Product matrix. Patient-centered care the IS/MM response.

No single MMIS vendor has the total solution to meet the needs of patient-centered care. Addressing it should be one of their top priorities, since this is not fleeting fancy, but rather a new era of healthcare delivery. Elements that will be necessary include: increased communication between care centers and materiel management; electronic ordering and purchasing of goods with prime vendors; the ability to relieve inventory and charge patients without intruding on the care of the patient; the ability to track extensive usage data per care center and nurse server. Usage data can be employed during price negotiations and provide materiel management with important "gatekeeping" information. The more usage data that materiel management has, the more bargaining power will exist with the prime vendor, distributor and care center. It is important to note, however, that information must be concise and easy to obtain. Graphical information has more impact and provides the best visual guide for the materiel manager. A 400-page document containing the month's usage will not "cut it" anymore--if it ever did. The transference and reduction of inventory from the warehouses to the care center probably presents the biggest obstacle for materiel management and nursing. The more work that can done upfront by the prime vendor (such as separating the purchased items into bin-type devices for delivery to specific care centers), the faster the goods can be administered to the patient. With care mapping, the items may even be broken down further, based on case mix information. The items could, and sometimes actually are, stored in the patient's room. It is a nurse's dream to have at his or her fingertips all the supplies needed at the time of request. One key for MMIS in realizing this dream is to track and monitor the on-line, real-time information. In fact, some companies' business is providing immediate inventory replacement information using bed-side terminals. I believe everyone--materiel management, nursing, and information systems--must collaborate and be open to new roles in order to ensure the success of patient-centered care.