Nancy Palmer, Executive Director of Clinical Resource Management and Value Analysis at AdventHealth Supply Chain, says the strongest decisions come from the people closest to the work.
She describes her style as “grassroots” leadership, rooted in listening to frontline teams and turning their experience into practical change. For Palmer, that means keeping close contact with caregivers, understanding what is happening at the bedside and using that insight to shape supply ch...
Continue Reading This Article
Enjoy this article as well as all of our content, including reports, news, tips and more.
By registering or signing into your SRM Today account, you agree to SRM Today's Terms of Use and consent to the processing of your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.
ain decisions that are both clinically sound and financially disciplined.
Her focus reflects a wider shift she believes healthcare supply chains still need to make: moving away from a purely transactional model and towards one in which clinical judgement is built into every major purchasing and utilisation decision. In her view, too much variation still exists across products, processes and physician preference, and those differences are not always linked to patient outcomes.
Palmer argues that the real question is not simply how to buy at a lower price, but how to identify the best value for each patient in each setting. That, she says, depends on stronger clinical expertise inside supply chain teams, particularly nurses working in value analysis. Nurses, she notes, understand workflow, safety, caregiver burden and the patient experience in a way that can reveal risks missed by contracting or cost reviews alone.
AdventHealth has invested heavily in that approach, building a team of experienced value analysis nurses to support its decision-making. The organisation has also been recognised externally for its supply chain performance, including a No. 3 ranking in Gartner’s Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 for 2023, following earlier recognition for resilience and responsible sourcing.
Palmer said innovation in healthcare supply chain must be handled carefully, because new technology and processes can easily disrupt already stretched clinical teams. Her team begins by defining the problem, then tests how a proposed change will affect clinical need, workflow, training, reliability and cost. Small improvements, introduced thoughtfully, can deliver lasting gains without adding unnecessary complexity.
The pandemic sharpened that perspective. Palmer moved into supply chain value analysis in 2019 after a perioperative leadership role, and the strain of COVID-19 on frontline staff, equipment and supplies left a lasting impression. It reinforced her view that supply chain is not a behind-the-scenes administrative function, but part of patient care and staff protection.
What keeps her going, she says, is AdventHealth’s mission of extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, along with a strong sense of responsibility to the clinicians who depend on her team. She says she is especially motivated by nurses, physicians, support staff and supply chain colleagues working under pressure to deliver care with compassion and consistency.
Source: Noah Wire Services
