The healthcare supply chain has entered a new era of sustained uncertainty. Geopolitical instability, tariffs, raw material shortages, cybersecurity threats and pharmaceutical shortfalls have made volatility a permanent feature of the operating environment.
Community hospitals feel this pressure most acutely. They rarely have the purchasing power, staff depth or data infrastructure that large systems use to absorb shocks — yet the fallout from a supply failure, from delayed procedures to patient safety risks, is just as severe.
This whitepaper lays out how smaller hospitals can build supply chains that are both cost-efficient and genuinely resilient. It draws on current best practices and the hard-won lessons of recent years, with concrete moves supply chain leaders can put to work now.
Inside:
- The five converging forces keeping supply chain volatility high, and how to plan for each
- How a top-200 critical items list with pre-approved substitutes operationalizes resilience
- Why a structured review of purchased services spend — a category that can reach 25% of operating expenses — can identify savings of up to 10%
- What to look for when choosing a GPO and supply chain partner