Poster
Client Context
Emory University Hospital – Midtown (EUHM) is a leading member of the Emory Healthcare system, serving 15,000 surgical patients annually with 60 surgeries per day across 28 operating rooms, generating $1.3 billion in annual net revenue. EUHM manages over 4,000 surgical supplies and 1,000 sterile instrument trays, with supplies and instruments combined in "case carts" for each surgery.
Project Objective
Our project’s primary objective is to tackle key operational needs expressed by EUHM, including reducing overstock and stockouts, enhancing organization within the basement storage area, and mitigating surgical delays due to missing supplies. By implementing targeted solutions such as optimized inventory policies, reorganized storage facilities, and digital auditing processes, the project aims to enhance service levels, minimize delays, and reduce surgery delay costs; aligning with EUHM's objectives of enhancing patient care and operational efficiency.
Design Strategy
To tackle the identified challenges, we employed a systematic approach, prioritizing data-driven decision-making. We analyzed cost and volume data to identify priority supplies for new inventory policies, simulated facility layouts to streamline picking efficiency with an optimization model and developed a digital audit app to enhance supply chain accountability. We also created dashboards for the supply reorder points and inventory policies, as well as the audit app data, to ensure transparency within EUHM. Validation of our approach involved iterative testing and feedback loops to ensure practicality and effectiveness.
Deliverables
Our deliverables include new inventory policies for priority supplies, a reorganized facility layout for improved efficiency, a digital audit app for supply chain accountability, and interactive dashboards for visibility and decision support. These tools and recommendations empower EUHM to reduce overstock and stockouts, optimize storage organization, and mitigate surgery delays, which ultimately enhance patient care, increase operational efficiency, and reveal cost savings.
Value and Impact
The implementation of our solutions is projected to yield significant monetary savings, including an estimated $1.2 million reduction in surgery delay costs through improved service levels and a further $1.6 million reduction attributed to the implementation of the audit app. Beyond monetary value, our solutions enhance patient safety, staff accountability, and overall operational efficiency, aligning with EUHM's objectives and positively impacting the broader healthcare ecosystem.
Project Information
Student Team
Braden Thorne
Kyle Cleveland
Lindsey Mains
Kathleen Devlin
Paige Towler
Brian Chen
Kevin Lee
Faculty Advisor
Faculty Evaluator
