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of a patient ’ s care takes place in the post-acute setting

• Ostomy supplies are not a onesize-fits-all .

• Because of individual requirements posed by body contours , skin type , type of waste , the level at which the intestine extends through the ostomy site , as well as environmental concerns , products are not easily interchangeable .

• The stoma size and shape may change over time and as health conditions arise , necessitating updates to the patient ’ s product needs .

• Each patient must have access to compatible products to avoid medical consequences . 1

The Long Tail of Ostomy In the ostomy category , approximately 80 % of the volume comes from 20 % or so of the SKUs . These are products such as pouches , skin barriers and adhesives used by both hospitals and post-acute care facilities with little worry that they may be unavailable or on backorder . The remaining 20 % of volume , however , is “ long tail ,” meaning it ’ s made up of low quantity , not readily available , yet nonetheless clinically sensitive items that require a unique supply chain strategy .

“ These products can cause risk and a lot of heartache for patients and caregivers if they ’ re not readily available ,” Bychowski says . “ It matters that we ’ re able to say that we can get these products to them quickly without them having to pay exorbitant freight costs .”

In fact , according to research published in the Journal of Wound , Ostomy and Continence Nursing , ostomy complications were the reason for readmission in 62.4 % of patients . Slightly more than 1 in 5 patients ( 20.7 %) had a subsequent ED visit within 120 days — 39.7 % of which involved ostomy complication . 2

A Total Solution through Strategic Partnering Through a new strategic partnership with Coloplast , a global company that develops , manufactures and markets medical devices and services for ostomy , continence , skin and wound care , Medline is finding new ways to address the market ’ s supply chain complexities and help lower this risk .

A key feature of the strategic partnership is a Low and Slow Ostomy Program that ’ s designed to address the unique needs of ostomy patients without spreading inventory too thin or taking too long to get supplies where they need to be .

“ Wherever surgery takes place is where the decisions begin about what products to use and for how long .”

— Jacob Bychowski , Medline Program Manager for

Home Health and Hospice

of patients readmitted due to ostomy complications

In most scenarios , Medline asks customers for a threemonth usage list and does not stock more inventory than they can commit to . Because of ostomy ’ s long tail , however , customers aren ’ t able to say with certainty what a patient will need in six months . “ They could have a formulary that allows for them to have the basics , but there ’ s always going to be one or two things outside of that that they didn ’ t expect ,” says Kira Holguin , Medline Senior Vendor Relations Manager of Distributed Products . Under the program , any Coloplast item purchased by a customer is automatically preloaded into Medline ’ s ERP ( enterprise resource planning ) system . When a customer orders something , the system will first search the customer ’ s primary branch or warehouse , and if the system can ’ t find it there , it will be routed to one of Medline ’ s four lowand-slow ostomy hubs located throughout the country . “ It ’ s a learning system , so if there ’ s something we don ’ t have , the system will start assuming these into the logic moving forward ,” Holguin explains . “ This way , we get better and better .”

Since starting the program last June , Medline has seen an average of 3,700 lines per month come through — items that would have otherwise experienced some sort of delay . “ We knew this was a pain point , but I don ’ t think we knew how much of one it was ,” says Rob Kemp , Key Account Manager for Coloplast , who says he was shocked to see the number of new lines coming in each month . “ It ’ s a big impact when it comes to onesie-twosie orders that home health needs .”

Interest in ostomy from a distribution standpoint is intense , Holguin says , which is why Medline wanted to be sure it made the right decision in choosing a strategic partner .

Standing out among the criteria Medline uses in selecting strategic marketing partners was Coloplast ’ s leadership in innovation , with the SenSura ® Mio portfolio , which utilizes BodyFit Technology ( a highly stretchable , elastic adhesive ) so that people with an ostomy can twist , bend and stretch comfortably . The portfolio also includes the Sen- Sura ® Mio Convex Flip , which is the only barrier designed to fit outward curves of the body with less creasing and folding .

“ Ostomy is a very individualized , intimate selection , and patients should be able to get the products they want and not be forced to select from the 20 things that are available ,” Holguin adds . “ This partnership enables us to provide a more holistic and total solution for them .”

References 1 WOCN Society . ( 2021 , August ). The Critical Need to Provide Ostomy Supplies Specific to Patient Need to Improve Health Outcomes . https :// www . wocn . org / wp-content / uploads / 2021 / 08 / 9a _ AAH-Ostomy-White-Paper-FINAL-07-08-21 . pdf 2 Schott , L . L .; Eaves , D .; Inglese , G .; Sinha , M . ( 2022 , November / December ). Characteristics , Hospital Length of Stay , and Readmissions Among Individuals Undergoing Abdominal Ostomy Surgery : Review of a Large U . S . Healthcare Database Journal of Wound , Ostomy and Continence Nursing https :// journals . lww . com / jwocnonline / fulltext / 2022 / 11000 / characteristics ,_ hospital _ length _ of _ stay ,_ and . 5 . aspx #:~: text = Ostomy % 20complications % 20were % 20identified % 20as , readmission % 20in % 2062.4 % 25 % 20of % 20patients .

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