Purchasing Management in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital: a case study

Model Study: Case Study. Purpose of the Study: This study aims to explore the purchasing materials process in a tertiary teaching hospital and analyze the missing items profiles in a given period in order to identify how materials management tools can help optimizing purchasing and inventory policies. Methodology: The study was based on qualitative and quantitative analyses. The first was made by means of collecting data to understand both processes and internal structure of the Materials Division through observation and semi-structured interviews between September-November 2013. A list of missing items in 2012 and 2013 was obtained from system information in order to analyze the profiles of these items according to the ABC and VEN (or XYZ) ratings. Results: The results show that out of 8,595 items of consumable materials, only 5 % in volume are classified as A in ABC curve, however such items correspond to 42 % in value. On the other hand, vital items represent 49 % on value and 46 % in terms of quantity. When analyzed together, the two curves show that most quantities of consumables materials are classified as vital from the C curve (36.35%) whereas non-essential items from the A curve represent both in value and in volume the smallest amount portion of materials. The missing items profile in 2012 and 2013 were similar, the highest rate of faults is from vital and C curve materials and the smaller, of nonessentials of the A curve. Conclusion: Through the study, it can be concluded that the definition of procurement policies inventories from the analyses of not only economic resources, but also item’s criticality to processes is essential, especially considering the current context of public health organizations, in order to optimize resources and minimize materials faults.