10th minute
1.4.2026
That is why SupplyAID is a game-changer in the healthcare system
Text:
Karen Gahrn
Photo:
Aarhus University Hospital, Central Denmark Region
– Today we speak from data, not from emotions or experiences. We know exactly what is happening where and when. We no longer need to discuss what is right or wrong. We can check data, says Claus Ørum, who is section manager in Supply and Service at Aarhus University Hospital (AUH).
– In SupplyAID (ed. a digital inventory and logistics system), we track the item every step of the way. Once we’ve received the item—perhaps a partial shipment—where is it located? When we use the item, we also know exactly which patient it was used for. And we know this for every product, from the moment it’s ordered until it’s used. We’ve never had that kind of insight before in the hospital system—and it makes a huge difference.
Claus Ørum holds a Master's degree in Supply Chain Management and is completing an MBA at the University of Southern Denmark. He has worked in logistics and purchasing his entire life and knows the importance of data.
– I grew up in the retail and pharmaceutical industries, and I know that if we don’t know exactly what we have and what we’re working with, it’s hard to run a business.
Tracking assets is nothing new for Aarhus University Hospital. Reusable items, such as wheelchairs or desks, are tagged with RFID, while SupplyAID is now being used for consumables and implants.
– Location is also important in SupplyAID. In an operating room, the same product may need to be in several places. And if there is a shortage, we need to have the product moved so that it is ready in all rooms. In addition, we want to use the oldest products first. So we need to have an overview in order to be able to move around.
In SupplyAID we follow the product all the way. Have we received the product, perhaps a partial delivery, where it is located. When we use the product, we also know exactly which patient the product was used for. And we know this for all products, from the moment the order is placed until the product is used. We have never had that knowledge before in the hospital system – and it makes a huge difference.
The solution to a big challenge
Before the development of SupplyAID, the hospital faced a huge challenge. We struggled with what Claus Ørum says with a Jutlandic paraphrase.
– Our operating rooms did not support the flow we wanted. And they spent a lot of money on logistics. Operating rooms have a greater need for expensive specialized products, which is why we chose to take a differentiated approach and start here, because they used a lot of nursing and medical resources.
Then the work began to investigate and decide what level of service the operating departments should live up to. Whether other professional groups could help. And how they wanted to track the medical equipment.
– Next, we had to decide whether to go with a private vendor or develop the system ourselves. We quickly realized that if we went with our own system, patient information could be stored in our own databases, where it would be treated confidentially, so we chose to develop it ourselves.
The hospital spent about a year and a half developing the new system in close collaboration between Supply and Service, IT and practitioners.
– It was a large interdisciplinary collaboration, where we had to figure out how to carry out the task. It has really been founded across disciplines, and I think that is why it has been a great success for us, says Claus Ørum.
Before the development of SupplyAID, the hospital faced a huge challenge. We struggled with what Claus Ørum says with a Jutlandic paraphrase.
– Our operating rooms did not support the flow we wanted. And they spent a lot of money on logistics. Operating rooms have a greater need for expensive specialized products, which is why we chose to take a differentiated approach and start here, because they used a lot of nursing and medical resources.
Then the work began to investigate and decide what level of service the operating departments should live up to. Whether other professional groups could help. And how they wanted to track the medical equipment.
– Next, we had to decide whether to go with a private vendor or develop the system ourselves. We quickly realized that if we went with our own system, patient information could be stored in our own databases, where it would be treated confidentially, so we chose to develop it ourselves.
The hospital spent about a year and a half developing the new system in close collaboration between Supply and Service, IT and practitioners.
– It was a large interdisciplinary collaboration, where we had to figure out how to carry out the task. It has really been founded across disciplines, and I think that is why it has been a great success for us, says Claus Ørum.
Benefits of SupplyAID
The system consists of three main parts: a product database with updated master data from the region and other public sources, a scanning app on work mobile phones for registering products in stock, during use and when moving, and the main program on the computers, where you can order, move and track inventory and get an overall overview.
– In the department, we use work smartphones that scan the GS1 Data Matrix to retrieve information on expiration dates, serial numbers, batch numbers, and lot numbers. This is essential for enabling us to implement highly precise product and expiration date management. Even though we may have 100 products, we can identify each individual product and determine, for example, the exact location of the seventh product down to the specific shelf level.
With SupplyAID, the hospital can work more sustainably and reduce waste because the system provides an overview of consumption and ensures that only what is necessary is purchased.
– We have almost eliminated our waste and in doing so have saved a lot of money. In the year and a half we have been running, we have saved a double-digit million amount at AUH alone, while being much more sustainable.
The system leaves digital traces so the hospital can quickly track patients and equipment if the need for a recall arises.
– And then there was what we at AUH call task shifting. We wanted to free up clinic time and give tasks to others who were trained in logistics, and we have succeeded very well in that, says Claus Ørum.
– Where logistics used to be a kind of side function for the nurses, who often relied on yellow notes or perhaps an Excel sheet, we now have a system that supports this. We have a much better overview of delivery times, turnover rate, shrinkage and complaints. And we now have a more uniform process across departments.
We have almost eliminated our waste and in doing so have saved a lot of money. In the year and a half we have been running, we have saved a double-digit million at AUH alone, while being much more sustainable.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, Claus Ørum wants to gradually change consignment agreements so that knowledge about the goods is gained earlier in the process and at the same time incorporate the work into the budget model so that trends can be followed and the information can be used in future budgets.
– And the third and biggest wish: when we plan an operation in, say, three months, we currently have to manually make sure that the products are ready. And we could wish that our product orders were included and the system ordered itself, that would make our world easier.
Meanwhile, the implementation of SupplyAID continues in all operating departments with a new department every three months until all 17 departments are planned to be completed in the fall of 2027.
– After that, we have to look at whether other departments should be involved. Several departments have asked, but we have chosen to focus on the operating departments so that we don't have to run in different directions.
For Claus Ørum, one point is the most important when talking about implementing a system like SupplyAID:
– There are many stakeholders, many users and for me it is important that the work goes across suppliers, doctors, nurses, logistics and IT. There are a lot of us around the table, and the fact that everyone has contributed positively is what has made SupplyAID successful. I would like to take my hat off to the interdisciplinary aspect, when we all work together, we succeed. And it has been great to be a part of it.
It was a major interdisciplinary collaboration, where we had to figure out how to accomplish the task. It has truly been founded across disciplines, and I think that is why it has been a great success for us.
