FEBRUARY 20248In My OpinionEdin Dulic, Senior Director of Operations & Global Logistics, PremierByEmpty shelves, longer lead times, workforce issues and higher prices characterized the supply chain in 2021-2022, where large-scale disruptions and record-breaking inflation affected every sector of the economy ­ including healthcare.In some welcome news for the supply chain, global transportation and freight indexes are showing downward trends to pre-pandemic rates, reacting to the current environment of stabilized demand for supplies and ample inventory. Projections indicate easing logistics constraints could lead to inflationary relief in 2023.Yet even with these bright spots, the supply chain worldwide remains fragile alongside ongoing disruptions, labor challenges and costs that have not returned to normal levels. What follows are three main trends for healthcare supply chain leaders that could usher in change, and some insights and advice about how to prepare.Tech-Enabled Supply ChainsCOVID-19 was the wakeup call that logistics is lagging other industries in digitization and technology enablement. Real change is necessary across the supply chain information technology ecosystem ­ beginning with access to robust and timely data.Increasingly, healthcare organizations are turning to solutions for supply chain mapping and risk scoring as well as real-time data on demand and hospital/supplier inventory levels. Innovative technology, leveraging machine learning (ML), is enabling predictive capabilities to help pinpoint product shortage risks. Predictive and actionable data can aid supply chain teams in identifying at-risk supplies, understanding the level critical to operations and viewing key, clinically appropriate substitutes. Coupled with transportation and logistics tools to help manage product location, speed of movement, and estimated arrival and local atmospheric conditions. These offerings can reduce staff time needed to manage supply stock issues, reduce costs, and reduce cancelled procedures due to inadequate supplies.The combination of tight labor markets and advanced technology is also accelerating automation in logistics. For instance, a partnership between Premier, DeRoyal Industries, and 34 U.S. health systems is supporting a state-of-the-art isolation gowns production facility, completely vertically integrated, outside of Knoxville, TN ­ transforming a traditionally human-made process to automated production, with the capability to produce two gowns every second. In this collaboration, gowns are designed to health systems' specifications and consider care delivery requirements. SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS IN 2023: THREE TRENDS TO WATCHEdin Dulic
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