Columbus Regional Health and Marion Health have much in common.

Both community-based hospital systems primarily serve rural patients in central and eastern Indiana, and each have strong 100+ year footholds in their respective regions.

Medline was tapped to provide surgical procedure trays for Marion Health in 2011, and Columbus Regional Health more than five years ago. More recently, both hospital systems signed expanded, exclusive medical supply prime vendor agreements with Medline after the company repeatedly stepped in to provide much-needed products, solutions and exceptional service during the pandemic.

“It’s the responsiveness,” Jason Cupp, administrative director of materials management at Marion Health, said of Medline. Marion Health includes a 100-bed hospital serving residents in and around Grant County, approximately 85 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

“We feel valued as a customer from Medline, and appreciate the attention to detail,” said Cupp. “When we have issues they are worked out quickly. They cater to our needs, our emergencies and efficiencies. During the pandemic, it was everything. They also worked to maintain that stability in the supply chain that we couldn’t’ get from other suppliers.”

Columbus Regional Hospital is the 225-bed flagship facility of Columbus Regional Health, providing emergency and surgical services and care, including the area’s only comprehensive heart care center, to a 10-county area in south central and eastern Indiana.

Consistent, reliable service

Over the years, Medline served as a Columbus Regional Health’s secondary supplier, “always coming through for us with suggestions and help,” said Ross Tabor, Columbus Regional Health’s director of system supply chain services. The consistent service, as well as a tour of the company’s state-of-the-art distribution center in nearby Jeffersonville, were the driving forces behind the decision to switch to Medline as the health system’s primary medical supplier and distribution partner.

The transition “went very efficiently,” said Tabor, who lauded Medline’s comprehensive “reporting capabilities. We don’t have to reach out to somebody. We can look at the reports and see what’s out there.”

Marion Health also is served by Medline’s Jeffersonville distribution center, a 1.1 million-square-foot facility with 45 dedicated MedTrans vehicles to ensure timely supply deliveries. The $72 million facility opened in 2019 and serves healthcare systems in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.

The Jeffersonville facility is part of Medline’s multi-year, $2 billion Healthcare Resilience Initiative (HRI), a national capital expenditure campaign that included new distribution centers, manufacturing capabilities and information technology (IT) upgrades to further the company’s commitment to delivering superior customer service.

A ‘healthcare solutions partner’

Derek Dant, regional sales manager at Medline, is working with Tabor’s and Cupp’s teams to highlight and potentially integrate Medline’s other products and solutions – from clinical products to supply chain reporting and logistical solutions — to aid with each facility’s efficiencies, cost and care.

“We’re more than a medical supplier, we’re a healthcare solutions partner,” said Dant.

“We’re interested in seeing what other offerings Medline has,” said Tabor. “That’s how we see the partnership evolving, and helping us to meet the needs at Columbus Regional Health.”

Medline serves the nation’s top healthcare systems, operating over 50 distribution centers and more than 20 manufacturing facilities across North America. The company distributes 300,000 unique medical products, including 65,000+ manufactured by Medline.

Learn more about how Medline helps make healthcare run better across the continuum of care.