Medline Chief Market Solutions Officer Sue MacInnes is a Modern Healthcare 2024 Women Leaders honoree.

The recognition program acknowledges and honors women executives from all sectors of the healthcare industry for their contributions to care delivery improvement, health equity, policy and gender equity in healthcare leadership. This year’s honorees are featured in the March 11, 2024 issue of Modern Healthcare Magazine and online.

“Our 2024 honorees for Women Leaders and Rising Stars represent all corners of the industry, including providers, payers, suppliers and associations,” said Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor-in-chief of Modern Healthcare. “These women are working diligently to advance the objectives of their own organizations, with a focus on improving the patient experience. At the same time, they are advocates, tackling equity issues within their own organizations and the broader community.”

Driving innovative, cost-effective strategies and solutions

For nearly four decades, Sue MacInnes has driven innovative and cost-effective strategies and solutions at Medline, helping the company and its healthcare partners to meet and exceed financial, operational and clinical goals. A trained dietitian, MacInnes joined Medline in 1985. She quickly progressed from sales to pivotal leadership positions where she oversaw operations and claims processing for Medline’s Reimbursement Division and spearheaded the development of a new Patient Specific Delivery HomeCare Program. For 10 years, MacInnes served as Medline’s chief marketing officer before assuming her current role as chief market solutions officer, a position created in direct response to the changing global healthcare landscape. In this role, MacInnes drives new strategies designed to help health systems successfully manage integration, cost and quality; improve patient outcomes; and generate patient preference, loyalty and awareness.

“Sue inherently understands that quality patient care goes well beyond metrics; that it means consistently providing care worthy of your family and loved ones,” said Medline Board of Directors Vice Chair and former President Andy Mills. “In addition to helping healthcare systems lower hospital-acquired incidents, Sue has helped develop products that improve the overall patient experience.”

These include pre-surgical kits that engage and empower patients in their care and outcomes; color-coded, educational packaging on wound care products with simple, concise clinician instructions; and a patented, single-layer catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) system that simplifies insertion and helps keep the catheter in place to minimize infection.

MacInnes’ notable achievements also include establishing a risk-share quality program with a large U.S. health system that has improved quality outcomes and efficiencies. In 2023, the program resulted in more than $5 million in length of stay and hospital readmission cost savings, while helping significantly lower pressure injuries and infections. She also spearheaded an inventory overhaul, from the health system’s loading dock to the supply closet, reducing replenishments and SKUs, and labor costs by 50%. In addition, she helped integrate artificial intelligence with electronic medical software to provide a detailed analysis of more than 150 data points related to pressure injuries and central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), helping to measure the success of specific interventions.

A commitment to advancing, supporting women

MacInnes began her career at a time when there were few women executives or role models in business. As a result, she prioritizes and values her role in advancing and supporting women. MacInnes regularly hosts meetings with C-suite executives to identify and discuss career paths for women; hires, promotes and mentors talented women; and supports women’s causes. For many years, MacInnes hosted Medline’s Pink Glove Dance video competition, raising millions for breast cancer education and prevention. More recently, she authored a chapter in the book, “UNSTOPPABLE: Inspiring Stories of Perseverance, Triumph and Joy from Trailblazing Women,” highlighting her career achievements and providing life lessons for success.

“Each day, Sue is committed to excellence—sharing best practices and her decades of experience in healthcare while fostering collaborative relationships across the continuum of care,” said Mills. “She understands that it’s not enough to implement an idea; Sue establishes standards, reporting tools and performance metrics, continuing to assess and rework programs and protocols until they are successful.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition,” Mills added.

“It’s an honor to be named to this prestigious list, and to be recognized among so many accomplished women leaders across the healthcare industry,” said MacInnes.

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