Comparative Study of DOD and Civilian Hospital Inventory Management Systems

摘要

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if one method of inventory managementwould standardize procedures and minimize costs for Department of Defense and civilian hospitals. This was accomplished by conducting a comparative analysis of inventory management systems, used at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio; Kettering Medical Center, Kettering, Ohio; and Evans US Army Community Hospital, Ft. Carson, Colorado. The literature review examined various inventory management methods used for both general and hospital specific inventories. The thesis concluded that, although different automated systems were used at the three hospitals studied, the basis of each inventory management system was Economic Order Quantity (EOQ). The changes desired by all the individuals interviewed were in the user interface to the automated systems, not in the method by which inventories were maintained. EOQ is a satisfactory method of inventory management for DOD and civilian hospitals.