What's in your supply closet? Cures for chaos.

You’re short on time and searching the supply closet for one small item. Frustrated, you scan drawers, shelves and boxes, thinking there must be a better way. Although it’s important to avoid running out of medical supplies, excess inventory can consume precious storage space. Spending some time on that closet now can save you time and money later. “Good inventory control is not just about eliminating the waste associated with proper disposal of an expired item,” says Carolyn Pickles, MBA, FACMPE, MGMA-ACMPE member, author of Assessment Workbook for Medical Practices (mgma.com/store-action). “It’s about avoiding the cost associated with inefficiency when a key supply — one that is needed that minute — is not in stock.” Here are some steps that, when implemented separately or together, save staff time and office money: Standardize. Consider consolidating the number of brands and volume according to your space requirements to help avoid product backlogs and preserve precious stockroom space. This will also allow those who place orders to quickly identify approved items and maximize workflow. Optimize ordering frequency. Consolidating orders reduces overall costs. Adjust your order frequency to balance how often you order, receive and pay for your supplies. This also reduces the number of times that boxes are opened and supplies are put away in a given week. Label. Label items properly to make navigating supply closets easy for those using and stocking items — and to ensure that items stay organized. Enable technology. Tablets, particularly iPads, are becoming more popular in the office and can help optimize efficiencies with ordering and inventory management. Practices should consider wireless bar code scanning, which incorporates tablets into electronic supply management. Implement Electronic inventory management systems. Automation of supply-chain management processes can offer suggested orders based on utilization history. It can reduce ordering time, maintain inventory balances (minimum and maximum levels), streamline ordering processes, and track inventory and expiring products to reduce obsolescence and avoid excess inventory.