Methods and Apparatus for Healthcare Supply Planning for Healthcare Continuity and/or Patient Surge

• US 20090144078A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Bagnato, Bridget C., Bajars, Erika L., Callison, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 comprising:

preparing a list of healthcare products subject to a supply disruption, a patient surge, or both;

entering into the computer program healthcare product categories required to meet the healthcare facility'"'"'s needs during the supply disruption, the patient surge, or both; and

obtaining from the computer program a recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply disruption, the patient surge, or both.

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 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 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 the inventory system of the user, the pricing system of the 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, further comprising entering assumptions related a patient surge due to a pandemic disease outbreak.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the assumptions affecting patient surge levels comprises one or more of total population of persons served by the healthcare facility, the number of beds in the healthcare facility, length of pandemic disease outbreak, and hospitalization rate of the population based upon the pandemic disease attack rate on the population.

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

11. The method of claim 10, 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 the 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 volume.

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

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the disease is influenza.

14. A method of preparing a healthcare facility for a healthcare product supply chain disruption using a computer program comprising:

preparing a list of healthcare products subject a supply disruption;

entering into the computer program healthcare product categories required to meet the healthcare facility'"'"'s needs during the supply disruption; and

obtaining from the computer program a recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the supply chain disruption.

15. The method of claim 14, 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.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising 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 supply chain disruption excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having redundant function.

17. A method of preparing a healthcare facility for a supply of healthcare products due to a patient surge using a computer program comprising:

preparing a list of healthcare products subject to a surge in product demand due to a pandemic disease outbreak;

entering into the computer program healthcare product categories required to meet the healthcare facility'"'"'s needs the surge in product demand; and

obtaining from the computer program a recommended minimum healthcare product inventory required to support the healthcare facility during the patient surge.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising entering assumptions related a patient surge due to a pandemic disease outbreak, the assumptions comprising total population of persons served by the healthcare facility, the number of beds in the healthcare facility, length of pandemic disease outbreak, and hospitalization rate of the population based upon the pandemic disease attack rate on the population.

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

20. The method of claim 19, 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 supply chain disruption excludes at least one healthcare product SKU having redundant function.

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

22. The apparatus of claim 21, 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.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, 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.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, 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.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, 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 comprising total population of persons served by the healthcare facility, the number of beds in the healthcare facility, length of pandemic disease outbreak, and hospitalization rate of the population based upon the pandemic disease attack rate on the population.