Just-in-time buying can control healthcare facilities' supply chain costs, but some say it’s too risky to keep inventories lean, according to an article on the Healthcare Finance website.
Just-in-time purchasing benefits the industry by lowering the carrying cost of inventory.
It 't without financial risk, however. The biggest — and the reason it took this type of inventory management a while to catch on in healthcare — is the potential lack of availability of a product under the system.
For example, when a patient procedure must be rescheduled because an implant, due to arrive the night before, is unavailable.