[VIDEO] JumpStock Inventory Management Solution Improves Hospital Efficiency

The way nurses locate and scan medical supplies is about to change due to a new approach to supply management. Jump Technologies, an innovative software company that provides cloud-based mobile solutions, has introduced JumpStock.

By using the two-bin approach, nurses can significantly reduce the amount of time spent looking for supplies, reduce the number of stock-out incidents and increase their overall satisfaction. Additionally, hospitals can reduce the cost of overstocked inventory, increase visibility to supply data and drive greater accuracy of product velocity reporting.

“We’re focused on building solutions that save hospitals money by simplifying and improving inventory management,” said John Freund, CEO of Jump Technologies. “We’re delivering cloud-based solutions that are quickly and easily implemented by hospitals. Our primary goal is to reduce costs. To do this, we’re bringing better visibility to inventory; creating ways to easily and automatically record all supply transactions; reducing the time staff members, including clinicians, spend managing supplies; and finally, capturing data to create visibility to the long-term information needed to build understanding of cost, quality and outcomes.”

How JumpStock Works

Also known as Kanban, two-bin systems have been proven by LEAN manufacturing processes to be effective at managing highly consumable items stocked at low units of measure.

The approach is based on a simple concept: each item in a hospital’s inventory is placed in two separate bins, end to end on a shelf. As supplies are emptied from the first bin, the bin is moved to the top shelf and the second bin is pulled forward to refuel the supplies.

At specified times, supply technicians scan the barcodes on the empty bins using a compact “key-fob” scanner and an order to refill will automatically be calculated based on reorder levels the organization has established.

Improving Efficiency and Satisfaction

Due to the constant flow of supplies being monitored and refilled as needed, the time nurses spend managing supplies has been significantly reduced. In a test at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Supply Chain Director Matt Brennan reported a significant improvement in nursing satisfaction.

“When we conducted a survey of our nursing staff, we had just over 200 nurses in our emergency department,” said Brennan. “There was a 90-percent dissatisfaction rate with the previous inventory management system. After we began using JumpStock and its two-bin method for recording inventory transactions, we were able to completely turn the tables and jumped to a 92 percent satisfaction rate. The nurses love it.”