RMA Software Revolutionizing Military Medical Supply System

Program Manager, July-August, 2001 by Mark Gindele

Pulling the Military Supply Chain with the Enticement of Lower Costs

To close the gap between the increased medical supply levels re-required to fight two major wars vs. the actual levels in DoD's current medical supply inventory, the nation's military forces need to buy $2 billion worth of medical supplies.

But before you pick up the phone to call your local representative and complain about the ill-funded military, understand that the people tasked with the responsibility to maintain the medical arm of the military supply system aren't at all worried about the apparent shortfall. Indeed, many are passing the time on the Internet.

Responding to Change

They're using the Defense Department's latest business intelligence software program -- Readiness Management Application (RMA) -- revolutionizing how the military prepares for the next deployment and changing the way planners think.

To support the Department of Defense (DoD) and its ability to mobilize -- the military term for putting the right mix of soldiers and equipment in a conflict situation as quickly as possible -- the defense planners in Philadelphia studied the way medical units mobilized in the past. And what they saw they didn't like.

Military doctrine in the past called for buying medical supplies such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, medical and surgical products, radiological film, and dental supplies, and storing these thousands of items in warehouses around the world. The theory followed that the items could be pulled out of storage when needed. Of course the military readiness analysts directed the buyers of such items to buy sufficient supplies to support hundreds of thousands of warfighters and civilians. So the quantities of warehouses and supplies are large in number.

Along with the vast warehouses and products, military logisticians need to sustain all warehoused products. They need to catalog, database, heat, refrigerate, move, identify, ship, repackage, and replenish items. To do this, they need people, trucks, forklifts, computers, electricity, and all the other bits and pieces needed to keep the warehouses stocked and ready to begin issuing items should the need arise. And don't forget the auditors who periodically need to visit the warehouses and count all the government-owned "ready to issue" material.

An extra amount of care goes into medical products that doesn't ordinarily go into all the government-owned military supplies. Pharmaceuticals must be cared for in temperature-controlled environments, and many have limited shelf lives. Same thing applies to film and many medical products. Also, some pharmaceuticals are sought for illegal purposes, so many items designated "controlled substances" are watched and cared for more carefully than others. Even with all the care and precautions, medical supplies lose their potency, expire, and must be replaced. New and improved drugs or methodologies also surpass many of the items in the storage centers, so constant turnover of the old for the new prevails.

Challenging the Existing System

Planners recognized that the old system of buying, storing, maintaining, and disposing of pharmaceuticals and medical items was very costly and labor-intensive. No one ever questioned the need to incur expenses; it was simply the cost of maintaining readiness. The old way of buying, storing, and maintaining was the only way most of the military supply workforce had ever known. Challenging an existing system, particularly one that is thought to be working well, is very difficult to do. Making changes is even harder.

The catalyst for change in the military medical supply system came with the Persian Gulf War. With the call-up of over 500,000 troops, the readiness arm was ready to go into action. Throughout the world, the medical warehouse doors swung open, and the logisticians started shipping all the medical items identified as needed. Also deployed at this time of urgency were the military doctors, many on reserve status, called from their private hospitals and practices to support their country.

When the two met in the Gulf -- the medical staff and medical supplies that is -- a common refrain echoed all the way back to Philadelphia. "I'm not going to use this old stuff," they said. "We don't use this equipment or these pharmaceuticals in our private hospitals, and we didn't train in medical school with them. We need the latest products to support the latest procedures and therapies." Furthermore, many items in the warehouses were too old and not in any condition to be used.

Almost immediately, the procurement specialists in Philadelphia started dusting off their contracting officer's certificates and picking up their phones to buy the latest medical products. They bought surgical equipment and surgical gloves; pharmaceuticals, bandages, and tapes were on the list, as were bed sheets, operating tables, and surgical gowns. The highly motivated workforce knew that it was challenging enough to operate in a desert environment let alone with unfamiliar, outdated equipment and supplies.