Inventory…Do It Yourself?

Often a facility or organization struggles with understanding the value of having an medical equipment inventory done.When it is decided that the inventory is necessary, organizations face the dilemma of doing the work themselves or hiring somebody to perform the task.The decision has to be made based upon factors that sometimes are not even considered.

When contemplating taking on the inventory as an organization you have to realize that this is something that you will ask your employees to add to their already busy schedule.This leads them to putting what they are paid to do on a back burner.This approach can be disruptive to operations, inefficient and can take longer than necessary to complete tasks.Additionally, asking staff to work beyond their normal schedule could lead to a disgruntled, less focused staff performing the inventory.

Costs are always a consideration.Key factors such as how long it takes to accomplish the inventory, remembering the adage that “time is money”.The accuracy of the inventory is an issue:was there a fresh attempt to capture and document assets or was the previous documentation just verified?This can lead to missing or inaccurate information. There is a need to compensate staff for additional work such as over-time, and the wages and benefits paid to staff that are performing an inventory can not be ignored.

This is where it is beneficial to have an experienced inventory team handle the process.They can complete the task while the hospital, and staff are still functioning.The length of time to needed complete in-house versus hiring a consultant could be very significant, and the thorough and accurate capture of asset data is vital to results.An experienced consultant that is expert in completing a medical equipment inventory in a quick, efficient, low-impact, and accurate fashion is a valuable and affordable asset to your management objectives.

If you have any further questions about the value of an inventory and/or having a consultant help you achieve quick and efficient results, feel free to contact MERC by phone or via the “Contact Us” page.  MERC has performed inventories at several large hospitals and the inventory is a basis to most everything that we do, so feel free to let us know how we can help you and your facility get a better understanding on what you have and where it is.