A Supply Chain Matters Guest Contribution from Rich Sherman
So you think that Obamacare is changing the healthcare industry in the United States? Think again.
It’s just the tip of the iceberg. The healthcare industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation from delivering patient treatments to delivering patient outcomes. And, it’s turning the industry upside down. The television series General Hospital may have celebrated its 50th anniversary last year; but, in real life General Hospital is about to be cancelled.
With the transformation to patient outcomes, healthcare providers simply can’t afford to treat anything generally. Specialty patient outcome centers (SPOC) are emerging throughout the healthcare industry. With nurse practitioners having expanded diagnostic and treatment licensing, general health clinics are appearing in every corner drugstore, 24/7. Emergency treatment and diagnostic centers are emerging in every strip mall. SPOCs, such as oncological, cardiac, ophthalmic, orthopedic, cosmetic, etc. for every ailment are emerging in every city. Quite simply, patient care centers are appearing and proliferating across the country increasing the cost and complexity of healthcare supply chain management as well as operations management in general.
Consider that it is not unusual for supply chain costs to consume 35% or more of the operating budget of a healthcare facility.
Supply chain management is a new term to most hospital and healthcare administrators. Haven’t they got enough on their plate with compliance, reimbursement, Electronic Medical and Healthcare Records (EMR/EHR)? Yet, with the transformation in the industry, administrators have to be more focused on revenue and cost. Effective supply chain management addresses both and healthcare providers have to consider bringing on a new breed of supply chain professionals to their leadership team even to the extent of hiring a Chief Supply Chain Officer. Most other industries are recognizing the significant contribution supply chain excellence makes to the financial health of the organization.
Transforming from materials and procurement management to supply chain management requires a more holistic view of the organization’s operations. Beginning with demand generation, acquiring patients to generate revenue, through demand fulfilment, delivering a successful patient outcome, supply chain management is the support system that enables cost effective, high quality delivery. And, it’s not optional. With the proliferation of patient delivery locations, competition for revenue is heating up. We’re finding more and more of our clients are seeking help in attracting patients just to maintain occupancy and revenue. But, that’s just treating the symptom.
The cure is to be found through providing a successful outcome for operations excellence. Operations excellence requires professional operations management. Medical professionals have to focus on patient outcomes not operational outcomes. This will create a transformation in the leadership structure of many healthcare providers from medical leadership to management leadership. The days of doctor controlled operations are waning. Healthcare providers that are restructuring their organizations for effective supply chain management will lead the way as the industry transformation continues.
General Hospital may be cancelled; but, the requirement for delivering successful patient outcomes will never end.
About the Author: Rich Sherman is an internationally recognized researcher and author on trends and issues across supply chain management. He currently serves as a Principal Essentialist at Trissential LLC in their supply chain consulting practice. His book Supply Chain Transformation: Practical Roadmap for Best Practice Results (Wiley, 2012) has received praise by practitioners, academics, and non-supply chain executives as a great read on business transformation. Rich has been a previous guest contributor to Supply Chain Matters.
