FAQs

We have tried to answer as many questions as possible in the various pages of our web site. Nevertheless, a few questions seem to come up in more than one context, making it hard to find the right place to answer them in web pages.

Here are some of the general questions we get asked:

Q:    How do you handle data confidentiality?

A:    This is one of the most common questions and it is an extremely important one. We do not share your data with anyone. Period. We store it in encrypted form unless we are actively engaged in analysis. See Typical Data Requirements.

Q:    What data is normally required?

A:    We have managed to reduce our data requirements substantially to what is probably the minimum necessary to do our primary analyses. We do not collect data that we don't use. See Typical Data Requirements.

Q:    How long does an initial analysis take?

A:    An initial analysis for a single hospital will probably take 60-90 days following receipt of data. For the hospital, putting the necessary data together can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on systems involved and their degree of integration.

Q:    How large a data sample do you need?

A:    We typically try to get a 3-month complete transaction data sample. This is usually long enough to be able to identify primary order patterns. Each primary type of demand pattern should be handled differently to minimize supply chain costs.

Q:    What does the analysis output look like?

A:    Currently, we use Excel spreadsheets to consolidate and display results. We find these easiest to work with and easy to change to accommodate special situations and findings. If you are wondering what types of findings we come up with, check out our Action Plan page.

Q:    What happens after the analysis?

A:    We normally try to separate our analytical work from any subsequent services so that clients will have the greatest flexibility in how they proceed. Sometimes clients prefer to handle the implementation entirely by themselves. Some have local consultants or internal resources available for this purpose.

Q:    Can you do space optimization?

A:    Supplies storage space in hospitals is nearly always extremely limited. Storage space cuts into vital revenue-generating space in many point-of-care areas. Space optimization is a very complex process — see our notes on this topic at Space Utilization — but we have incorporated into our pilot model most of the mechanics required. Point-of-use storage is rarely used as efficiently as it could be because of the complexity of optimization.

Your Question Not Here?

Although we update this page occasionally with new questions, we have probably missed a few. If you have a question not answered here, please email it to us at:
   gerryallan@anametrica.com

Please note that we prefer email contact whenever possible. Phone use is typically not allowed in hospital areas and meeting rooms where we are often working so phone contact nearly always requires a later callback.