2021 probably hasn't turned out to be quite the year we all hoped it would, but you're probably thankful for the successes you were able to squeeze out of it - just like we are!
Sure, the present seems like the biggest possible struggle (because we're still struggling with it). And sure, the struggles of the past always seem manageable (because we managed them). But it seems safe to say that - no matter how hard 2021 has been - it's been a lot more manageable than 2020 was.
We've got effective preventative treatments to COVID-19, we're establishing more flexible supply chains, and we get to decide now what the healthcare supply chain norms will be in the future. Congratulations on making it past scrambling to make today work and being able now to look ahead.
It's worth pausing for a second, though, to look back. Let's celebrate the successes of the healthcare providers who have partnered with Z5 Inventory and the successes of the industry in general.
Gartner Top 25
You don't just have to take our word for it that the healthcare supply chain is resilient and innovative. In their analysis of all the providers in the country, experts at Gartner identified their top healthcare supply chains based on criteria like:
- risk planning and avoidance
- sustainability and social responsibility
- collaboration and transparency
Six of the Top 25 are Z5 Inventory partners. We were pleased as punch to hear the news, because we certainly know the incredible amount of work that our partner hospitals put into maintaining excellent supply chains, but these struggles and successes aren't celebrated nearly as often as they should be.
You can get a glimpse into the efficiency of Top-5 provider Baylor Scott & White by learning how they count and value all their medical and surgical supplies - across the entire system - in a single day.
Becker's Savings Webinar
Steward Health Care managed to save more than $16 Million by partnering with Z5 Inventory to move, sell, and donate their medical inventory before it could expire. You might have heard us crow about that a time or two, but we were grateful that Becker's Hospital Review also saw the value in what we achieved.
Becker's hosted a webinar co-presented by Z5's CEO and Steward's SVP of Supply Chain that demonstrated exactly how Steward managed to achieve that savings and how other hospitals could use this process to meet their own expiration avoidance goals.
Poll results from that webinar also gave us some pretty stark insights into the state of medical inventory management. It seems pretty plain that almost everybody recognizes that there's a problem and that almost nobody has the resources to deal with it.
We present the resource of this webinar for free here:
Recognition at AHRMM21
Industry events and trade shows returned in a big way in 2021, and we were grateful that we got to participate and interact with so many of you this year.
Our CEO, Carl Natenstedt, has previously presented at the annual AHRMM conference alongside Z5 partners like Bon Secours Mercy, MultiCare, and Centura, and we were thrilled that he was invited to return to show off our recent successes.
Most of the information presented in this educational session was included either in our Becker's webinar or our Z5 Reallocate case study, but the webinar provided a unique opportunity to discuss with healthcare and supply chain leaders their unique struggles. Carl demonstrated how it's possible for healthcare providers to prevent product expiration using the resources they already have. That's worth being thankful for.
We're also grateful in general that the country and the industry is at a point where events have become possible again. We of course want everyone to be as safe as possible, but we also want to see your smiling faces (even if those smiles are on the other side of masks or webcams).
If you're curious about this specific educational opportunity, you can access it by purchasing this year's conference proceedings, or download our case study:
The Improving and Expanding Z5 Inventory
Okay, we've bragged on our extended Z5 family, so we're gonna take a minute to brag on ourselves. Is that okay?
We've spent a lot of our recent time and effort - in addition to finding you the supplies you've needed to overcome all the shortages and disruptions you've encountered - improving our mobile app and web dashboard. It's not just better looking. We've completely changed the way that healthcare providers can identify inventory likely to expire.
Again, you don't have to take our word for it. Z5 Inventory was named one of the Most Promising Healthcare Solution Providers by the tech experts at CIOReview.
What's Next
Every once in a while, you have to step back and be grateful that you survived. That's more than the bare minimum these days. Z5 Inventory did more than survive this year, and we've got bigger and better things planned for 2022.
One of the benefits of our platform redesign is that we'll be able to help even more types of facilities. You need scanning tech to count your pharmacies quickly? We got it.
You need to keep a constant eye on your PPE and other essential supplies, because the C-suite is suddenly interested in what's on every shelf? We can help there, too.
You have suggestions for how we can make our app and web dashboard more helpful than ever? We absolutely welcome them. There's a reason that we call the healthcare providers who use our software and services "partners" instead of "customers." And that's because this is a collaborative relationship, like every good supply chain relationship should be. We can build a better supply chain with your help.
And we're grateful for that, too.
Want to get started? Estimate your medical supply expiration risk today to start preparing for tomorrow.