthcare continuity products, wherein the healthcare continuity products are selected based on typical usage by the healthcare facility, the healthcare continuity products including pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals;

providing to the computer program assumptions affecting maintenance of an adequate supply of healthcare products during the potential supply disruption, the assumptions including an estimate of a population served by the healthcare facility and a period of time of the potential supply disruption; and

executing the computer program using the processor to process the list of healthcare continuity products and assumptions related to the supply disruption to obtain a recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising entering into the computer healthcare product categories, healthcare product SKUs, a current inventory of healthcare products on hand at the healthcare facility, and the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs) to obtain the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining from the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs different healthcare product SKUs having redundant functions and wherein the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having redundant function.

16. A method of preparing a healthcare facility for a supply of healthcare products due to a patient surge due to a pandemic disease outbreak using a computer program executed by a computer having a processor, the method comprising:

providing in the computer program a list comprising a list of surge preparedness pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical healthcare products, wherein at least a portion of the surge preparedness healthcare products are selected to treat symptoms and/or complications of a specified illness;

on an input screen generated by the processor on the computer, providing to the computer program a set of assumptions related to the patient surge, the set of assumptions including a pandemic disease attack rate, a total population served by the healthcare facility, a hospitalization rate of the population based on the pandemic disease attack rate and a length of the pandemic disease outbreak; and

executing the computer program using the processor to process the list of surge preparedness healthcare products and assumptions related to the patient surge to obtain a recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the patient surge.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the assumptions related the patient surge further include a number of beds in the healthcare facility.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising obtaining from the computer program an estimate of a rate of increase in a number of patients admitted to the healthcare facility due to the pandemic disease outbreak.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising entering healthcare product categories, healthcare product SKUs, a current inventory of healthcare products on hand at the healthcare facility, and the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs);

and determining from the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs to identify different healthcare product SKUs having redundant functions, and wherein the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the pandemic disease outbreak excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having redundant function.

20. A system to assist a healthcare facility in preparing for a potential supply chain disruption, a patient surge, or both, comprising:

a computer executing one or more applications;

a database comprising a list of healthcare products; and

an interface to the one or more applications through which assumptions relating to the supply chain disruption and the patient surge are entered into;

wherein the assumptions include (i) a pandemic rate of attack, a total population served by the healthcare facility, a hospitalization rate of the population based upon the pandemic disease attack rate on the population and a length of a pandemic disease outbreak, and/or (ii) an estimate of a population served by the healthcare facility and a length of time of the potential supply chain disruption;

wherein the computer processes the assumptions using a first list of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical healthcare continuity products, wherein the healthcare continuity products are selected based on typical usage by the healthcare facility, and a second list of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical surge preparedness healthcare products, wherein at least a portion of the surge preparedness healthcare products are selected to treat symptoms and/or complications of a specified illness;

wherein the one or more applications recommend a minimum healthcare product inventory for products within the database based on the entered assumptions when the healthcare facility is involved in the supply chain disruption, the patient surge event, or both.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the database contains a list of products which are routinely used by the healthcare facility and/or are products used to treat a symptom and/or complications of a specific illness.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more applications determines the minimum recommended inventory using one or more of healthcare product categories, healthcare product SKUs, a current inventory of healthcare products on hand at the healthcare facility, and the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs) to obtain the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more applications determines the minimum recommended inventory using one or more of healthcare product categories, healthcare product SKUs, a current inventory of healthcare products on hand at the healthcare facility, and the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product stock keeping units (SKUs);

and one or more applications further determines from the healthcare facility'"'"'s usage rate of healthcare product SKUs to identify different healthcare product SKUs having redundant functions, and wherein the minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having redundant function.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more applications determines the minimum recommended inventory using assumptions related a patient surge due to a pandemic disease outbreak, the assumptions further comprising a number of beds in the healthcare facility and hospitalization rate of the population based upon the pandemic disease attack rate on the population.