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Beyond AI: Why Clinicians Are Crucial to Supply Chain Excellence

Oct 3, 2024 | The Pharma Flow

Don’t fall for the all-tech solution. Use the secret weapon.

Limit the stressful workarounds. Let’s use purpose-built tools.

Read Time: 5 Minutes

  • Stop scrambling for the latest technology tool and create a complete solution with your clinicians and industry experts. Use tech to support, not replace, key people.
  • Stop Dreaming about the Magical AI prompt… for now. Align supply chain teams with clinical needs for better outcomes.
  • Balance builds resilience. Combine human expertise with tech for a stronger, more adaptable supply chain.
  • If you don’t have the products you’re looking fortake literally 5 seconds and put your facility on top of our FIRST TO KNOW LIST. Don’t let your team down – With the current market displacement, you’ll want to be early, not late
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Stay Ahead

In our past few newsletters, we discussed the foundational role of people and relationships in creating your resilient supply chain, as well as the importance of leveraging the right tools and data to stay ahead of disruptions. While advanced technologies like real-time market intelligence and fast procurement systems are essential, they aren’t the entire solution. Tools and data can only go so far without the right human input. This brings us to an even more important point—aligning technology with the clinical teams who use these supplies every day.

As your supply chain becomes more complex, driven by more extraordinary events, it’s clear that technology alone won’t solve every problem. The most successful Leaders are the ones that combine cutting-edge tools with the insights and expertise of their clinicians.

A Supply Chain with Wisdom?

In our past few newsletters, we discussed the foundational role of people and relationships  in creating your resilient supply chain, as well as the importance of leveraging the right tools and data to stay ahead of disruptions. While advanced technologies like real-time market intelligence and fast procurement systems are essential, they aren’t the entire solution. Tools and data can only go so far without the right human input. This brings us to an even more important point—aligning technology with the clinical teams who use these supplies every day.

As your supply chain becomes more complex, driven by more extraordinary events, it’s clear that technology alone won’t solve every problem. The most successful leaders are the ones that combine cutting-edge tools with the insights and expertise of their clinicians.

Hey AI –  Please do ALL my work in HALF the time!?!? 🙏

Technology is a crucial part of improving healthcare supply chains, but it’s just that—a tool. What really drives success is the human element. Technology, like AI or advanced analytics, can try to predict supply shortages or streamline procurement, but it won’t know the intricate details of clinical workflow – that’s where your clinicians come in.

Tech won’t deliver the product you can’t get your hand on – That’s where sourcing experts come in.

As Tom Coleman wisely points out, “Organizations can’t build a resilient supply chain without considering the impact of people and ensuring that the implemented technologies complement staff capabilities.”[1] At the end of the day, it’s the people who will make or break your supply chain efficiency. So, while technology provides data, clinicians and procurement teams must interpret that data and act on it.

Your best decisions happen when supply chain leaders and clinicians collaborate. Your clinical teams are the ones who know which supplies are critical and what’s needed on the ground. The more they’re involved, the more likely your supply chain will run smoothly, considering viable alternatives that you can proactively move on.

McKinsey notes, “Invest in an on-the-ground supply chain team. In-person discussions between supply chain colleagues and clinicians about product choices, procedure costs, and compliance with contracts lead to better decisions.” [2]

Your direct communication with those who use the supplies is critical. When these conversations happen, you’ll gain insight into clinical needs, enabling your team to make smarter, more efficient decisions that directly improve patient care.

Alignment Limits Stress and Indecision

For technology to be effective, it must align with the realities of clinical workflows. Technology should work in the background, supporting clinicians—not creating more tasks or slowing them down. For example, having an advanced system that shows everything is in stock doesn’t help when a surgeon is waiting for a critical item that isn’t where it should be.

The challenge is not just to implement advanced tools but to ensure that those tools are integrated seamlessly with everyday clinical practices.

“You don’t want your technology creating more problems than it solves,” is something I’ve heard many times from supply chain leaders. In the rush to digitize and automate, we sometimes overlook the fact that our most important assets—our people, with their own preferences and processes —are still crucial to making everything work smoothly. Get on the same page.

The Elusive Goal – Personally, at Home and at Work: Balance

Technology and people need to work hand in hand for a healthcare supply chain to succeed. While technology can drive efficiency, speed, and predictability, the people using these tools are the ones who ensure success. The key is to find the right balance between tools and human expertise, ensuring both work together seamlessly.

As Deloitte notes, “Resilient [supply chains] (high organizational commitment, high spending): These organizations view supply chain resilience as a competitive advantage that’s foundational to organizational success. Commitment to and actions toward these goals permeate through the organization from leadership to front-line staff. Organizations that build highly resilient supply chains invest in holistic solutions to digitize their supply chains and spend wisely on people, operations, and technology.”[3]

Ultimately, the success of your supply chain relies on a simple truth: People, not just tools, drive healthcare forward.

Explore Our Sources

We pride ourselves on bringing you a newsletter filled with relevant, sourced information. Feel free to check out and read more from the articles we’ve sourced.

1. People and Resilient Supply Chains
Key Determinants For Resilient Health Care Supply Chains
Deloitte,  April 25, 2022

2. Outside Visibility Matters
Optimizing Health System Supply Chain Performance
McKinsey & Company, August 23, 2022