Every year in October, National Healthcare Supply Chain Week aims to increase awareness of the vital work that supply chain professionals perform every day. And let’s face it, this past year their work has been more vital than ever.
Despite the many supply challenges the past year brought, your supply chain colleagues navigated through disruptions with resiliency. In an industry that calls for reduced costs without sacrificing top-quality care, success would be nearly impossible without their tenacity and constant innovation. Though these professionals touch every department of the hospital and act as the backbone of a well-functioning health system, their efforts to revolutionize and streamline patient care are often overlooked.
With that in mind, here are four reasons to thank your supply chain colleagues today:
- They wear more hats than their titles may suggest.
The expression “Renaissance man” may bring Leonardo da Vinci to mind, but the men and women behind your supply chain operations must also demonstrate deep knowledge across a wide range of functions. In addition to their daily efforts to ensure that hospital staff has the products necessary for high-quality patent care, these leaders may also take on the characteristics of integration influencers, resiliency rocks, trailblazers, datamasters, and team anchors. Whether they’re leveraging state-of-the-art analytics technology to transform data points into actionable improvements or coordinating with other leaders to generate momentum for positive change, their multi-faceted work experience allows them to see potential problems in the supply chain from a variety of viewpoints. - They are the connective tissue of your entire health system.
Supply chain leaders have the unique opportunity to support every area of your hospital and must therefore have a deep understanding of each department’s needs. Though their work spans an ever-widening continuum of care, they unite manufacturers, suppliers, and clinicians through the common goal of improved patient outcomes at the lowest possible cost. In a time when hospitals are driven to do more with less, they collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including nurses, physicians, hospital executives to bring sound reasoning and diversity of perspective into every decision they make. - Leaders are looking to them for leading the shift to non-acute care.
In the complex and ever-changing world of healthcare, supply chain leaders now must navigate through the long-term impacts of COVID-19. One of these impacts being the setting for patient care shifting over the past year. In a spring 2021 survey, more than 90 percent of health system c-suite respondents said they hold supply chain leaders at least "somewhat" accountable for their health system being able to effectively increase the delivery of patient care in non-acute settings. Supply chain leaders hold responsibility not only for preparing a supply chain for these shifts to non-acute care, but also for implementing the changes while ensuring the best outcome for each and every patient. - The hard work that goes into an effective supply chain often takes place behind the scenes.
Despite the fact that supply chain leaders play an integral role in optimizing patient care, their efforts may not be immediately visible. In fact, a supply chain at peak performance should appear to function effortlessly, automatically, and seamlessly. Though shielding your hospital from negative change can be a herculean task, their efforts allow the care you provide to remain uninterrupted. Since these leaders rarely seek the spotlight for their crucial contributions, it’s up to you to demonstrate that their actions have not gone unnoticed.
In the spirit of National Healthcare Supply Chain week, we invite you to take a moment to celebrate your supply chain colleagues for their often-unrecognized efforts. They support patient safety and make more efficient, seamless care a reality.
Visit our “Thank you” campaign page to recognize a deserving supply chain colleague and learn more about National Healthcare Supply Chain week.