How do you capture supply chain insights and pain points while facilitating knowledge-sharing from industry leaders? One option is to carve out time to bring those minds together to discuss, debate and collaborate.

That is exactly what Medline did when it recently brought together supply chain leaders from across the industry for its three-day in-person Supply Chain Executive Roundtable in San Diego, California. The event centered on intimate roundtable discussions on supply chain, with topics ranging from leading with agility through crisis to reevaluating how to do business in the future. The 13 attendees, representing some of the nation’s largest healthcare systems and progressive industry thought leaders, all came to the table with the goal of building a more resilient and efficient supply chain for the future.

“Getting 10 to 15 people in more of an intimate setting that’s really dialogue driven – that’s how you understand your customer, that’s how you solve things. We’re all getting something out of it,” said Marc Phillips, senior vice president of corporate sales for Medline.

Challenges, solutions and best practice sharing

With an agenda designed to encourage discussion, the roundtable featured timely, curated presentations from industry thought leaders and supply chain executives, each presenting on a topic or challenge they face. Throughout each presentation, there was an opportunity for peer feedback and discussion.

“I really like the format that’s been used here where each of the hospital or IDN (integrated delivery network) groups has been able to stand up and really talk about something that they’re passionate about,” said Allison Corry, chief supply chain officer for Intermountain Healthcare. “That gives a lot of diversity and thinking of the topics that were discussed here.”

“What’s great about this conference is you get to talk to others about the issues you’re having in supply chain and confirm they aren’t just unique to us,” shared Charlie Cobb, associate vice president of supply chain management at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “It’s nice to hear our peers and see what they’re doing to rise above and address some of these challenges we’re all faced with.”

Collaborating for the future

For Medline, the roundtable provided perspectives into the areas that healthcare systems and the industry are actively trying to solve by providing a space to listen to industry leaders share what’s on their minds and explore solutions together, said Courtney Bott, Medline vice president of marketing.

“I think it’s invaluable to have an opportunity to hear from industry experts —our customers, our partners, the people we work with every day — in a setting where they’re able to bring up issues and things that are on their mind with their peers,” said Bott.

“It’s a big commitment for these leaders to attend these roundtables, step away from their families and organizations for a couple of days, and participate in this collaborative environment,” added Phillips. “I believe we are all willing to make that commitment because of the value we see in this forum.”

Launched in 2019, the Medline Supply Chain Executive Roundtable is a bi-annual series, with the next in-person roundtable slated to take place in May 2023.

Learn more about how Medline makes healthcare run better.