Product Standardization and Evaluation
I was just re-reading my compilation book “Product Standardization and Evaluation,” which was a series of articles edited down by Charles E. Housley, MBA who at the time was the GURU of modern materials management in the 1970s and 1980s. This is still a great learning tool to healthcare professionals and many of the ideas in 1986 when this book was published still apply today.
In one of the main articles, Charles E. Housley laid out his vision of the successful hospital product evaluation committee. The main emphasis was on the known fact that hospitals did not have defined specifications for the products, services and equipment that they purchase! Hence there was a huge opportunity for savings because hospitals had been over specifying or under-specifying products and/or left themselves open to vendor or preference influences because they did not have clear cut documented specifications for all of their high dollar products.
Charles E. Housley, had hit the nail right on the head, and although we have committees and teams working today, few teams develop clear cut written/typed specifications for their exact requirements then begin evaluating products based on that criteria. Charles Housley spelled it all out for us back in 1986; will it take another 20 years for us to finally get it right?
Filed Under: Cost Management • savingsblog
