MHS Receive leverages technology and automates the receiving process of PO and Non-PO items using a handheld device at the receiving dock. Receivers can generate barcode labels for cross docking Non-Stock and Non-PO items to streamline their deliveries. Robust search capabilities provide time saving efforts with challenging items. This captures and sets the base for all products entering the facility.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
MHS PutAway
MHS PutAway leverages technology and automates warehouse staff efforts to put away received inventory in its respective stock locations using a handheld device. By entering the actual quantity, the put away process captures and transmits information directly to the MMIS.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Release Yourselves from the Bondage of Stress
As the world of healthcare becomes more complex and more demanding, nurses can respond by living in the wreckage of a stressful lifestyle. Coupled with the pressures of job loss and uncertainty, you have a recipe for emotional disaster. This constant pressure can ruin lives and cause disease, and most people have difficulty coping and eliminating stress. There are ways, however, to successfully take control of your life and minimize your degree of stress and the devastating effects it can have on your life.
What is Stress?
Although nurses are familiar with the physiology of stress, at times they seem to forget the impact on themselves. Very simply, the term stress refers to any demands either physical or emotional placed on the body. Stress is the body’s normal mechanism to kick up the metabolism and energy level to meet the body’s demands. Nurses see the effects of stress on the body of their patients every day. Some degree of stress is an advantage that peaks our performance by heightening awareness and stimulating the body. The result is the body’s ability to meet the demands of the stress and ultimately produce a stronger physique or protect life.
The problem with stress is the concern that nurses, as a society, are under continuous pressure, which keeps us in an overloaded state for protracted periods of time. Most people in the United States report that they experience stress on a daily basis. Four out of five people report regular periods of high stress every day. Work stress is reported to have increased by fourfold resulting in stress-related illnesses in the workplace. This pressure is compounded in healthcare organizations that struggle with reducing margins which can affect staffing levels, nursing shortages or high turnover and attrition rates. It is reported that twenty-five percent of all drugs prescribed in the United States are for the treatment of stress and stress-related symptoms, and ninety percent of all illnesses are now attributed to stress, including cardiac disease, hypertension and even cancer.
Categories of Stress
Stress has been classified in two different categories, good (eustress) and bad (distress) stress. Some examples of good stress would be things like getting married, sports events, and new relationships. All of these place stress on the mind and ultimately the body. The examples of bad stress include things like work pressure, family problems, divorce, and financial challenges. The problem is that regardless of whether the stress is “good” or “bad”, the body reacts the same way, by invoking the stress response. As we remember through our nursing education, the stress response has been identified as the fight or flight phenomena designed to protect the body by providing a mechanism that supplies immediate energy to the body in times of need. Negative effects on the body can become apparent when the stress response becomes prolonged or repetitive. The body needs time to rest and recover, and this level of stress does not allow for that time.
Stressors
Everybody experiences stress from two major categories of input - external and internal sources. External sources are those that come from the environment around us. Internal sources are those that come from our mental thought processing or personal decisions that we make in our lives. It is also important to note that fatigue, especially in the context of how much activity is experienced through the course of a day, is a stressor. Many individuals do not realize that the effect of prolonged fatigue on the body increases stress and also increases the potential for disease.
One of the greatest challenges with the management of stress is the control over thought processes and personal perceptions. Perceptions are our own reality and not necessarily truth, yet are oftentimes accept as true. These perceptions therefore create unrealistic fears, which increase stress levels. Almost all of these fears are unrealized, yet we allow them to negatively affect us and increase stress levels. Analysis of personal fears, in many cases, will reveal that the origin of many of our fears relate to our egos secondary to the fear of looking bad to others, or being perceived as unsuccessful or feelings of being out of control.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
MHS PICK
MHS Pick leverages technology and automates warehouse staff efforts to pick orders using a handheld. By entering the actual quantity picked, the picking process captures and transmits information directly to the MMIS.
Monday, July 25, 2011
MHS Healthcare+
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Caregiver’s Digest
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Monday, July 18, 2011
Top issues facing the hospital supply chain today
The pressures on hospital supply chains are changing. In the past, a hospital that managed its purchasing costs well could operate efficiently. Today, the cost of materials management can exceed 35% of a hospital's operating budget, with nearly 20-25% attributable to supply costs alone.
What are the top issues facing hospital executives and supply chain directors today? Specific perspectives may vary, but most agree that there are tremendous opportunities to improve supply chain performance. However, strong barriers must be overcome for change to succeed. Requirements include:
Integration
The hospital supply chain has insufficient linkages to clinical systems, revenue cycle, IT, and clinical operations. The supply chain often is viewed as a "back dock" support service that provides the products and services required by clinical departments. To be fully effective, it must be an integrated link in the chain of clinical and non-clinical operations.
Control
Supply chain should be the primary conduit for all third party relationships. Yet many hospitals have non-materials trained people ordering supplies and signing contracts without utilizing supply chain procedures. In order to optimize pricing, GPO relationships, inventory management, vendor relationships and contracts, and financial and inventory reporting, all purchasing should funnel through the organization's supply chain operations.
Strategic focus
Supply chain management should focus on the total impact of care, not merely product acquisition costs. It should look strategically at value, to positively affect both the patient outcome and the costs of care, not just price.
Supportive structure
Effective supply chain management structures are extremely rare across the industry. Most healthcare organizations still have materials management and purchasing departments. While some have changed the name to 'Supply Chain', they are still acting like a traditional materials management operation. Few materials management departments are positioned well to take advantage of leading supply chain practices.
A new skillset
Traditional healthcare materials management focused on processing requisitions and placing orders. The procurement aspect of the operation disseminated information and researched price quotas. The materials management aspect focused on ensuring that there were enough supplies to satisfy customers. In order to move to a more strategic focus, supply chain managers will need:
* Analytic skills to evaluate spend history and analyze cost-benefit;
* Project management experience to leverage cross functional expertise from departments across the organization (e.g., Physicians, Nursing, Finance, Administration);
* Facilitation skills to ensure that different points of view are considered when developing strategies;
* Professional skills to communicate effectively across the organization.
Empowerment
Frequently, supply chain is in the basement. Not only is this a physical reality, but also metaphorically true. Many supply chain leaders do not have the title or corresponding authority to enact the policies required for dramatic supply chain improvements. The hospital's supply chain leader must be positioned to enforce central purchasing, improve inventory management, and redesign logistics and procedures across the organization.
Physician support
There is often a disconnect between those who are making the buying decision and those who do the buying. Physician collaboration and financial responsibility are two critical success factors of any supply chain initiative. Physician support can be improved by using proper data and metrics, enlisting physician champions, increasing awareness of supply issues and the strategic importance they play, and involving physicians in value analysis teams. Supply chain leaders must educate, inform, and join with physicians to acquire quality products while reducing the cost of care.
Measurement
Many hospitals make changes that result in lower costs, but measure results in weeks, rather than years. To be successful and sustainable over the long term, supply chain initiatives must focus on process redesign and attitude change, while deploying enabling technology. You get what you measure and reward consistently.
Consistency
Typically, pricing for physician preference items differs across departments, facilities, and geography. This is simply not logical. There are a few very minor "cost to serve" reasons that could affect pricing. For example, different facilities could handle a different mix of diagnoses, affecting the volumes purchased and by consequence the pricing. However, there is no efficient market reason to justify most of the differences in prices. GPOs have had only minor successes in this arena. Supply chain leaders must engage with their peers as a unified industry in order to have a strong, common voice when engaging manufacturers of health devices and supplies.
A holistic view
Healthcare organizations face compartmentalization and fragmentation on multiple fronts. Externally, hospitals are faced with suppliers structured with siloed business units. Internally, hospitals are divided into departments that do not effectively work together. The total cost of patient care could be reduced through a holistic collaboration of materials management, pharmacy, lab, and other support services together with physicians, clinical care givers, and end-users.
Inventory management
Most healthcare supply chain operations cannot efficiently manage their flow of materials, sustain correct levels of inventory, or maintain fundamental inventory information and reporting. A 3% percent reduction in supply inventories can equate to a 1% reduction in total hospital expenses. Areas impacting inventory management include unofficial inventories found throughout the facility, which can account for as much as 50% of total inventories; central sterile and supply management; accurate, real-time information systems with interfaces to appropriate financial and clinical systems; and collaborative, efficient support from nursing and other internal customers.
Conclusion
Hospitals can achieve substantial benefits by not only changing purchasing practices, but also improving how they manage their labor force, supplies, equipment, and facilities. With nearly 80% of total hospital expenses accounted for in patient care costs, this impact can be truly significant. A strategic view of the hospital's supply chain is critical for success. Supply chain management must be high-level, focused, concise, non-fragmented, driven towards realizable and sustainable goals, and overall collaborative.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Good And Bad Aspects Of A Nurse Practitioner
No matter what career path you choose, you will find that there are good and bad points to that career. The same thing holds true to becoming a nurse practitioner. A lot of careers will have its ups and downs that will cause you to rethink your choice from time to time and there are a lot of nurse practitioners that feel the same way.
It takes a very special person to be able to handle the amount of stress and physical fatigue that nurse practitioners have to go through on a daily basis, and that is something you will need to be aware of if you choose to go down this path.
One of the bad things is the cost and amount of time it requires to become a nurse practitioner. Depending on what area you are looking to specialize in, it could take anywhere from 4 to 8 years to get your certification and cost upwards of $100,000. This is enough to make some people forget the idea of even starting out in the nursing field, but there are some great benefits that go along with the time and money that you will have to put into your training.
If you get a sense of wellbeing from helping people out that are in need, then you might not worry so much about the time and money you spend to be trained. This is a career for someone that has a deep understanding of compassion and the will to help make people’s lives better, no matter what the consequences to their own circumstances. You will have to work long, hard hours especially if you choose to specialize as a triage nurse in the emergency room, but it’s well worth the effort you put into it.
There are many aspects of being a nurse practitioner that will have you thanking yourself for choosing this career path and just as many that will have you pleased as well. No matter what your decision, you will have to research the area you want to specialize in and make sure you can put the time and money into the training. You should also make sure you can handle the emotional stress that will be involved in it.
It takes a very special person to be able to handle the amount of stress and physical fatigue that nurse practitioners have to go through on a daily basis, and that is something you will need to be aware of if you choose to go down this path.
One of the bad things is the cost and amount of time it requires to become a nurse practitioner. Depending on what area you are looking to specialize in, it could take anywhere from 4 to 8 years to get your certification and cost upwards of $100,000. This is enough to make some people forget the idea of even starting out in the nursing field, but there are some great benefits that go along with the time and money that you will have to put into your training.
If you get a sense of wellbeing from helping people out that are in need, then you might not worry so much about the time and money you spend to be trained. This is a career for someone that has a deep understanding of compassion and the will to help make people’s lives better, no matter what the consequences to their own circumstances. You will have to work long, hard hours especially if you choose to specialize as a triage nurse in the emergency room, but it’s well worth the effort you put into it.
There are many aspects of being a nurse practitioner that will have you thanking yourself for choosing this career path and just as many that will have you pleased as well. No matter what your decision, you will have to research the area you want to specialize in and make sure you can put the time and money into the training. You should also make sure you can handle the emotional stress that will be involved in it.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Management Health Solutions, Inc. (MHS) Continues to go Mobile!
Management Health Solutions, Inc. (MHS), a leading, independent provider of inventory optimization solutions for hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide, annouces its completion of their mobile website, www.mhsinc.com
MHS's website can now be accessed from every mobile device, from BlackBery to Droid, from the iPhone to the iPad.
"MHS continues to meet the needs and requests of customers by giving them access to rich materials in our MHS resource center," says Co-Founder and EVP of Sales, Ken Kelliher. "Our resource center is home to whitepapers, case studies, product-specific materials, media exposure, and the most recent industry news."
Please be sure to check out the MHS website! Stay informed on MHS updates wherever you may be!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Management Health Solutions Expands Executive Team
Management Health Solutions (“MHS”), the premier independent provider of inventory optimization solutions and mobile supply chain software for hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide, announced today its appointment of Bruce F. Boggs as Chief Executive Officer and Tim S. Ledwick as Chief Financial Officer. William J. Zierolf, who has led MHS as CEO over the past three years, will assume the role of Chief Development Officer. This management team expansion is part of a strategic plan to capitalize on the substantial increase in the Company’s revenues, clients and offerings over the last several years, and to position MHS for significant additional growth and market leadership.
Mr. Boggs has extensive experience improving performance for leading healthcare services and information technology companies. Before joining MHS, Mr. Boggs held senior positions at IBM, IMS Health and MedAssurant. Most notably, Mr. Boggs was SVP at IMS Health and President of IMS Americas, a $900 million division providing market intelligence to the life sciences industry. Prior to IMS Health, he was General Manager - Americas of the $4.3 billion Personal Systems Group business unit of IBM Corp. His responsibilities included developing innovative solutions for clients, customer satisfaction, increasing market share and driving profitable revenue growth. Mr. Boggs holds a BS Degree in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina.
Mr. Ledwick brings three decades of experience as a finance officer, including CFO roles in both public and private companies. His specialized skills span the capital markets, IPO activities, spinoffs, and mergers and acquisitions in both domestic and international markets. Mr. Ledwick has broad experience in meeting complex regulatory requirements and implementing fiscal controls as part of senior management with companies such as Dictaphone Corp., a $250 million healthcare software and call recording technology company, Cityscape Financial Corp. and the GTE Corp. A certified public accountant, he holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from Fairfield University and an undergraduate degree from George Washington University.
"I am very excited that we are building out our management team with additional capabilities, capacity and leadership talent to accelerate the successes of MHS, to continue to expand our value proposition to existing and future customers, and to bring us to the next level of growth," said Zierolf. "I am confident Bruce and Tim bring the strategic, tactical and financial experience necessary to enhance business growth and deliver value to our expanding customer base."
These appointments follow a period of significant expansion at MHS. In April 2010, MHS acquired At Par, a leading developer of mobile supply chain software. In October 2010, MHS acquired Hospital Inventories Specialists, a leading provider of inventory management solutions and analytical services. The Company’s customer base has expanded from less than 100 clients three years ago to approximately 1,000 today. In the past few months, MHS introduced a number of innovative new products, such as Point-of-Use Bill-Only item software, and signed significant customer agreements with major hospital systems including Rady Children’s Hospital, Albany Medical and Saints Medical Center.
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