This is the second blog of a five-part series.
By Scott Crow, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder
One of the key reasons to BUY vs. BUILD is to obtain the solution that delivers best practices, the necessary components, and the “know how” to solve YOUR issues.
The IDN is where the rubber meets the road in terms of patient care. Many supply chain solutions are entering this space from a manufacturing perspective. Features, insights and KPIs built into the system are there to ensure solid revenue from a supply chain that sells product.
Conversely, your consideration is the incoming product you need to provide patient care. Your top consideration is to ensure the solution measures KPIs critical to your supply chain, including supplier performance (lead times, fulfillment rates, delays, disruptions, and backorders). As previously stated, the healthcare/IDN market is presently underserved, so it is unlikely that any solution is yet mature enough to meet all your needs. It’s up to you to ensure the supply chain solution you choose has a thoughtful product IDN-focused roadmap that will encompass the issues your supply chain is most likely to face.
It’s difficult, at best, for a multi-disciplinary (multi-industry) solution to bring expertise to any one given field, but these questions can help you determine which solution might be right for you:
- Has the solution been created specifically for IDN use?
- What portion of the solution’s R&D is dedicated to working with IDNs to innovate?
- Does the solution have a history of supporting IDNs?
- Has the solution been created with your end users in mind?
Learn more about the crucial things to look for.
Read PART THREE: Trading Partner Collaboration.
Learn more about our supply chain visibility solution.
If you haven’t already, check out this Healthcare Purchasing News article about our commitment to bringing cost control and visibility to the healthcare supply chain.
