How 3 Health Systems Learned to Co-Create for the Future

By Medline Newsroom Staff | January 21, 2019

Getting medical supplies from manufacturer to end user in an accurate safe and efficient manner is the responsibility of the health system’s supply chain team. This constitutes no small job, since according to CMS, the U.S. health system was set to spend $63.7 billion on non-durable medical products in 2017 and another $53 billion on durable medical equipment. Successful health systems have quickly learned that, when it comes to supply chain innovation, they simply cannot “go it alone.” Here’s how 3 health systems worked with strategic partners to co-create for their future:

Dignity Health
When Dignity Health executives realized their growth into a massive 40 hospital system spanning 3 states had resulted in organizational siloes, they enlisted Medline to help embark on a system-wide rebrand. But Medline didn’t just help create Dignity Health-branded items like glove boxes, pamphlets and soap. They collaborated with Dignity to create a pre-surgery patient prep kit that empowered patients to actively participate in their own infection prevention measures to improve both patient experience and outcomes. This initiative helped Dignity Health prevent 43 surgical-site infections in 2017 for a cost savings of over $1.2 million. To learn more, read the white paper in Modern Healthcare.

Baptist Health
Baptist Health, Kentucky’s largest not-for-profit health system, knew a stronger supply chain would result in improved patient care. After signing a prime vendor distribution agreement with Medline in 2014, they’ve been able to generate $8.2 million in savings as well as complete many logistics enhancements. For example, Medline’s Put-Away-Ready™ Program removes touchpoints from the distribution process and streamlines product delivery times to reallocate more time and dollars toward patient care. Learn more about their partnership here.

Mercy Health
Ohio-based Mercy Health partnered with Medline in 2017 to tackle standardization.  While having 10 different toothbrushes available might not seem like a pressing concern, standardization has been shown to have a big impact on supply costs and by working with Medline, Mercy Health was able to raise the standardization rate of products flowing through their traditional medical-surgical distribution channel from 2% to 50%. To learn more about how Mercy Health and Medline collaborated to raise efficiency, visit https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/Mercy-Health-care-supply-chain-consolidation/526518/.

To discover all they ways Medline is helping health systems adapt for the future, visit https://www.medline.com/pages/supply-chain/.

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Categories: Customer Stories, Supply Chain

Medline Newsroom Staff

Medline Newsroom Staff

Medline's newsroom staff researches and reports on the latest news and trends in healthcare.

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