Clinical Bridge and/or Receiving and Delivery

We are working evaluating and improving our supply chain processes in our OR. We are using Epic OpTime today, and have a custom-built interface that sends item data into Epic. However, we don't have anything that brings data back to show utilization. We are looking at the potential of using Clinical Bridge to better manage our supply usage and would like to talk to any Lawson users who are using clinical bridge with Epic in the OR to understand how it works for you and any benefits you've found. We are also wondering if the MSCM Receiving and Delivery module is necessary in order to get the lot/serial/expiration data in to track the inventory items completely, so if you're using that as well, that's a bonus (or if you're not, that would be good feedback as well).

Thanks in advance

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Infor Lawson Supply Chain Group - Discussion

Comments

unknown

This may be stating the obvious, but have you worked with your Epic team to see what's already available?

I am by no means an expert in OpTime, but know that Epic has some pretty good analytics built around utilization - by procedure, by physician, by resource, etc..

In a previous life, we looked at building-out a "better" interface, only to find that Epic already had a lot of what we were looking for.

robert-canham

We're looking more at the reordering and inventory management processes than utilization reporting. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my original post.

unknown

In our system we are sending Item Master info to Epic as well and we are receiving supply usage information for items that are inventory tracked in perpetual locations.

To do this we use the output Epic provides from charting in each case, which is in HL7 format. From there our integration team uses Rhapsody to pull the files off the Epic system and transposes them into an IC500 format.

At this point we are not tracking lot and serial number detail in Lawson so I can't help with your bonus question.

unknown

You already have issue/PO history out of Lawson. Are you trying to tie this back to a physician/procedure to see what's pulled versus what's used - something akin to a preference card audit?

We did just that, by getting a preference card extract out of OpTime, and comparing that against our replenishment history. We couldn't break it down by physician (only knowing that ## of a supply was used), but at least we were able to suggest that certain supplies should be removed from the preference cards.

jonathan-andersen

Have you looked into using Infor's Point of Use application? It works directly with Clinical Bridge to not only attach item charges to a patient, procedure or case, but it also can serve as a perpetual inventory for the replenishment process. It offers a number of canned and customized reports that you can use to look at utilization details. Used in conjunction with MSCM Receiving and Delivery, you can track all lot/serial/expiration information from when an item hits the receiving dock until after the item is used on a patient or in a case.

robert-canham

Thanks Scott. So you created a custom interface between Epic and Lawson using your existing interface engine? Did you evaluate the Clinical Bridge at all or just decide to go custom due to having the resources?

robert-canham

@jonathan-andersen we are actually using the Point of Use application in our Cath Lab and Interventional Radiology departments. We considered it for this, but part of the reason we are looking at clinical bridge is that POU would require dual documentation of the case in Epic and POU (I think). We are hoping that clinical bridge could link us to the documentation already being performed in OpTime.

unknown

I agree with Ed on this one. It really depends on what you are looking for. If you are trying to understand ordering patterns and inventory on hand - look at Lawson. Epic does not really track actual inventory on hand. It can send a decrement feed to Lawson. We don't have perpetual inventory set up in our ORs. Instead of the IC500 route, we have an Epic report that pulls all the supplies and implants used during the previous day's cases and filter out what is in our locations that are ordered by MSCM. The rest of the items are either entered into RQC from that report or when we do log review.

If you are looking for actual usage based on location, physician, procedure, etc. look at Epic's analytics. The nurses should be tracking the lot/serial/expiration date in OpTime for anything that requires it. You can cross compare your preference cards fairly easily as well. Until a couple years ago, I led our OpTime team, so I have a lot of experience with it and its analytical capabilities.

unknown

At the time we brought this online we were just implementing Epic in our OR areas and we have been using the Rhapsody interface engine for all of our applications as an overall system solution. So having the resources was our primary driving force.

unknown

Just to make sure I am clear on what you are looking for. Is it a feed of supply usage from Epic that you can use to update you SOH and drive you replenishment, correct?

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