“Our job is really to manage all the planning and purchasing activity that fills up this warehouse,” says Rauker. “And we’re pro-actively looking at demand trends to make sure we stock the right things in the right quantities in the right place at the right time to service our hospitals.”
Over the last couple of years, Rauker’s job and that of the other men and women in this warehouse is more vital — and more complicated — than it’s ever been. First, they were tasked with monitoring inventory levels and daily use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during an unpredictable pandemic and determining how and where UPMC used items such as N95 respirators, isolation gowns, and masks. Now, they must navigate an unprecedented global supply shortage to ensure hospital staff have everything they need to monitor, improve, and save the lives of their patients.
“We can utilize that UPMC squad to help us out and provide some of those interventions that the other ambulance would have done,” says Nickl. “So, for UPMC to be able to supplement that at times, and for us to be able to keep resources available for the community based off of what they can provide to us, is insurmountable. It’s been great.”
Find adult and pediatric providers and schedule appointments online.
Care Close to Home
UPMC Hospital System
When we go to the hospital, whether it’s an emergency or just a routine visit, we understandably have a lot of things on our minds. Our focus tends to be on our health or that of a loved one, as well as the nurses, doctors, and other staff we encounter. We probably notice the big x-ray machines and patient monitors. But it’s easy to miss the smaller stuff - tongue depressors, needles, sanitizer, and other commonplace supplies.
These are the items that Matthew Rauker never takes for granted. As manager of demand planning and analytics at UPMC, Rauker oversees ordering, stocking, and distributing the medical and surgical disposables (like masks, gloves, syringes, and bandages) from the UPMC self-distribution warehouse in Warrendale to the hospitals and clinics in the Pittsburgh area.
Once the shipped materials are in the warehouse, they are inventoried and stacked on pallets. A hospital places its order, usually consisting of anywhere from one to 50 items. A picker takes a pushcart and moves through the warehouse aisles, grabbing whatever the system tells them to grab — like filling out a grocery list. Once the order is complete, it is wrapped and shipped to the requesting facility. As supply of an item diminishes to a certain point, automated systems notify Rauker and his team, who can then place the order to replenish.
All of this happens behind the scenes, far from the hospital examination rooms and waiting rooms, out of sight and out of mind — and that’s the intent.
“Disruptions in the supply chain are constantly shifting, and it’s our job to have our finger on the pulse of all of that to make sure that we can stock appropriately and have seamless continuity of supply to the hospitals,” says Rauker. “If we’re doing our job well, those people don’t even know we really exist. And they can perform their clinical tasks with the products that they need.”
Connect to UPMC Care
Today’s poison control is about more than just kids getting into the kitchen cabinets
In our modern digital age, emergency medical care is always with us.
Sunscreen isn’t just for summer, guard against UV rays year-round
Sunburns aren’t just for summer. Sure, those are the months when we typically see the sunscreen displays pop up in the grocery store.
For student athletes, college presents unique mental health challenges
College is a demanding time for any student.
First on the Scene
A lot of kids grow up fascinated with emergency vehicles —
Behind every great hospital, there’s a steady supply chain
Disruptions in the supply chain are constantly shifting and it’s our job to have our finger on the pulse of all of that to make sure that we can stock appropriately and have seamless continuity of supply to the hospitals.
Matthew Rauker
Manager of Demand Planning and Analytics at UPMC
First on the Scene
“We turn over inventory every other month,” Rauker explains. “The days of running a lean operation in the warehouse are gone. We need to hold a lot more inventory to provide ourselves a buffer so we can support our sites.”
Rauker’s approach is quite a bit more sophisticated than just ordering more of everything. He and his team have built out deeper analytic tools, such as reporting and monitoring, that can manage shifting trends in the hospital’s demand for each item. That allows UPMC to anticipate needs far in advance, which is crucial as supply chain disruptions impact and often prolong lead times on ordering.