Device Technologies said it is currently considering how it can provide greater visibility to its supply chain for critical devices, such as ventilators, in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Device Technologies business systems manager Tiina Kontkanen said one of those approaches is the implementation freight management platform that can be embedded into existing systems to track and report on the movement of these devices.
Another way the company plans on lifting visibility of its supply chain, Kontkanen said, speaking as part an online SAP event, involves improving the company’s data strategy and providing “some insights to the customers and our suppliers on our products”.
“That’s something that I think you have to just collaborate on, and I think that’s the key to agility and breaking some of those silos that are in place at the moment,” she said.
Device Technologies CIO Graham Cronin agreed, pointing to how for instance, the company is accessing telemetry through its Da Vinci robot, a system that is typically used to assist surgeons during minimal invasive surgery.
“We have a direct link back with the manufacturer and on the telemetry of the procedures, on what the device is doing, how it’s operating, how it’s consuming its consumables,” he said.
“That is allowing us to give a better outcome to the surgeon and the hospital using that robot. And of course, better patient outcomes because we know that we’re making sure that the system is efficient and operating to the best level that it needs to.
“It’s also getting the telemetry back, and some of the diagnostics of those patient outcomes to improve the software that goes into them for future procedures.”
Additionally, as part of its digital agenda, Device Technology has developed a surgery booking portal, which Cronin believes will help “digitise the healthcare environment”.
“[It’s] more so that we can react quickly to those changing events, also help organisations, hospitals, clinicians, and surgeons to be able to deliver a better patient outcome quickly, so that they can get their hands on to the equipment they require for any procedure or event that’s occurring,” he said.
“It’s also about giving them a better understanding of that end-to-end supply chain, so that they can manage their patient lists, get patients out of hospitals a lot quicker with better healthcare outcomes.”
The company is further enhancing its booking portal by reorganising the way it catalogues its 70,000 SKUs from surgery theatre equipment to radiology equipment and surgical instruments.
“A lot of the teams are starting to get the clinicians to focus on helping us to catalogue on what’s required and speed that up so that when we come out of [the coronavirus pandemic], there’ll be a better array or catalogue digitally of what’s available across our systems,” Cronin said.
This article first appeared on ZDnet.
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