Vendor Management Expert | Jeff Wertz

Why don’t some hospitals allow vendors to reset trays at the end of a procedure? Some hospitals are adamant about this policy, and it’s always vexed me. It seems like a mutually beneficial service that vendors and hospitals should be aligned on: 1) The vendor knows how to properly disassemble complex instrument constructs used during…

The number of loaners trays delivered per month is up 35% as compared to before the pandemic*. As we’ve discussed in the past, with the increase in procedures at more locations, it doesn’t look like this trend will slow down. At what point does this become a problem? For manufacturers, loaner sets allow them to…

Vendors and SPD should agree in the importance of IFU’s. In addition to keeping the patient safe, they also help maintain the serviceability of the device. Frustration mounts for vendors when [seemingly] out of nowhere, a new initiative of updating IFU’s comes up and they are unable to use instruments that have been processed many…

Closing the loop on when vendors pick up their loaned sets is good practice, in theory. But is it worth it? Following through on this endeavor is not as easy as it sounds, and not just because the rep is lazy. Creating and enforcing the process and its necessary documentation of each tray’s chain of…

Medical device reps are trained to support their product in the OR. Unless there are some very unique and specific cleaning instructions, it’s unlikely IFU’s were a topic of conversation during the rep’s training on the product. It would be more likely that the first time they heard, “IFU,” was from the SPD manager when…

Medical device representatives aren’t logistics or supply chain experts. They were hired to build and manage relationships with their surgeon and hospital clients. Handling the logistics of inventory and equipment is critical to ensure a smooth and successful procedure – which protects the business. To achieve this, many reps quickly resort to customizing sets and…

Of the 30,000+ procedures scheduled in Surgio Health’s Vendor platform, 8,100 (27%) of those were delivered late (by hospital policy). For SPD, this means over 25,000 trays had to be processed with haste. The unintended consequences of this alone are a conversation for another time. The question for today is “Why?” Why are these trays…

Despite the common goal of delivering value for their surgeon and the patient, the relationship between hospitals and vendors can be fragile and sometimes even contemptuous. This happens when their methods for “delivering” are at odds with one another. The results of this divergence can be expensive and can undermine their shared goal. To mend…