Hospital Logistics

Logistics as useful instrument for efficiency, quality increase and cost decrease are focused more and more in hospitals. Now it is important to accommodate current changes in health care sector, to make us of the prospects, to be aware of one’s qualities and to take the right way to success. The development and realisation of an optimal integrated logistics system is a great challenge for hospitals. With the help of professional support your hospital can be quickly led to the desired aims.

Our comprehension of hospital logistics

A hospital is a complex technical system of many actions, structures, material flows and people. Different wards and areas of operations are involved in the daily routine of a hospital. Chemists, storage, laundry, kitchen, administration, laboratory, sterilisation, cleaning, disposal etc. are influencing the success of a hospital enormously. Aside from the medical attendance, efficient actions and the coordination of all logistical items contribute to hospitals quality. Logistics in hospitals are efficient when they fulfill their functions and are unnoticed by employees.

Our services for hospitals

Our services for hospitals mainly focus on the following topics:

Supply of hospital wards
Individual adjusted supply processes ensure a steady supply of wards. As trustful partner we develop process transparency in storage and wards, reduce inventory and optimise inventory management and help to save costs. At the same time employees and patients profit from a solid supply.

Planning of logistics systems
Planning of logistics systems include the integrated planning,
analysis and conception of in-house logistics systems. Because of the variety of logistics processes in hospitals an objective overall view is necessary. Therefore we offer cross-functional planning of location, storage, material flow and/or transport and develop integrated, adequate concepts for your hospital. 

Logistics control in hospitals
Hospitals are complex logistic systems including personnel flows and material flows which have to be controlled. This task can be solved through the implementation of a control center. A control center schedules and controls all resources, personnel flows and material flows of a hospital. The goal is to achieve a total optimum and to be able to react on exceptional circumstances confidently. You can benefit from the advantages of a control center because we support your hospital with the conception and implementation of such a center.

Logistic operational concept
Additional to the medical operational concept it is important to work out the needs and requirements of the prospective optimal logistic system in a hospital at an early stage of a hospital building. This should be done within a logistic operational concept. In connection with this concept, processes of supply, areas for logistics and the necessary technical systems are planned and defined early before a hospital starts to work. A complete logistic operational concept ensure that after implementation processes in a hospital run with high economic efficiency, on sufficient huge areas with fitting technical support.

Logistics check in hospitals
Most time hospitals know when or that there is the need for improvement but the identification of these areas and their reasons can be difficult. In cases when the possible areas for optimisation are not clear Fraunhofer IML offer a logisitics check to show potentials. This gives an overview and a prioritisation of the need of actions.

In addition to planning and optimisation of logistics in hospitals Fraunhofer IML, department “Health Care Logistics”, also supports service and manufacturing companies which act in health care sector.

You find an overview of our services at page “Health Care Logistics”.