Safer-Smarter-Better for Patient Sakes
Increasingly, we all are hearing how difficult it is to move the needle in our industry. Manufacturers may feel they’re alone in their frustration with the duration of current sales cycles. They’re not alone. The parallels we see between manufacturers confirm that this is a widespread problem and harming all stakeholders with the ultimate victim of their inefficiencies being their patients. As usual, the most vulnerable of patients being the most affected.
Many seasoned observers feel the rub seems to lie between the supply chain and clinicians. Even though our clinicians are admittedly overwhelmed, most still care deeply about improving patient care and want to use the latest products, methodology, and techniques. The supply chain also overwhelmed, seems less sensitive to improving patient outcomes.
Evolving products, making them safer, smarter, and more patient-centric all to answer the calls require a considerable investment. Being told by a Supply chain department that they will not spend one penny more for the improved product even if it is safer and improves patient outcomes is exhausting manufacturers and making them question their best efforts.
If publicized, there would be outrage, what many hospitals don’t realize is that this position about not spending one penny more for a safer product makes them look careless and ignorant. This position has done them far more harm to their repute than the benefit of saving a few percentage points. No one cares to be posting and pointing at skyrocketing CEO annual incomes, but that’s what will start to happen as a result of this nonsense.
Sooner or later, we, or a loved one, become the patient. Being more sympathetic to patient and clinician needs and respecting the fact that the manufacturers exhaust significant resources to evolve products, services, and techniques would be helpful. All manufacturers and clinicians are asking are for the supply chain to be reasonable and more informed as to what goes into R&D of even simple products.
If manufacturers elect to slow progress in product development and incredible new technologies to reflect the same snail’s pace, healthcare facilities move to adopt new products, we all lose. How can this possibly be good for Healthcare? Again, the real victims are the most vulnerable patients. Perhaps the supply chain and administration should take their suggestions and make improving patient outcomes their top priority. Now that would breed great medicine.
Joe
