As Congress continues to debate overhauls to the nation’s healthcare system and consumers continue to demand reforms that will address the rising costs of care, one often overlooked cause may be ameliorated with the rise in home healthcare opportunities.
According to the latest research available from the National Academy of Medicine, healthcare facilities are wasting $765 billion of equipment on an annual basis. These figures, staggering as they already are, may in fact be higher now than they were in 2012 when this research was made available.
These costs are not only burdensome for the organizations that must replace the equipment, but also for patients that see their own costs for care rise in response. In addition, this lost equipment can also result in disruptions and degradation of patient care too.
With our healthcare system strained as it is, the advancement of in-home monitoring opportunities is a promising means for managing healthcare equipment inventories and controlling costs for both your organization and your patients.
How can in-home healthcare answer the call for tighter healthcare inventory management over costly medical supplies?
IN-HOME HEALTHCARE PROVIDES PERSONALIZED CARE IN A PRIVATE SETTING
In an in-home monitoring environment, patients will receive equipment intended solely for their use while it is needed. In a hospital setting, numerous doctors have to check supplies in and out as they treat numerous patients. In a telehealth system, medical devices can go directly to the patient they’ve been designated for. If managed properly, this streamlined process can make it easier to keep track of equipment and reduce waste.
DEDICATED HEALTHCARE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIPS
Medical facilities are naturally chaotic places, and getting every medical practitioner and administrator on the same page with healthcare inventory management often takes a back seat to getting a patient the urgent care they need. This can result in equipment falling through the cracks. Many telehealth services providers have specialists that deal solely with inventory management in healthcare, making sure that there’s an experienced and watchful eye maintaining your supplies around the clock.
LEANER AND MORE AGILE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE
In a hospital setting, you’ve got to have supplies on hand for whatever might come your way. By relying more heavily on remote patient montioring, you’ll be able to scale back your in-house infrastructure and inventory. With less to manage, it naturally follows that it would be much more difficult to misplace healthcare equipment. You’ll simply order and deliver what is needed.
Discover how an effective remote patient monitoring program will help you deliver great results to your patients while empowering you to take greater control over your healthcare inventory management.