An engineering approach to improving hospital supply chains
Name
310353136-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
1.63 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
44416b2b4e244577a0f24eb464b03c06
Author(s)
Cheng, Scott Hsiang-Jen
Whittemore, Graham J
Advisor(s)
Mahender Singh.
Date Issued
2008
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This thesis explores supply chain management practices that have been implemented, and have improved supply chains in industries outside of healthcare. The presented supply chain practices have been selected because they have the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve patient safety within hospitals. Due to the diverse nature of hospitals and a unique product profile, there is no "one size fits all" supply chain solution that can be implemented. Therefore, product specific characteristics are discussed that can be used by hospitals in order to develop segmentation policies. Supply chain best practices from outside of the healthcare industry are presented for each category of segmented products. The culmination of this thesis is the presentation of a supply chain that will enable the hospital to significantly reduce inventory storage space, on hand inventory value, and time spent by nurses managing inventory. The proposed supply chain model is patient specific and involves the delivery of items from an offsite warehouse directly to the patient's bedside. In order to successfully implement a new supply chain solution in a hospital setting, change management is a critical part of the process. Methods are presented that have resulted in successful implementations of complex systems within hospitals. Three areas must be considered when managing change in this type of setting, the healthcare environment, the hospital's internal management and operational aspects of the hospital supply chain. Using simulation models, we show that implementation of the proposed supply chain for appropriately segmented products will result in significant supply chain cost savings and boost the revenue.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2008.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-132).
Subjects
Engineering Systems Division.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
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