The global pandemic exposed the need for health systems to reevaluate their supply chains, placing an exceptional strain on healthcare transportation logistics.
During a June webinar hosted by Becker’s Hospital Review, Brad Wilson, vice president of sales and services at Cardinal Health OptiFreight® Logistics, and Osvaldo Torres, director of strategic sourcing at UChicago Medicine, discussed these challenges, along with opportunities and solutions supply chain leaders should consider in the wake of the pandemic. A few key takeaways from the webinar are summarized below.
1. A centralized total logistics management solution can optimize efficiencies and decrease spend throughout a health system, no matter its size. Wilson recommends health systems leverage a centralized total logistics management outside and around their health system. For example, OptiFreight® Logistics is a leading healthcare logistics provider offering comprehensive shipping solutions to control and reduce costs across every transportation modality.
2. The pandemic increased the need for rapid logistics support. Due to COVID-19, nearly every health system faced – and is continuing to experience – extreme supply chain and logistical challenges. UChicago Medicine experienced these challenges when they had to quickly pivot to facilitate COVID-19 testing across the region. Torres explained the logistical challenges included transporting testing supplies and samples across this complex network. Engaging with a rapid healthcare logistics provider allowed UChicago Medicine to develop routes and processes to quickly support this growing operation and meet demand.
3. A holistic approach to managing shipping improves efficiency and reliability. Taking a holistic approach to managing shipping helps health systems improve transportation efficiency and reliability, while containing costs and better managing total spend. Torres used this multifaceted approach, which involved identifying opportunities everywhere, from supplier management, contract rates, mode optimization and stakeholder management. Torres continued to explain that taking a total logistics management approach has helped UChicago Medicine get to 90 percent managed volume and achieve a 47percent reduction of spend related to on-demand courier orders, with no negative impact on patient care.
Overall, the webinar highlighted the need for supply chain leaders to consider a solution like OptiFreight® Logistics to optimize and automate their healthcare transportation logistics across the continuum of care.
To learn more about OptiFreight® Logistics and see the rest of the takeaways, read the full webinar recap, at cardinalhealth.com/optifreight.