Sponsored: Dukal- August 2024 – The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
The future of care delivery is undergoing a fundamental transformation to become patient-centric, virtual, ambulatory, home-based, and value-based. This transformation is driven by data and analytics and while it is integrated, it remains fragmented.1
As the possibilities for care continue to grow, so do the complexities of safeguarding the well-being of both business and patient health.
The rise of ambulatory sites reflects the shift in medical care from hospitals to outpatient sites. And while hospital care is still the largest healthcare market segment overall, ambulatory settings continue to see disproportionate growth.
Ambulatory market outlook2
Hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) will continue to experience patient growth (19% and 25% by 2029), with patient volumes projected to increase by 15 million from 2019 to 2029. In addition, the shift in procedures from inpatient to outpatient will help drive down the cost of surgical procedures
Physician clinics will see pronounced declines in in-person visits (-19%) as patients shift to virtual, but those patients seen in the office will be more likely to need specialized diagnostic services. Non-visit services in physician clinics, such as office-based diagnostics, laboratory testing, and imaging, are projected to grow 18% by 2029
What role does manufacturing play in meeting the needs of today’s ASC?
One of the primary concerns for ASC leadership is cost reduction, with a central focus on gaining control of their supply chain management. Medical supplies represent a significant portion of the budget, second only to staffing costs. Recent supply chain disruptions and escalating inflation have presented notable challenges. It is imperative for ambulatory centers to promptly address internal issues such as operational inefficiencies, high wastage, and excessive costs.
Because the supply chain function oversees most of a health system’s external spend, which accounts for up to 40% of total costs, working with a high-performing supply chain can boost resilience, enhance care and reduce supply spend, placing ASCs in a better position to achieve growth goals.
Meet Dukal InSightTM
Launched in 2023, Dukal InSight is a cross-functional effort to achieve combined business, IT, and planning benefits. It focuses on building connectivity and agility into supply chain operations to deliver adaptability, industry-leading transparency, and communication in combination with Dukal’s leading line of medical supplies. This allows for the identification of potential disruptions, maximizing customer efficiency, and avoiding costly delays and out-of-stock situations.
The solution integrates business planning, transportation, warehouse logistics, and customer collaboration to support growth goals, offering customers:
- Real-time visibility to shipping and delivery schedules
- Inventory assignment at the factory level, eliminating the industry practice of arbitrary allocation
- Timely and collaborative communication to overcome disruptions before they impact business or patient health
Learn more at dukal.info/insight.
1 www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-next-frontier-of-care-delivery-in-healthcare
2 www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210604005089/en/Sg2-Impact-of-Change- Forecast-Predicts-Enormous-Disruption-in-Health-Care-Provider-Landscape-by-2029