COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on the medical care industry in 2020. Many hospitals had to contend with a shortage of space and medical devices. Purchasing managers were under pressure: stocks at suppliers were running out at an alarming rate and the safety of patients and staff was at risk. Moreover, gaining insight into the large supply of medical devices was not at all easy, because not every purchaser was familiar with the minefield of new suppliers that internationally popped up. There was uncertainty about the availability and quality of medical devices. COVID-19 showed that the reliability of product data is nowhere more important than in healthcare.
So what is product data and why do I need it?
“I can just buy medical devices, why do I need product data?” I can hear you thinking. Because it is always important for a buyer to know exactly what is being purchased, the GDSN network has been used for many years in the food & drugstore, DIY, and construction and installation sectors.
Via the GDSN network, data pools are linked to each other according to the GS1 standards. This enables everyone in the chain, from manufacturer to end customer, to efficiently exchange item data utilizing standardized information.
How can SRC-PIM help you with this?
When you’re a manufacturer and thus a publicist of product data, SRC-PIM helps with the communication yourselves and the data pool. Thanks to the always updated GS1 data models in SRC-PIM, manufacturers know perfectly which item data has to be delivered. All the information provided by the manufacturer in SRC-PIM is validated and checked before it is sent to GS1. We call this our ‘First Time Right’-principle.
On the side of hospitals and healthcare institutions, SRC-PIM helps with the reception of data from GS1/GDSN and the article selection afterward. If not, you will receive many thousands of records, because hospitals have many suppliers and articles. You don’t want to have all these product data in your ERP. In SRC-PIM, a hospital can make its selection with only the product data it needs. This way you avoid that you can’t see the forest for the trees anymore. Moreover, you can also create validation reports and send them to your suppliers, in case the item data doesn’t reach the desired quality yet.
This way, you will never be faced with unpleasant surprises and you always order a high-quality product. This not only applies to the implants for which the legislator has made this process mandatory, but is relevant for all medical devices.
So is your organization behind on getting your product data in order? Or do you not yet comply with the obligation to receive or send product data via GDSN, for example, if you, as a hospital, also produce medical devices yourself using a 3D printer?
Then book a workshop with us now through sales@src.nl. After a session with our expert, we will provide you with extensive advice and a clear plan of action tailored to your organization. So you can get off to a good start right away!