Two words: Surgeon engagement.
Why not the vendor? Because you’ve already tried - they know the policy and they’re not intentionally delivering late. Based on 8,100 late delivery reasons, much of the issue comes down to communication breakdowns. With the surgeon involved, you’ve taken it to the top.
Ideally, this engagement takes place prior to any confrontation with them due to trays not being ready. Regardless, if you want to reduce those late deliveries (and likely improve your SPD’s quality of life in general), you need their support and buy-in for the policy and procedures of your department.
Data is going to be the quickest way to gain that buy-in. Beyond the obvious (surgeons are data-driven) it also demonstrates that you have taken the time to understand the problem and are working to solve it.
What you might share:
How many trays/items your department processes daily
How many loaned trays are processed daily
Percentage on-time vs late
How surgeons compare with their peers for the number of sets delivered
Trends for late deliveries by manufacturer/rep
This type of data helps the surgeon understand the challenge you are up against. They can review their own communication process while also considering the number of sets they demand. This can encourage better coordination equipment requested Otherwise, it’s often left up to the rep who is going to err on the side of caution and bring more.
Use the 80/20 principle to work with who the data shows are your top offenders. Engage the surgeon in the conversation. The more proactively this is discussed, the better.