Top 25 healthcare supply chains in 2018, as ranked by Gartner
Cleveland Clinic came in first, and has been in the top 10 in the ranking for the past three years.
Gartner has released its 10th annual Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 ranking, which recognizes organizations across the healthcare value chain that demonstrate leadership in improving human life at sustainable costs.
Cleveland Clinic takes a big leap forward and jumps from No. 8 to the top spot. The organization has been in the top 10 in the ranking for the past three years, and its continuous efforts to improve and innovate paid off.
Its model is built on collaboration across stakeholders. With a large span of control for supply chain across most areas of spend, supply chain is woven into the fabric of patient care, supporting a patient-first focus at the organization.
In 2018, Cleveland Clinic continued improving its services and employed RFID technology for high-value medical devices and a less-expensive solution for commodity products.
IMPACT
Now in the 10th year of the ranking, Gartner introduced a Masters category to recognize continuous excellence. Cardinal Health, Mayo Foundation, Intermountain Healthcare and Owens and Minor comprise the initial Masters class.
The Masters category is not a permanent appointment. Organizations must re-qualify every year and continue to innovate. Cardinal Health, for example, expanded its digital capabilities and introduced a cloud-based patient engagement platform called "ConnectSource" to gain better insights into the patient experience and treatment journey.
Mayo Foundation heavily invested in digital supply chain as a core differentiator. Intermountain Healthcare had a lot of progress on the analytics front of supply chain, by enhancing its ability to visualize key data points such as supply expense or contract compliance, which allows for better decision making.
Distributor Owens and Minor has tackled one of the chronic issues for manufacturers: the visibility of inventory. Through key partnerships, the company has brought in advanced technology to enhance its strong logistics and inventory management capabilities.
THE RANKINGS
Cleveland Clinic
CVS Health
Johnson and Johnson
Mercy (Missouri)
McKesson
AmerisourceBergen
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Medtronic
Banner Health
Duke University Health System
Ochsner Health System
BD
Advocate Health Care
Henry Schein
Stryker
Ascension Health
Pfizer
Novo Nordisk
Novartis
Abbott
Bristol-Myers Squibb
GaxoSmithKline
AbVie
Spectrum Health
Providence St. Joseph Health
THE TREND
Most hospital and health system leaders are interested in value-based contracting when it comes to their supply chains, but a new Premier survey shows a lack of opportunities to lock down contracts with suppliers.
Among 200 C-suite executives and supply chain leaders, 73 percent said their health systems prioritize value-based contracting when looking to improve their return on investment.
ON THE RECORD
"Healthcare supply chains today face a multitude of challenges: increasing cost pressures and patient expectations as well as the need to keep up with rapid technology advancement, to name just a few," said Stephen Meyer, senior director at Gartner.
"In order to be successful, supply chains must sport a specific skill set that consists of patient focus, collaboration and network visibility. The top supply chains in this year's ranking have embraced those skills and excelled in executing them."
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
