Challenges and Trends in the Healthcare Supply Chain | E. 99

After labor, the supply chain is healthcare’s biggest expense. Randy Subramany, Director of Supply Chain at New York Presbyterian Hospital, shares insights into 2024 trends and innovations with Jim Cagliostro. 

 

Episode Introduction 

Randy explains why there’s more to his role than ‘’bandages and gauzes’’, why people are the most important element of the ‘’three-legged supply chain barstool,’’ and highlights why patient care, decision-making and retaining talent are the top supply chain challenges. He also explains why it takes an eco-system to keep people healthy and how tapping into the power of technology can improve slim hospital margins. 

 

Show Topics

 

• A day in the life of a Hospital Supply Chain Director

• Caring for patients with complex health needs

• Challenges in retaining and growing talent 

• The impact of digital transformation on healthcare

• Utilizing technology to promote a sustainable economy

• Supply chain management: improving margins

• Leadership tip: Going to the Gemba

 

 

02:26 A day in the life of a Hospital Supply Chain Director

Randy explained the far-reaching impact of the role and his team.   

‘’People think about supplies in a hospital, I'm sure the basics, whether it's through a TV show or just walking through a hospital, you'll see the fundamentals, you'll see gloves, you'll see gowns, you'll see all the different forms of PPE, people think bandages and gauzes, but let's move beyond that now because that's some of the basic things. As a supply chain director, my team is also responsible for pacemakers, for skin tissue that we purchase for a patient that has a severe burn and needs to have emergency surgery, for all of the accessories used in robotic surgeries as well, for grafts and stents and meshes that are used throughout all different sorts of vascular cases. And to give everyone those numbers, to give a number, my team, on a daily basis, is managing 15 to 20,000 case-dependent, unique supplies. To take you through my day, fundamentally, I have 135 wonderful human beings who are responsible for all elements of supply reordering, replenishment, distribution, logistics, triaging, back orders, and really, anything disposable, and some reusable, but mostly disposable that's used on a patient is touching a member of our team. So as I'm sure you can imagine, as I'm sure anyone who's familiar with the hospital can imagine, as I'm sure anyone who's not familiar with the hospital can imagine, the role itself, it's quite impactful.’’

 

08:52 Caring for patients with complex healthcare needs

Randy said that caring for patients with complicated illnesses was the primary challenge. 

‘’But I think the primary challenge that we have, that we will have as an academic institution, is we're seeing patients with the most complicated illnesses and diseases that require, although state-of-the-art and groundbreaking, the most complicated treatments and the most complicated processes and procedures to care successfully for these patients. Of course, fundamentally, in a hospital setting, you're never going to be 100% ever. You're never going to cure anyone 100%. Sometimes care is more important than the cure itself. But putting that