**London**: Dr. Jimmy Chung stresses the importance of redesigning healthcare supply chains to enhance efficiency, standardise practices, and improve patient outcomes. He advocates for integrating physician engagement and data-driven strategies to align supply chains with contemporary healthcare demands and reduce clinician burnout.
The healthcare supply chain plays a critical role at the intersection of cost, quality, and patient outcomes, particularly as health systems increasingly embrace value-based care principles. According to Dr. Jimmy Chung, Chief Medical Officer at Advantus Health Partners, the ability to implement effective clinical supply chain strategies is essential for sustainable success in the sector.
In a recent piece published by Physicians Practice, Dr. Chung emphasises that health systems must undergo significant transformations in their supply chains to drive efficiency and standardise best practices. He points out that many healthcare leaders face a dilemma: balancing the need for operational improvements with the desire to maintain harmony among overworked providers. He suggests that this careful navigation may sometimes lead to hesitant decisions regarding physician preferences, which could ultimately hinder progress.
Dr. Chung posits that this cautious approach is increasingly misaligned with contemporary healthcare demands. “When incentivized correctly, physicians are open to change, but it takes the right approach,” he notes. He advocates for engaging physicians early in the supply chain transformation process, thereby fostering a collaborative environment that enhances not only the providers’ experience but also patient care and institutional efficiency.
To facilitate successful engagement of physicians in supply chain discussions, Dr. Chung offers three key tactics:
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Prioritise Clinical Quality in Standardisation Efforts: Dr. Chung argues that involving physicians in supply chain transformations should centre around patient outcomes. Collaborative analysis of clinical measures can help identify areas where variation may be eliminated, enabling health systems to strengthen relationships with the right vendors. He highlights the importance of supply chain decisions that prevent preventable complications—often leading to longer hospital stays and increased costs. For instance, inconsistent use of supplies like surgical meshes or coronary stents can introduce unnecessary variability and risk.
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Integrate High-Reliability Concepts into Patient Experience: While supply chain topics are rarely linked with patient experience, Dr. Chung asserts that this connection is vital. By applying high-reliability principles from industries like aviation and manufacturing to healthcare, healthcare providers can reduce waste and variability, ultimately improving patient safety and quality of care. He draws a comparison to the airline industry, where a lack of safety assurance would be intolerable. In contrast, he points out the concerning rate of preventable errors in healthcare, underscoring the necessity for reliable practices that benefit patients.
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Utilise Data for Enhanced Collaboration: As the value-based care market continues to expand—potentially reaching $1 trillion—data will become increasingly important in fostering physician collaboration. Dr. Chung advocates for the use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) to support supply chain decisions. For example, AI tools can help determine optimal products to stock or identify which clinicians achieve the best outcomes with certain supplies. This data-driven approach can improve not only efficiencies within the supply chain but also patient experiences and outcomes.
The synergy between clinician and patient experiences, and a robust supply chain is critical, especially in the context of emerging clinician burnout. Dr. Chung emphasises that a strong collaboration between supply chain leaders and physicians can ensure that essential drugs and clinical supplies are accessible at the right time and cost. Forward-thinking health systems that prioritise such partnerships and commit to high reliability in their supply chain initiatives are likely to be well-positioned for future challenges in the healthcare landscape.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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