Separating Inventory Flows in the Materials Management Department of Hancock Medical Center

The materials management department of Hancock Medical Center was responsible for distribution of medical supplies to four major segments of the medical center, tracking inventory of items, accepting vendor delivery of items, and providing daily mail service for the entire medical center. The department was fraught with problems—deliveries were not made to schedule, departmental staffs were unable to keep accurate information on inventory, and the role of staff was not clearly defined. We made some recommendations that helped the department in streamlining their operations. The recommendations also helped to improve the overall logistics system and were useful for strategic planning and refinement of the materials management department of the Hancock Medical Center.