Healthcare AV Supply Chain Slowing You Down?

COVID-19 has left a lot of devastation in its wake, including supply chain shortages. No sector has been spared and it has been especially acute in the healthcare field with facilities struggling to obtain necessary AV equipment, medical equipment, and other supplies. Here’s how to take what we know now, and take action toward mitigating our supply chain disruptions for tomorrow.

So, What’s the Issue?

To say the issue with the AV supply chain in today’s world is complicated is an understatement. The supply chain has been inundated with issues including materials, labor, facilities, and transportation. While yes, a slower supply chain is not an ideal situation for any industry, it is a good opportunity for us to get in front of the issue before it causes your projects and facilities to experience more headache than they already are. While we hope this issue is more temporary in nature, let us look at some ways in which you can properly prepare, and plan, to deal with the effects of a slower supply chain.

Start With Where You Are

It sounds simple enough but we have found that starting with your inventory as it stands today gives you the best baseline to work off of. Beginning with the facts is more often than not a great first step in troubleshooting and planning contingencies. With supply readiness in flux and certainties becoming fewer and fewer, document the baseline of your healthcare facilities’ AV equipment inventory. Knowing where you are is the first step to knowing what steps are critical on your path to mitigate supply chain issues.

Fix What You Can First

The next step once you have a solid understanding of your inventory, manage your own inventory properly by scheduling maintenance. Routine and lifecycle management and maintenance are critical to AV equipment upkeep and usefulness.  Taking care of what you have already invested in will take a bite out of the stress of a slower supply chain.

Plan Ahead, and Then Some

The beauty of digital signage is that it is helpful to patients and visitors but it is also useful to your team internally.

Starting with where you are, maintaining what you have, and then planning for the future are the ways you can successfully navigate the supply chain struggles. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed at your present situation with urgent needs for AV solutions for your next project, or you are in the initial planning stages, now is the time to plan for the extra time it will take to fulfill orders of all types. The good news is that by planning ahead today, you are better prepared to ride the ups and downs that are inevitable when it comes to healthcare project design planning and implementation. 

We cannot solve supply chain problems in a day – or even a year. But we can learn from the issues we have seen throughout this pandemic and prepare better for the future, while caring for patients now. Looking for a healthcare AV partner to help you improve the patient experience? We would love to help!