How KanbanBOX aligns stocks with needs, increasing the patience care quality
E-kanban in Healthcare
Created in 1955, Center Oscar Lambret is a French regional cancer treatment center located in Lille, Hauts-de-France region. A national reference in oncology, the Center belongs to the UNICANCER group and is a private healthcare establishment exclusively dedicated to cancer treatment, research and teaching in oncology. It contributes to the public hospital service. The Center’s ambition is to accelerate innovations in oncology for all patients in the Hauts-de-France region, whether in terms of care, the development of scientific research projects or the training of specialists of tomorrow.
The hospital pharmacy contacted KanbanBOX seeking a new solution to standardize and improve the replenishment processes among the various wards for health products (medicines, sterile medical devices…).
In this case study we’ll analyze how an electronic kanban can help the healthcare industry.
Mismatches between restocked products and actual needs
The hospital pharmacy is the internal warehouse that serves as the central stocking point both for drugs and for sterile medical devices. This is also where the pharmacy technicians prepare the drugs for the care units.
Due to the lack of inventory in the wards and the absence of a shared computerized system, there is no clear visibility for the pharmacy on what is on stock and what must be replenished. This situation causes two main problems. On the one hand, there is overstocking of certain types of products. On the other, there is stock shortage. Moreover, drugs and medical devices consumption can vary quickly and significantly according to patient care: sometimes pharmacists get the wrong information, as the system is not updated.
This approach increases the risk of errors and prevents pharmacists from dealing with value-added activities related to their role.
Furthermore, since we are talking about a hospital, the issue is not only organizational. Indeed, medicines and sterile medical devices are subject to expiration dates, and having a larger quantity than required causes them to be discarded and increases the risk of unintended patient administration.
The mismatch between actual consumption and the stock being restored causes wastes, delays and drops in the quality of patient care.
Why Centre Oscar Lambret Chose KanbanBOX
To address these issues, Center Oscar Lambret wants an electronic move kanban between the Pharmacy and the hospital wards.
The Center’s goals are to:
- increase restock performance;
- reduce the time needed for the replenishment;
- decrease the error rate;
- make system maintenance easier.
Moreover, since drugs and medical devices change often, they need the system to be dynamic.
KanbanBOX is chosen among other alternatives thanks to its features, ease of use, system maintenance options, and tech support. In three years, the Center has created more than 2,000 loops to manage both medical devices and drugs. Fixed restocking days have been replaced by a smoother process. Now, the Center Oscar Lambret replenishes an average of 100 kanban daily, ensuring that stock is aligned with actual needs. Another task they can do is creating a daily list of the drugs present in each unit: if there’s a last-minute change, the list is now instantly updated.
Oscar Lambret favourite KanbanBOX features
Finally, the hospital takes advantage of some specific features. Let’s see them below.
Worklist provides Center Oscar Lambret with a real-time stock overview
Thanks to the Worklist feature, the pharmacist technicians know what to replenish and when. This functionality has also allowed the hospital to break down the restocking by departments and special needs. They have also implemented a special worklist dedicated to priorities and urgencies, such as consumption peak, special materials, and stock outs.
KanbanBOX Inventory Count makes the error rate decrease
By using the Inventory Count, the Center monitors the difference between the current stock and the needs. Thanks to this feature, the risk of producing incorrect quantities is reduced because the check is no longer manual.
How KanbanBOX Mobile App supports pharmacists
Even if the Pharmacy is closed, pharmacists can be called in emergencies. No matter where they are, by using the KanbanBOX mobile app, they can support their colleagues in the hospital, as they share the same view on stocks and data.
The flexibility of software
Another fundamental characteristic the Center was looking for was the adaptability to changes.
Drugs and medical devices can change frequently, and software must be updated instantly.
The hospital can change medical device’s suppliers, or they can even change some ingredients or dosages for certain drugs. Now, Pharmacists can immediately update the data in KanbanBOX.
Localization data in the kanban card
Localization information is important to help hospital operators know where to place materials in the various units and to help nurses find them. Now, each kanban card comes both with the location of the material at warehouse and at the ward, also specifying to which shelf the drug or medical device belongs. This makes the lives of the pharmacists and nurses easier, as they know exactly where to find what.
“Over the past 5 years, healthcare product shortages have become an almost daily issue, requiring the supply of alternative products. KanbanBOX has been the solution to ensure real-time identification of these products in the wards from the very first delivery.” F. FEUTRY
Better processes bring higher customer satisfaction
Center Oscar Lambret is satisfied with KanbanBOX, as stocks with expiration dates are now under control. Pharmacy technicians can work more comfortably and efficiently, thanks to real-time visibility on stock. Patient satisfaction has also increased, with patients receiving even better service (patient satisfaction at Center Oscar Lambret is currently at 97%)
The next step will be integrating KanbanBOX with the ERP to increase efficiency thanks to the automatic unloading of the stock, aligning inventories and master data.