Don’t Take Everything I Write or Say as Gospel
By Robert T. Yokl, Chief Value Strategist
I received an e-mail last week from a operating room director who had a real problem with an article I wrote for HPN magazine in April, 2008 titled “Zero Waste Must be Your Goal: Supply chain managers can make a huge impact by eliminating waste in 8 areas”. She thought my recommendations to reduce waste to zero wouldn’t work in her operating room.
Specifically this writer had a big problem with my suggesting that all hospitals should embrace the philosophy of just-in-time inventories, since she felt she needed to carry many critical items that didn’t move for years. She believed that a hospital OR wasn’t like an automobile factory that had much more control over their environment.
What I told this OR director, by return e-mail, was that she was right that all my suggestions wouldn’t work in her operating room, but that when I write an article I must write it with a broad and diverse audience in mind. So I need, therefore, to be somewhat generic vs. specific with many of my ideas.
But I did tell her that I thought that many of my ideas would work, such as, cutting down on her waiting time for information, supplies signatures or people, not overproducing linen packs, instrument packs, kits and trays, cut down on transportation time of her materials and patients and reducing extra motion in all areas of her operations.
So I wouldn’t take everything I write or say as gospel, however I would look for those gems that will make your job more productive, efficient and a whole lot easier. I consider it my job to find new ways to help you do even things better than good.
P.S. If you would like more powerful savings ideas like this one I would recommend that you sign-up for our “no cost” weekly Savings Beyond Price™ e-Newsletter at www.Strategicva.com. You will also get a copy of my e-book “Your Target Blueprint for Supply Chain Management Success”, as a bonus.
Filed Under: Best Practices • savingsblog
