Lab Leaders, Are You Sharing Data with Your Supplier?

Hospital laboratories operate in a fast-paced environment that requires precision, efficiency and foresight. Those same elements apply when you’re planning major capital investments, evaluating diagnostic platforms or streamlining your supply chain. You’ll want to collaborate with a trusted medical supply partner such as Medline, sharing information so they can deliver tailored recommendations based on lab data analysis.

Let’s examine what you’ll be asked to share and how it benefits you.

Tell us about your goals and diagnostic equipment

“The first thing we’ll want to understand is the clinical and operations goals of the laboratory, and how we can expect new diagnostic equipment to help get you there,” says Brett Miller, Medline division manager of lab diagnostics. “For example, are you looking to expand your test menu, service lines and/or scope of work? If there are initiatives to increase outreach and outpatient testing, what specialties are under your outreach market? For example, do you have cancer centers that are affiliated with your hospital?”

Miller explains that esoteric testing or oncology tests could be added to the test menu if there is potential demand within your lab’s reach. Other examples include expansion of hospital-owned clinics, such as pediatrics and women’s health.

In-house testing plans

“For specific point of care and instrumentation, we need to understand the test menu and expectations from the clinicians and providers on turnaround time,” Miller says.

• Tests currently being performed
• Projected volume growth
• Samples tested in-house vs sent to reference labs
• Samples you’d like to test in-house that you’re currently sending to a core lab
• Outreach program plans
• Point-of care (POC) testing being conducted at your outpatient clinics today

“Most hospitals want to do as much testing as they can in-house,” Miller says. “It needs to make sense clinically but also financially.”

• Projected lab test volume growth—When a supply partner puts together product solutions, they need to understand customers’ current equipment and capacity open for growth
• Reference lab sendout data—“This data isn’t always easy to pull,” Miller says. “You may be sending out samples to six different reference labs. It’s one thing to review six reports; it’s another to look at them as a whole. Having the full picture is ideal.”
• Outreach program—There may be a test you can bring in that might not have high inpatient volume or high outpatient volume in your clinics. “But if you look at creating or expanding an outreach program, you can potentially drive significant revenue into the laboratory,” Miller says. “It’s not going to make sense to bring in every single test. We can help you identify the ones that do make sense to bring in and determine if they can be run on current instrumentation in your lab.”
• POC testing in outpatient clinics—For larger health systems, POC testing in their outpatient clinics may funnel up to the core lab in terms of decision making. “How many brands are you using today across the network for the same test category? How many SKUs are you using today?” Miller explains that the Medline team can help reduce SKUs and brands for cost savings and standardization initiatives.

“We can ensure new technologies align with current needs and long-term objectives.” Miller says. “Our analysts can cross-reference platform capabilities with test menu expansion plans, pinpointing where current or future needs intersect with instrumentation choices.”

Equipment and diagnostics inventory

Start by sharing a complete and accurate list of the equipment and diagnostic platforms currently in use:

• Manufacturer, model and installation year
• Test menu supported by each device
• Ownership status (owned, leased, reagent rental)
• Software platforms used (LIS, middleware or analytics tools)

“The year of installation tells us how old the equipment is and the status of its contractual life,” Miller says.

Some hospitals own their analyzers because they like to have the title. Other hospitals do reagent rentals, leasing from the manufacturer or distributor. “That information helps us meet your needs when we’re looking to upgrade you to new instruments,” Miller explains. “Do you own the title or is there a commitment in place today? If there’s a commitment, there could be limitations on what we can do until the contract expires.”

Using the information you provide, your partner can assess compatibility with your test offerings, flag aging or redundant equipment and prioritize upgrades or replacements. “Our data analysts can map utilization trends against equipment age and service records, highlighting which instruments are nearing obsolescence or underperforming—making a strong case for replacement or consolidation,” Miller says.

Utilization and performance

Understanding how your current platforms are performing is essential. It enables your partner to right-size recommendations based on volume needs, improve uptime and reliability and identify automation opportunities to reduce manual errors and improve lab efficiency.

• Monthly/annual test volumes by instrument
• Utilization rates (percent of capacity used)
• Turnaround time (TAT) metrics for routine and STAT tests
• Downtime incidents and service history

When your supply partner knows the MTBF (mean time, between failure) of instruments and equipment, it helps them determine the right upgrade solutions. “We can identify bottlenecks in test workflows or instruments that cause delays, then model how newer systems or automated solutions could improve throughput and reduce TAT variability,” Miller says.

“We can ensure new technologies align with current needs and long-term objectives.”

Brett Miller

Medline Division Manager of Lab Diagnostics

Staffing and workflow considerations

“When we’re upgrading new instrumentation, we always try to enhance the workflow and create fewer touch points,” Miller says. “Ultimately, we aim to free up tech time when we upgrade to a new analyzer, so you don’t need to add another person or another shift for a new instrument.”

Sharing current and planned staffing levels helps your partner determine what’s feasible and reasonable. That goes hand in hand with workflow efficiency. “We need to understand where you need to increase efficiencies or workflows, depending on the department, whether it’s chemistry, microbiology or molecular,” Miller says.

There could be some areas where techs are spending a lot of time on a particular instrument, or preanalytical work might be needed for specific testing. “If we can look at that data or that side of the business, we can help position different product solutions that potentially will help reduce tech hands-on time,” Miller explains. We want to reduce those non-value-added tasks for techs.”

Infrastructure compatibility

The most advanced equipment needs the right physical and digital environment:

• Bench space, utilities (power, HVAC, gas, water), and ceiling height
• Environmental requirements: cleanroom, BSL compliance, temperature control
• Network connectivity and interfacing with LIS, EMR, and middleware

“We need to understand if there’s going to be any automation associated with the product and what the needs are,” Miller says. “A lot of these instruments need plumbing.”

Knowing the current and required infrastructures helps your partner ensure that the selected equipment can be implemented without costly modifications or integration delays. It also supports IT readiness and network interoperability for real-time data sharing. Analysts can identify potential infrastructure constraints by comparing equipment specs against available space and digital infrastructure, flagging hidden costs or integration risks before purchase.

Cost and budget considerations

Capital planning requires a balance of clinical value and financial stewardship:

• Available capital equipment budget and procurement timelines
• Operating costs: cost-per-test, service contract fees, reagent spend
• Total cost of ownership (TCO) over the equipment lifecycle
• Any business cases or justifications submitted for upcoming equipment

This data helps your partner design solutions within budget and recommend financing options (e.g., reagent rental, leasing). It also informs ROI modeling and helps prioritize investments with the highest clinical and financial impact. Your partner can generate side-by-side cost models comparing different procurement options (lease vs. purchase), projecting long-term savings and return on investment under various test volume growth scenarios.

“We also want to spend a day in the lab, where we go in with our team and the manufacturer and understand your current workflow, understand your peak times of when samples come in and how your staff is handling those samples,” Miller says. “Once we have all that, we can put together a detailed summary for the laboratory.”

Miller emphasizes the importance of including all the right stakeholders in the decision-making process. “We need the clinical lab leaders, medical directors and providers within the clinics and specialty sites,” he says. “We collect data from all these influential stakeholders. And we work hard to have all the right people involved so that we are working to meet needs across the network.”

Let’s talk about lab supply chain optimization

With the right capital and diagnostics strategy in place, ongoing operational success depends on a well-managed lab supply chain. Sharing supply chain data helps your partner create tailored strategies to reduce costs, increase resilience and support clinical excellence.

SKU, product management and cost management

A clear view of the number, type and performance of stocked products is foundational:

• Full SKU list with manufacturer, distributor and unit of measure
• Usage data: daily/monthly/annual demand
• Redundancy and variation in similar items
• Expiry or obsolescence rates
• Total supply spend by vendor, category, and SKU
• Cost-per-test from a supply perspective
• Budget vs. actual spend tracking
• Invoicing accuracy and payment discrepancies

“We want to know your 12-month purchase history,” says Jim Thomsen, Medline director of field sales. “If we get line-item level detail and pricing, we can do a more comprehensive savings analysis for you and help you quantify the savings. We can help standardize some of your products or platforms where you’re using multiple vendors. And we can consolidate that through one vendor and help drive standardization across sites.”

This data enables SKU rationalization, reduction in product variation and supply standardization. Analysts can identify underused SKUs, consolidate product categories and flag frequently expired supplies for elimination or substitution.

Inventory management practices

To improve inventory control and reduce waste, share:

• On-hand quantities, min/max/par levels, and reorder points
• Inventory turnover ratio
• Stockout rates and overstock metrics
• Physical inventory accuracy and cycle count reports
• Locations of stored inventory (main lab, satellite sites, POU)

Knowing this information helps your partner design right-sized inventory systems, optimize replenishment cycles and eliminate excess holding costs. And it helps with recommendations for automated inventory management tools.

Is your lab ready for disruptions?

In addition to backorder frequency for critical items, you’ll want to provide your single-source or sole-source products, emergency stock levels and contingency plans, and recall readiness and documentation practices.

This data enables your partner to build resilience into the supply chain with backup vendors, alternative products and robust contingency plans.

Demand forecasting and utilization trends

Effective demand planning reduces waste and avoids shortages:

• Historical usage by SKU and by test type
• Seasonality or cyclical patterns in demand
• Known changes in test menu or patient volume
• Forecasting methods currently in use (manual vs. automated)

“Do you have any sort of lot sequestering program or dedicated inventory we can manage for you? We want to help you oversee the most critical products that are impacted by seasonality,” Thomsen says.

Sharing your forecasting and utilization trends supports predictive ordering, proactive stock adjustments and long-term procurement planning aligned with clinical demand. Analysts can apply forecasting models to predict supply needs, helping you prepare for expected surges (e.g., flu season) or respond faster to emerging outbreaks.

Resource allocation and workflow

Efficient resource use directly impacts supply chain performance:

• Staffing model for supply tasks (ordering, restocking, receiving)
• Time allocation for supply-related duties
• Process mapping for receiving, storing and distributing supplies

When labor inefficiencies are identified, your partner can help with workflow redesign or automation that saves time, improves accuracy and reduces stress on lab staff. Time-motion studies and task analysis help quantify non-value-added activities, paving the way for process automation or task redistribution.

Sustainability and waste reduction

Does your lab prioritize green supply chain practices such as:

• Use of disposables vs. reusables
• Expired product waste and recycling rates
• Supplier sustainability initiatives
• Lab-specific sustainability goals

Partners often can recommend greener products and practices, support waste reduction and align procurement with hospital-wide sustainability initiatives.

Supply chain technology and visibility

Technology is essential for managing complexity:

• Current inventory or ERP systems
• Integration with LIS, EMR or POU tracking tools
• Dashboard or analytics capabilities

“We need to know if you’re using any kind of LUM,” Thomsen says. What about a central warehouse? Are you managing inventory for your outreach clients within the lab?”

Using lab data analysis, your partner can help enhance real-time monitoring, improve usage accuracy, implement automated replenishment and launch data-driven decision-making.

“If we get line-item level detail and pricing, we can do a more comprehensive savings analysis for you and help you quantify the savings.”

Jim Thomsen

Medline Director of Field Sales

Order management and fulfillment

Ordering practices play a major role in supply chain performance:

• Ordering method (manual, EDI, portal)
• Frequency, lead time and order sizes
• Standard delivery schedules vs. emergency orders

Streamlining ordering workflows is easier with this information, leading to reduced administrative load and more consistent supply availability.

Key takeaway

Whether you’re evaluating a high-throughput analyzer, expanding your test menu or rethinking your inventory strategy, data is the foundation of effective lab transformation. By proactively sharing the right data with your medical supplier, you enable accurate lab data analysis so your partner can deliver tailored recommendations, identify savings and support better patient care.