It has been roughly a year since the COVID-19 surge began last March. During this time, some new supply chain practices came about to solve immediate needs.
However, as we look ahead, there will likely be supply chain practices that endure and continue to evolve the relationship between healthcare providers and their distributors long after the pandemic is over. Health systems see the importance of leaning into their existing relationships with distributors and manufacturers, and the pandemic has taught us which qualities are key in our dynamic environment. Here are four important qualities all health systems should look for when choosing a distributor:
- Strategic partnership. In this rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, your organization is relying on you to be a strategic adviser in delivering patient care. That is why your distributor must be a strategic partner who can provide the high level of support, collaboration, expertise, and solutions to help you see and manage your entire supply chain. Look for a distributor with the capability to work with you to jointly identify, innovate and executive on strategic initiatives that align with the overall goals of your health system.
- Increased provider visibility. One of the biggest learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the need for transparency of data. True strategic decision making cannot occur without clear visibility into our medical supply chain. This concept existed long before the onset of the pandemic but became even more important in response to the challenges that providers faced. Look for a distributor who has developed reporting and analytics tools that show key data points such as order and delivery status, available products and alternatives, and more accurate back-order dates.
- Flexible solutions. While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes across the healthcare landscape, many changes were already underway – like the evolving delivery of care., With more care moving out of the hospital, health systems have begun expanding to include more physician offices and ambulatory care sites. This evolution in care has taught us that a one-size-fits-all model is not efficient for health systems.
Since every health system’s needs are different, the right distributor will understand that the solutions best suited for their customers may look different. When choosing a distributor, make sure they offer a flexible suite of scaled solutions to build the model that works best for you. For example, look for a distributor with an offering of solutions that span the healthcare continuum, including multiple delivery modes and a large assortment of supplies and services. - Strong execution and reliability. The core capability of a distributor is accurately delivering products to the right place at the right time. The relentless drive for reliability should be an essential quality of your chosen distributor to ensure that those providing care have all the supplies they need to best serve their patients. Look for a distributor with an established U.S. footprint and extensive experience in the field of medical distribution. It is also important to assess how distributors are working to become more reliable in response to challenges such as the pandemic and other supply disruptions. For example, having diverse sourcing, robust disaster preparedness plans and pandemic preparedness storage solutions are now critical capabilities in a medical distributor.
The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many issues within the medical supply chain to the forefront of the conversation. Looking for a distributor with these key qualities will empower you elevate both your supply chain and clinical performance.
Learn more about how Cardinal Health Distribution Solutions can support your needs at cardinalhealth.com/medicaldistribution.