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IDEAS THAT WORK
The carousel also accepts barcode inputs for inventory allocation.
For example, when staff have to put away an item, rather than look
through a menu and select the item, they can simply scan the bar
code and the carousel will spin to the right location.
Before we installed the carousels at our 6-OR facility, we stored supplies on static wire shelving units. Not only is it difficult to locate
items quickly with shelving units, but also the units often get clogged
up with unused items. We had no way to track the usage of items, outages or replenishment frequency.
Rather than using the old "grocery store" method of going up and
down aisles to pick supplies, the carousels truly bring the inventory to
the point of use. The software integrates with our OR system to pull
the supplies from our preference cards and send them to the carousel.
The ability to shift savings on manpower helps to make up for the
high price tag. We are deploying staff much better to other areas that
need attention. It used to take a tech his entire 71⁄2-hour night shift to
pick the next day's 40 cases. A tech can now pick 40 cases in 21⁄2 hours.
Jimmy Trieu, BSc, MBA
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Stratford, Ontario
jimmy.trieu@hpha.ca
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