Executive Insights

We have always known that the healthcare supply chain is very complex and costly. There are so many suppliers, providers, distributors and stakeholders. Healthcare is complex before one ever tries to support it with goods and services at appropriate cost, quality, and outcomes.

I was reading a recent magazine and was intrigued by the titles of the articles, which caused me to look at the internet for other topics being discussed about the healthcare supply chain industry. The results are very compelling. As supply chain leaders we do have very big responsibilities to help the healthcare supply chain.

The below headlines were found in the following sources – Forbes, Beckers, Journal of Healthcare Contracting, Advisory Board, Gartner, Ernst & Young, Healthcare Finance News, McKinsey, Vizient, and USA Today.

Healthcare supply chain tariffs & uncertainty
Healthcare supply chain must deliver by engaging, executing
Hospitals face rising costs, supply chain disruptions
Bolstering health system supply chain resilience to reduce risk
How health systems are tracking 2025’s biggest supply chain challenges
Top three themes for 2026
- Resurgence of cost management
- Accelerating the digital supply chain
- Expanding clinical collaboration initiatives
Optimizing the healthcare supply chain operating model
Driving meaningful outcomes in supply chains with AI
Supply chain executives discuss strategy, innovation and resilience – and their biggest lessons learned
Rethinking supply chain strategies to withstand disruption
Sectors unite to bridge gaps in health supply chain
Six things you might not know about the tariff issue
Driving excellence in ambulatory surgery centers
Adapting or falling behind: the new mandate for healthcare supply chains
6 notable supply chain officer moves
Stockpiles, substitutes and strategy
Growth of supply chain as a strategic asset for enterprise
Leading health systems are making resiliency a day-to-day priority
Transforming the healthcare supply chain
Medical supply shortages – we are part of the problem – and solution

I like the following example as a reflection on what we should be doing as supply chain professionals:

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It does not matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

It doesn’t matter if we are buyer, seller, distributor or stakeholder when the sun comes up we better get going!