Taking stock of a money-saving system. Now may be the time for just-in-time

The urgent need to trim costs is apparent in hospitals across the country. One target for internal belt-tightening is business forms. Pick-and-pack programs are computerized just-in-time storage and delivery systems developed specifically to reduce a facility's administrative costs for forms. Under pick-and-pack, business forms are stored in a central location, which is connected to either the facility's or a vendor's computer system. Forms are shipped directly to the requesting user as needed. The result is substantial reduction in labor, inventory investment, and storage space. The system provides all the information necessary to keep inventory at optimum levels, while meeting stocking needs and minimizing inventory investment. Better yet, pick-and-pack provides a monthly summary billing, significantly reducing administrative processing costs. Of additional help to the hospital is a report that allocates charges by cost center and includes important data for budgeting and cost control.