From PAR Excellence automated inventory to low-unit-of-delivery and an integrated service center, supply chain expert Patrick Moore won’t stop until the job gets done.
Patrick Moore was no novice to supply chain and operations when he joined Allina Health in 2006. “All of my past positions have been in supply chain and operations,” he says, including experience in manufacturing, and most recently, oil and gasoline. And the overarching concepts of supply chain are similar in all industries, he says.
Still, Moore says healthcare is unique, and assuming the role of director of logistics & materials management, supply chain, required a lot of hard work. It’s been a good fit, however, and today, he has direct oversight of the IDN’s four largest metro hospitals – Abbott Northwestern Hospital, United Hospital, Mercy Hospital and Unity Hospital – as well as “dotted line” oversight of the IDN’s remaining seven regional hospitals (totaling over 1,800 beds and about $400 million annual supply chain spend). In addition, he is responsible for:
- Report-writing team.
- Contract administration team.
- Lawson Support team.
- Operations buyers.
- Process improvement team.
- O&M distributor relationship.
- Phase I of implementing inventory management across Allina Clinics.
In his seven years with Allina, Moore has been credited with successfully maintaining accountability and control, removing inefficiencies and introducing cost-saving solutions. He has moved the IDN from 100 percent bulk delivery to 60-70 percent low unit of measure (LUM) delivery, point-of-use delivery, as well as established PAR levels based on consumption rather than shelf space. In addition, he has overseen the automation of inventory control processes using PAR Excellence technologies, and applied LEAN principles to the IDN’s warehouse and stockroom operations. Throughout it all, he has partnered with Owens & Minor to consolidate usage across the organization.
PAR Excellence
Implementing a PAR Excellence automated wall-to-wall inventory system has perhaps been one of Moore’s most challenging – and rewarding – projects these past 12 months. “The primary challenge has been change management,” he explains. “We are significantly changing the way we manage our inventory system, as well as who has responsibility for it. This also includes working with Owens & Minor to implement LUM. One of the primary objectives has been to allow the nurses to focus on patient care rather than inventory. We wanted to make our inventory replenishment process more streamlined and accurate. We have worked diligently to build trust with nurses to have confidence in our systems that the right inventory will be available when they need it for patient care.”
As these projects wind down (completion is targeted for the second quarter of 2014), Moore has been working in conjunction with Owens & Minor to develop strategic plans for the next 5-10 years. “We need to anticipate the future, formulate and implement plans that will continue to improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs,” he says.
