Communicating Concerns to Manufacturers
For the parent of a child needing durable medical equipment (and the child themselves), using a piece of equipment that could benefit from adjustments in functionality can be frustrating. There are considerable differences between how equipment works for adults versus children, and PHS wants to ensure the manufacturers understand just how these differences affect the way their equipment functions for the pediatric population.
Advocating for the End User
“PHS’s philosophy has always been to provide cutting-edge technology to children with medical complexities,” says Anthony Scandariato, Purchasing Manager at PHS. “I work as an advocate for the end user, whether that’s relaying feedback to better meet our patients’ needs, or reducing the cost of health care.”
Anthony consistently works closely with vendors and manufacturers to proactively pass along concerns, suggestions, or comments on what is working well for our patient population – ensuring feedback isn’t left unheard.
A Two-Way Street
Because the manufacturers understand that their product needs to function as well as possible, they also reach out to get feedback.
“Manufacturers are sometimes interested in brainstorming with our team,” says Anthony. “They might come here with their research and development team, and staff from all avenues of our company – both clinical and operational – join to provide feedback on what we would like to see in a product, and what we have heard from our patient families.”
Trends Lead to Improvements
Through the product feedback process, all of our patient and clinician comments on supplies or equipment are reported back to the manufacturer. This way, if they see a trend in a product that continually has complaints due to a specific reason, they’re able to make adjustments to it and improve its functionality.
“It’s about providing the right product for each kiddo,” knows Anthony. “As long as we’re taking care of the kid and equipping them with the very best by doing what we can through our suppliers and manufacturers, we can provide the best care possible.”
Originally published: April 25, 2014