Supply chain teams are being asked to do more, with more at stake, than ever before.
Becker’s Healthcare asked supply chain leaders from hospitals, health systems and academic medical centers across the U.S. how they expect their organization’s structure to evolve to support sustained success.
Every executive featured in this article has spoken on panels at Becker’s Supply Chain Summit at the 14th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2-5, 2026, in Chicago. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear these and other health system leaders discuss the challenges shaping strategy for the year ahead, from shortages, AI integration and leadership in the workforce.
Question: How will your organizational structure evolve for sustained success through 2030?
Chris Cutliff. Director of Materials Management at Texas Health Resources (Arlington): At Texas Health Fort Worth, I believe organizational structures will evolve significantly through 2030 as artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced analytics become embedded in everyday healthcare operations. The traditional model of distinct clinical, operational, financial, and support functions will continue to shift toward highly integrated teams that leverage technology to make faster, more informed decisions.
AI will play an increasingly important role in everything from workforce planning and supply chain management to clinical decision support and patient flow. As these capabilities mature, organizations will need fewer layers dedicated to gathering and reporting information and more leaders focused on interpreting insights, driving innovation, and managing change.
Success through 2030 will depend on creating structures that bring together clinicians, operational leaders, finance teams, and technology experts to solve problems collectively rather than within departmental silos. Healthcare organizations that effectively integrate AI into their workflows will be able to redirect valuable time from administrative tasks to activities that directly improve patient outcomes and the patient experience.
Equally important, we must invest in developing a workforce that is comfortable working alongside emerging technologies. The future healthcare organization will not simply be more digital; it will be built around people who can leverage technology to work smarter, adapt faster, and continuously improve how care is delivered.
Carlos Maceda. Vice President of Supply Chain and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): The largest shift facing the healthcare supply chain over the next several years will be the skill sets required of the people who work within the function.
Many supply chain leaders began their careers within the department and progressed into leadership roles. That experience remains valuable, but the capabilities required of tomorrow’s supply chain organization will be significantly more specialized and not within the supply chain today.
Leaders will need to partner closely with Human Resources to rethink job descriptions, career paths, compensation structures, and salary ladders. Finance will need to approve budget increases. It will be the responsibility of the supply chain leadership to communicate the vision and show the ROI. Programs that will send current employees back to school for new skillsets could keep them connected to the organizations.
Most mature organizations have already captured much of the “low-hanging fruit” associated with straightforward price negotiations. At the same time, inflation and supplier cost pressures will make maintaining existing pricing seen as successful negotiation.
The next significant savings opportunities will therefore come from more difficult areas: vendor standardization, reduction of clinical variation, utilization management, purchased services, and optimization of technology and clinical practices.
Va teams will be composed of biomedical engineers to have a broader knowledge base of implants and their differences. Purchased services will be managed by the likes of mechanical engineers for facilities and infrastructure contracts. Va will be led by physicians alongside data scientists. Lawyers will be embedded in the supply chain to expedite contract management. All of this work will be done within an ecosystem that is managed by an information management team that will consist of technology specialists that today sit outside of the supply chain. The result will be a fundamental change in what a high-performing healthcare supply chain organization looks like.
Scott Meiser. Vice President of Supply Chain Operations at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital (Erie, Pa.): We began executing a strategy three years ago to upgrade Supply Chain Operations that included automation first, transitioning tactical work to a new offshore team, and then upgrading the work we performed across the onshore team. This was not a “one and done” strategy but a continuous loop and impacted every team in Operations – Materials Management, Supply Chain IT, Procurement Operations, and Distribution and Warehousing. We used the capacity created to, first, take more Supply Chain burden off of our Clinical teams, moving more of the spend management to Materials. Second, to lift the Materials burden, we moved more of the spend into our DC, which necessitated a pivot from direct Buying to Planning for our Procurement Operations team. Finally, our Supply Chain IT team is being upgraded from data entry to analysis to support higher organizational performance. That strategy is a virtuous circle that will continue until no further improvement is available.
Juan Serrato, Associate Vice President, Supply Chain Informatics, Baptist Health South Florida: Technology continues to be a driver of change in Supply Chain Management. As such, organizations need to evolve and adapt to its increased use. Technology allows for effort to be focused on higher value activities. The question will be, what are these higher value activities? Relationship building has always been part of Supply Chain Management and will continue to be an important part of a successful organization. Technology also generates a significant amount of data, when used properly, can be a strategic advantage. Therefore, the ability to analyze this data efficiently and effectively will be a critical advantage in future organizations. So how do organizations evolve for sustained success in the future? They will attract, and develop, talent which can excel at high value activities such as change management, relationship building, analysis, and critical thinking.
Joseph Carr. Vice President of Supply Chain at Akron Children’s (Ohio): Organizational design is no longer a one-time exercise. For us, it is an ongoing process of aligning talent, capabilities, and resources to the evolving needs of our strategic plan and the communities we serve. Through 2030, we will continue building a more integrated, data-driven organization that brings together operational, clinical, financial, and technology leaders to solve challenges collaboratively. We are investing heavily in leadership development, succession planning, analytics, and digital capabilities to ensure our workforce is prepared for the future of healthcare. The most successful organizations will be those that remain agile, continuously adapt their structure to changing business needs, and empower teams closest to the work to drive innovation and performance. Ultimately, organizational success will be defined by our ability to match the right talent and capabilities to the priorities that matter most for patients, families, and caregivers.
One example is our transition from function-based departments to capability-based teams that align expertise across Supply Chain, Support Services, Finance, and Technology. By bringing together analytics, automation, strategic sourcing, operational excellence, and system design capabilities, we can accelerate innovation, improve resource stewardship, and respond more effectively to the changing needs of the organization.
Kathleen Gathers. Director of Corporate Procurement Services, Supply Chain Administration at OrlandoHealth (Fla.): Healthcare supply chains are assuming a broader strategic role in financial performance, resilience, AI-enabled workflows, standardization, and analytics. At Orlando Health, Supply Chain Clinical Resource Directors have strengthened physician and clinician partnerships, reducing costs, enabling product conversions, and building trust. An enterprise-wide approach to purchased services is further increasing savings and value. Sustained financial and operational performance—without compromising patient care or outcomes—requires Supply Chain to remain a strategic partner.
