January 28, 2025- In the following Q&A, Emily Berlin, Vice President, Laboratory Products & Distribution at Cardinal Health, discussed the most common challenges for lab teams during respiratory season, best practices, and how industry partners can assist when the demand rises.
What are some examples of rapidly changing needs of lab/diagnostic teams during respiratory illness season? How should these teams best prepare for the season?
Emily Berlin: During respiratory illness season, clinical laboratories can encounter multiple challenges posed by erratic demand. While the season may start out slow, surges in illness can suddenly spike demand for certain products.
As the season ramps up, lab teams and clinicians are already handling a surge in patient caseloads and concerns about inventory adds unnecessary stress which can detract from patient care. Proactive planning and effective collaboration with distributors and manufacturers can help smooth the variability in demand throughout the season.
If there isn’t much confidence in an organization’s inventory planning, providers may also start to overstock supplies. This can lead to other issues such as excess inventory and a surplus of unused expired products.
To strike a balance between having enough inventory while avoiding costly waste, organizations should consider a collaborative, data-focused approach to inventory planning that brings together providers, labs, supply chain, and distributors. This strategy should be supported by historical data that identifies product availability, supply chain constraints, potential patient volumes and formulary needs for the season.
What are some best practices that clinical laboratories should follow to ensure proper product inventory during seasonal illness fluctuations?
Emily Berlin: Adopting a holistic and flexible supply strategy that includes all stakeholders can help organizations have a smoother respiratory season. Bringing providers, labs and distributors together to share real-time information can help clinical laboratories and their supply chains better understand the factors that drive fluctuations for more visibility and better preparedness. Labs should work closely with vendors and distributors and share data and insights into changes in demand, patient populations, and technology platforms. Organizations can also work with their distributors to leverage their broader understanding of the complex ecosystem of hospitals, integrated delivery networks (IDNs), non-acute/ambulatory sites, and suppliers. Understanding how all of these variables fit into their supply strategy can help organizations harness their distributor’s capabilities to add value while managing costs.
By understanding what is behind demand fluctuations, creating effective forecasting and planning tactics and leveraging relationships, laboratory leaders can help ensure that their facility has the right supplies at the right time to deliver quality patient care – even in the event of a seasonal surge
How can rapid diagnostic testing, such as rapid influenza test kits administered at the point of care, benefit clinicians and speed up time to treatment for patients?
Emily Berlin: Rapid testing at the point of care speeds up diagnosis and treatment, helping prevent the spread of highly infectious respiratory illnesses. In most cases, patients can come into a clinic or acute facility with respiratory symptoms and have their condition confirmed before they walk out the door, helping ensure that proper procedures are followed in controlling further infection.
Rapid testing also facilitates “test-to-treat” capability where the testing and treatment of the infection is done at the same visit. This means that patients won’t have to schedule a return visit for further testing or treatment, which can help improve patient satisfaction and confidence. Accurate diagnosis and rapid treatment of respiratory infections at the point of care helps minimize potential outbreaks and supports proper use of antibiotics and antivirals.
Can you share some information on Cardinal Health’s Reserved Inventory Program? How does the program work and how does it help clinicians and laboratories stay prepared for unexpected surges? Any other benefits?
Emily Berlin: The Cardinal Health™ Reserved Inventory Program directly addresses the challenges that come with the unpredictable nature of respiratory season. The program helps ensure that laboratories have consistent access to their preferred diagnostic products even during peak surges. The Reserved Inventory Approach takes a best-practice approach to collaborative supply management by leveraging an organization’s historical data to help make informed decisions via an advanced planning model.
Providers work with their representative, using their data, to identify the specific product needs and quantities to reserve. The program will then assign a customized item number that allows providers to place orders from their reserved inventory at no additional cost. The program covers a wide range of critical testing assays, including COVID-19, Influenza A & B, Strep A, and RSV. Updates are provided throughout the season to help staff stay on top of how much reserved inventory remains.
By having assured supply and easy access to reserved product when the need arises, clinical laboratories and providers can worry less about inventory and focus more on providing patient care during a busy time of year.