Are You Ready?
What are data standards, and why are they important in the healthcare supply chain industry?
Back by popular demand! Review this fun video on data standards that premiered at the AHRMM conference. One cow has a GLN and GTIN and chooses the “standards route” on the journey to her final destination, and is handsomely rewarded for her wise decision. The other cow, not possessing the necessary qualifications to take the standards route, wanders from post to post and encounters many (painful) obstacles trying to get to her intended destination. Enjoy this spoof relating to the data standards movement underway in healthcare – click here to view.
Information and data are more easily accessible than ever before, and the wide range used in today's healthcare industry needs to be assessed and screened for its relevance. This also holds true for the healthcare supply chain.
A current issue in healthcare is that all information is not easily accessible, due to differing standards or formats. The Efficient Healthcare Consumer Response study (1996) states that $11 billion is wasted each year in the healthcare supply chain (estimates for that number have nearly doubled in the last ten years), largely due to the fact that data standards are either lacking entirely or they are not as widely used or well-developed as in other industries.
To help manage all of this information, standards groups have been formed to reduce healthcare costs by publishing standards and promoting their use throughout the entire healthcare supply chain.
AHRMM supports the use of GS1 standards to regulate operations between all trading partners in the healthcare supply chain. GS1 standards (GLN, GTIN, GDSN) are used by 90% of companies and organizations worldwide.
All healthcare providers are encouraged to read about the standards, access the case studies and pilot
reports, and join GS1 Healthcare US by completing the
GS1 Healthcare US membership application.
