Invitation to participate: Surgical supply chain research

Increasingly, hospitals are working to optimize their surgical suites by investing in new technologies, new operational models, and new ways of engaging physicians in performance improvement initiatives.

The academic research study, "Supply Chains and the Surgical Suite: Measuring the Impact of Best Practices on Financial and Operational Performance," examines the implementation of supply chain best practices on reducing costs, improving efficiencies, and maximizing throughput the surgical suite.

The study is in the data collection phase with scheduled completion in the first quarter of 2010. Hospitals are being recruited to participate in the practice and performance assessments through February 1, 2010.

Included in the study are practice implementation measures that identify the degree to which a hospital surgical suite has implemented a portfolio of supply chain practices such as clinical collaboration, process automation, case cart management, surgical tray and instrumentation tracking, inventory monitoring, off-site sterile processing, surgical suite information systems, order tracking, custom procedure packs, inventory systems, and distribution models.

Leading the study are Vicki Smith-Daniels, PhD, a professor of supply chain management in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Tempe, and Dwight Smith-Daniels, PhD, executive director of the Institute for Supply Chain Excellence and department chair at the Raj Soni College of Business, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

To participate in the study, 2 informants—one from supply chain and the other a clinical surgical manager—complete an on-line survey that takes 45 to 60 minutes.

Hospitals participating in the study receive a benchmark report and copies of white papers and academic publications.

If you are interested, please contact Vicki Smith-Daniels by e-mail or at 480/229-4202.