Research

Developed in order to share insights into our research agenda for the year ahead with our membership community, this 2016 research overview—based in part on member feedback and emerging industry trends, and framed by our research framework—aims to help shape and strategically guide the healthcare supply chain through the upcoming months.

As you are well aware, much of what happens in the healthcare industry is reactionary. You get sick, then you go to the doctor. You have an inventory problem, then you fix it. This is not a new trend, but it is changing due in part to recent legislation and a shift to value-based care reimbursement. As a result, the industry is making the move to be proactive in—for example—its care to curb readmission rates and better serve patients across the board.

This proactive approach is spreading beyond patient care to other departments, especially the healthcare supply chain. With trends such as demand forecasting coming to the forefront of strategic planning, supply chain leaders are able to better plan for the years ahead. Being proactive will not only result in significant yields in supply chain services, operations, and logistics, but will translate to patient care as well.

Divided into The Academy’s three overarching research themes— Strategic Management, Value Management, and Operations and Category Management— this research overview aims to outline key trends in the year ahead that members can utilize to inform their operations moving forward.

Strategic Management
As cost savings continues to be an issue among healthcare organizations, a number of supply chains are finding that their responsibilities are expanding to departments that were not previously part of their purview. With oversight into purchasing expanding, so does the supply chain’s ability to influence and analyze purchasing trends throughout a hospital or health system. This additional oversight can have numerous benefits, including purchasing standardization, process streamlining, cost savings, and innovation among others.

Value Management
The healthcare supply chain is acting as a driving force in improving the delivery and cost effectiveness of patient care. By working to manage the product lifecycle—from product selection through contracting, inventory, and final utilization—better data and subsequently patient care can be realized. By also taking the patient experience into consideration, the supply chain can help influence reimbursement rates through patient feedback surveys. Both of these methods can work to positively influence an organization’s quality of care and its financial bottom line.

Operations and Category Management
Progressing through 2016, improving inventory management processes will continue to be an important initiative organizationally. Among these initiatives will be streamlining processes, strengthening product and inventory transparency, and working to avoid inventory shortages that may be occurring throughout the industry. By looking toward emerging technology and new U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandates, the supply chain will be able to strengthen its day-to-day abilities to manage supplies from dock to patient.

As the industry continues to adapt to the shift in care and reimbursement, opportunities are emerging for the healthcare supply chain to cement itself as an integral component of the care continuum. Please keep in touch with The Academy as we continue to explore emerging trends in healthcare and the best practices organizations are employing in response.