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Hospital & Healthcare Management/ Healthcare Case Study/ Healthcare IT for Supply Chain Management /Software Enables Vaccine Doses distribution:- In October 2009, TECSYS’ experts alongside McKesson’s healthcare professionals worked around the clock to enable four distribution centers to distribute millions of the H1N1 vaccines to as many as 150,000 sites across the U.S.A. using TECSYS’ software. It was the largest public health initiative in the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) history that delivered, in just two months, some 125 million doses of the vaccine with 99.99% order accuracy.
TECSYS’ Software for Healthcare Enables McKesson to Distribute 125 Million Vaccine Doses Across the U.S.
 “A distribution initiative of this magnitude requires reliable
technology. TECSYS was 100% committed to this program, as a result, we
were able to move quickly and achieve our goal of safely and accurately
delivering the H1N1 flu vaccine to healthcare providers across the
country.”
Tom Hart
Vice President, Vaccines
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th on the FORTUNE 500, is a
healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to
helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs,
streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient
care. Over the course of its 177-year history, McKesson has grown by
providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across
the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals,
physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy
automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to
improve outcomes for patients.
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a division of McKesson Corp.,
delivers the services manufacturers, payors and providers need to ensure
pharmaceutical products, coordinated reimbursement, and clinical
services are available to patients with complex diseases. Its technology
platform and clinical tools, provide manufacturers and providers with
value-added information that helps improve efficiency while enabling
better, safer patient care.
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions is the second largest distributor of
specialty pharmaceuticals and biologics and the largest distributor of
rheumatology drugs in the United States. In addition, it is the
centralized distributor for the Centers for Disease
Control & Prevention’s (CDC) public-sector purchased adult and
pediatric vaccines, including the 2009 H1N1 vaccine and those
distributed under the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program.
A pandemic H1N1 is declared
The first novel H1N1 patient in the United States was confirmed by
laboratory testing at CDC on April 15, 2009. Following that, it was
quickly determined that the virus was spreading from person-to-person,
and on April 22, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to
better coordinate the public health response. Shortly thereafter, the
United States Government declared a public health emergency and moved
forward to actively and aggressively implement the nation’s pandemic
response plan.
On August 10, 2009, McKesson Corp. announced that its current
partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
had been expanded to include preparations for H1N1 flu vaccine
distribution. Under the authority of Unusual and Compelling Urgency
(Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-2), the CDC expanded its existing
contract with McKesson to include centralized distribution of the H1N1
flu vaccine which was under development at the time. The H1N1 vaccine
distribution effort included the centralized distribution of the H1N1
flu vaccine to as many as 150,000 sites across the country, making it
the largest public health initiative in the CDC’s history.
The challenge
1. Needed the ability to distribute millions of vaccine doses to
thousands of sites including: point of dispensing facilities, retail
outlets, pharmacies, hospitals, mass immunizers, public health
facilities, physicians/long-term care physician offices, clinics,
nursing homes and other small providers.
2. Complex, multi-faceted supply chain requiring cold chain product handling to ensure product safety.
3. Involvement of five manufacturers required handling of multiple products, packaging, and labeling conventions.
4. New distribution centers and IT systems needed to be executed in a
matter of months to protect patients from rapidly spreading pandemic
influenza.
TECSYS’ partnership with McKesson goes back over a decade
when McKesson selected TECSYS’ distribution and warehouse management
software for healthcare in 1999 for its 3PL specialty drug distribution
business (Oncology Therapeutic Network, now McKesson Specialty Care
Solutions).
The solution
To help the CDC ensure the safe and expedient delivery of the H1N1 flu
vaccine to patients across the country, McKesson Specialty Care
Solutions leveraged its existing TECSYS partnership to build an
industry-leading technology system.
“This was as much about public health as about a business
transaction,” commented Peter Brereton, President & CEO, TECSYS Inc.
“We wanted to be part of this initiative and support our
long-standing partner to help control this pandemic outbreak. It was a
significant challenge not only from a massive distribution point of view
but also from a timeline; eight weeks to go-live, 100% error free and
accurate, no room for any slippage whatsoever. We were delighted to be
part of this successful initiative!”
TECSYS in healthcare
For some fifteen years, TECSYS has been providing distribution and
warehouse management solutions to customers in the healthcare industry;
these include Fortune 100 manufacturers and distributors, as well as a
number of hospital supply networks (IDNs) and third-party logistics
providers in Canada and the United States. The Company’s product suite
for healthcare effectively streamlines business processes, speeds up the
flow of business activity across distribution operations, consolidates
information, manages inventory, drives dramatic cost savings, and
delivers superior customer service.
Deployment in record time
To achieve the CDC’s goal of vaccinating patients across the country
beginning in October 2009, TECSYS experts alongside McKesson
professionals worked around the clock to enable four distribution
centers strategically located across the United States.
Fulfillment – 99.99% accuracy
Thanks to McKesson’s industry-leading technology systems and operations
processes, the Company was able to process and ship out H1N1 vaccine
orders on the same day they were received in its systems from the CDC.
This critical functionality ensured vaccine packages were received by
healthcare professionals as quickly as possible. Using TECSYS’
distribution and warehouse management software applications, each order
was electronically processed and each vaccine package was barcode
scanned and verified for accuracy.
Major achievements/benefits
• Eight weeks to go-live for four distribution centers
• Picking, packing and shipments of up to 5000 containers per day
• Fulfillment of 125 million vaccine doses was completed in two months from go-live
• 99.99% order accuracy
Source TECSYS
To Contact TECSYS:
www.tecsys.com
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1-800-922-8649
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