Item master build

dechevar

Currently: V10, ST moving to FSM, MT

We currently only build item master items for supplies that will be housed in a stocking location (Item Location/Par Location). All other items are added to the contract as specials. This has alleviated the item master specialist from having to build items that never get used. At one time we had almost 150k items built, but only actively ordered 30k of them. I made the decision to focus the team more on contract management as opposed to building item master items and feel that it was the right decision. We build fewer items but create many more specials that get sent to our clinical systems (Epic/Optime) than we did in the past. Charge information is also kept on the contract lines.

I would like to know how other organizations that use contract management have approached this. Do you build items as opposed to specials? If so, what do you see as the benefit? If not, have you gained efficiencies moving away from building items?

Thanks!

Dan

flewis

Dan,

Your method has become my personal preference for handling the item master; records for stock and par items, and specials for everything else whenever possible.  The ability to create new items from CM if necessary comes in handy, and it allows your data integrity/item master management team to get out of the item creation "factory".  Good call in my opinion.