What To Do With Your Soon-To-Be Expired Medical Supplies

In fast-paced settings within the healthcare industry, managing product expiration dates is an arduous task. Most medical supplies, ranging from safety products and drugs to nutrition supplements and sterile equipment, have a limited lifespan.

Wastage resulting from expired medical supplies accounts for a huge chunk of annual expenses in the sector. Moreover, the matter raises serious concerns with public safety and can harm organizational reputation.

The following pointers will help you manage your soon-to-expire medical supplies effectively to minimize potential losses and associated ethical risks.

Use an Effective Inventory Management System

Effective inventory tracking and management begins from the moment you receive supplies. Automated tracking software will streamline this process and reduce or eliminate human error. Such software sends timely alerts for equipment or medication close to expiration. An efficient system provides visibility into all existing supplies, allowing you to spot soon-to-be expired items easily.

Without such software, use a color-code system that uses different color stickers to classify items according to their expiry date. After identifying soon-to-expire items, prioritize their use within the required window.

Rotate Soon to Expire Items Between Departments

When using an automated system, determine how much notice you want to receive before expiration. If you still use a manual system, set a monthly or weekly reminder to check for these items. Once you identify supplies close to becoming obsolete, determine which departments use them the fastest and move the items to these departments.

Establish Horizontal Collaboration to Reduce Wastage

Horizontal collaboration refers to agreements with companies in the same industry to work together. In this case, you could identify organizations in your network that require soon-to-be expired supplies and work out a possible deal. Rather than let these items go to waste, work out a secondary resale agreement that will assist you in recovering some of the losses.

Practice Strategic Ordering and Stocking

A key driver behind the obsolescence of supplies before use is the practice of over-ordering. At times, this could be an ill-informed attempt at addressing delays or shortages in the supply chain. Rather than over-order and risk losses from obsolete stock, getting multiple reliable medical supplies’ vendors and establishing a viable re-order point is better. Automating this process can help you further, identifying fast-moving items and lower-frequency ones to inform your orders.

Note that sterile items without a listed expiry date, such as bandages and first aid kits, remain usable as long as the barrier system remains intact. Ensure these are stored properly and replace them if the packaging breaks, sustains damage, or discolors.

Donate Supplies Before Expiration

Instead of letting your soon-to-be expired medication or equipment go to waste, donate them to charitable or non-profit organizations. Making such donations benefits the recipients and mitigates the negative impact of medical supply waste. Your organization also helps by decreasing costs associated with disposal. It could even qualify for federal tax credits as a result.

Take Charge and Avoid the Hazards of Expired Medical Supplies

Dealing with limited-lifetime supplies in the healthcare industry can be overwhelming if you have no strategy. Establishing an effective inventory tracking system and following through with the above possibilities will address this challenge and yield numerous benefits.