You Don’t Need More Inventory. You Need More Truth. Reset the Standard.
We’ve seen it more times than we can count.
Trays stacked sky-high. Implants packed for every possible contingency. The “just-in-case” approach driving every surgical delivery like the next case could be a moon landing.
It’s not that people don’t care. It’s that the system doesn’t know.
When no one can say exactly what’s needed—or what’s already on hand—you bring everything.
Overstocking isn’t carelessness. It’s a survival tactic.
But it’s also the reason costs explode, inventory balloons, and operational stress becomes the norm.
And the reality? It doesn’t have to be this way anymore.
It All Starts With a Real Demand Signal
Know the Ask Before You Count the Tray
We talk a lot about “tracking inventory,” but what if that’s not even the first step? The truth is, you can’t optimize what you don’t understand. And you’ll never understand your inventory until you understand your demand.
What are people actually asking for?
How are they asking for it?
Is it structured?
Is it trackable?
Is it consistent?
For most companies, the answers are: “Sometimes,” “Sort of,” and “Not really.” Emails, Slack threads, side texts, shared spreadsheets.
The signal is weak. And that’s the problem.
So before you ever track a single tray, start by tracking the ask.
Build structure around requisitions. Normalize what normal looks like.
That’s the first real step.
Trunk Stock Isn’t a Strategy
Once you understand your demand, the next question is: where’s your inventory?
And that’s where things usually get uncomfortable. Because if your answer involves car trunks, backseats, or rep closets… we have a bigger problem.
Let’s just say it:
If your supply chain plan starts with someone’s car trunk, you don’t have a supply chain.
We get it. Trunk stock feels like flexibility. It feels like control. But it’s usually the opposite. It’s the result of broken trust in the system. Yes, it’s close. It’s accessible. It’s your rep’s comfort blanket. But in reality, it’s often your most disconnected, least visible, least reliable, and least professionally managed inventory.
And if your reps are elite at logistics, something’s gone sideways. Great salespeople shouldn’t be your shipping and receiving department—nor your backup supply chain.
If you’ve had to build workarounds to make the process work, the process is broken. But—there’s a better way.
Team-based logistics. Smart service associates. And a platform that shows you what’s where—without you needing to ask.
From there, you start looking at what’s sitting in the hospital—your consignment.
The Truth About Consignment
(And Why It Keeps Slipping)
On paper, consignment sounds simple.
Track what’s in the hospital. Know what’s used. Replenish when needed. Every ERP claims it can do it. Every leadership team thinks they’re close.
In reality?
Reps move product between sites without logging it.
EDI treats usage like a purchase order.
The day after your annual audit, half your data is already out of sync.
Consignment management needs to be resilient, not rigid.
Flexible, not fragile.
Able to self-correct in real time.
It’s not a sniper rifle problem. It’s a shotgun problem.
You need Bluetooth, RFID, scanning, periodic checks, smart alerts, spot audits, and yes—and a system that can reconcile and self-correct over time when things fall through the cracks.
There’s no silver bullet. But there is a better way. And we’ve built it for exactly this complexity.
Capture What Matters Most: Usage
Everything we’ve talked about so far leads to one thing:
point-of-use capture.
This is the moment of truth in every surgical case.
What was actually used?
What lot? What serial? What tray?
When you get this right, everything else falls into place:
- Forecasting becomes real
- Replenishment becomes targeted
- Billing becomes accurate
- Compliance becomes proactive
No more paperwork. No more “best guesses.” No more month-end panic.
Usage capture is the pivot point. It’s what separates legacy systems from modern supply chains. And it’s still one of the most overlooked parts of the process.
It’s not about scanning everything that moves. It’s about knowing the truth—cleanly, completely, and confidently. Because once you capture usage, everything else becomes predictable.
The AI You Were Promised Starts Here
Everyone says they want AI. Predictive models. Smart fulfillment. Zero-touch ordering.
Most just want better guesses.
Here’s the deal: you can’t run AI on unreliable data—and it’s only as good as the data it’s trained on. But if you’ve got structured usage, historical requisitions, consistent scheduling?
We’re talking real machine learning now.
So, now you can model true demand.
Now you can automate replenishment.
Now you can build confidence into every case.
Now you can predict the unpredictable.
AI isn’t the goal. Better decisions are. And the moment you’re ready, the tech is already here.
This is where resetting the standard becomes real—not because it sounds good in a slide deck, but because the right data unlocks better decisions across the board.
Where Real Change Begins
So where do you go from here?
If you want to reset the standard, it doesn’t start with software or strategy decks. It starts with clarity.
Here’s where the shift really happens:
- Standardize the ask
Build structure around how your teams request what they need. Weak signals lead to bloated inventory.
→ This is where you start to end the guesswork. - See across the silos
Make your inventory—loaner, consigned, trunk, and warehouse—operationally visible and accessible.
→ Break the silos, connect the data, and see the truth in one system. - Fix the last mile
Don’t just count what’s in the field. Capture what’s used in the OR. That’s the moment that matters most.
→ When usage capture is automatic, slowdowns disappear. - Clean the data, then trust the model
AI isn’t magic. But with clean usage and demand data, it becomes incredibly powerful.
→ It’s how you start making smarter decisions faster. - Design for adaptability
Reps will move things. Hospitals will shift processes. Your system needs to absorb that reality—not break because of it.
→ Speed, accuracy, and resilience—built in from the start, built for the future.
You don’t have to fix everything overnight. But you do have to start asking better questions today—and stop accepting “how it’s always been.”
The people closest to the work are already doing heroic things to make the system work.
They shouldn’t have to be heroes.
They should have systems that work for them.
They should be able to get their lives back to focus on selling and serving better.
The truth is, we’ve been building toward this future for a long time. And now—together—we finally have the data, the tools, and the opportunity to do something truly transformative. We’re not just solving today’s problems—we’re building toward what comes next. Not for the sake of innovation, but because the people doing the work deserve better systems—so they can focus on what matters most: improving patient outcomes.
This isn’t about feature checklists or quarterly roadmaps. It’s about raising the bar on what’s possible in healthcare—and doing it in partnership with the people who make this industry move.
It’s time to reset the standard. Let’s do it together.
