Academic Webinar: Fundamental Shifts in the US Healthcare System

While most of us are probably focusing on our own functional roles within our organizations, it is easy to forget the big picture issues facing the healthcare supply chain.

Given the complexity of healthcare and the current political climate, I have personally started paying attention to issues and trends that may affect my company and part of the supply chain. I work for a GPO and they are again facing scrutiny from the Senate Subcommittee for supposed anti-competitive business practices. Of course I think any company or sector of healthcare is an easy target if they are large or profitable.

I thought Dr. Singh did a great job of discussing the major shifts (i.e. Demographics, technology changes, physician trends, etc.) that will be evolving over the next several years. One example he discussed was a shifting disease pattern and the continuously increasing cost of treatment. He suggested a shift from acute care to chronic care, which will put even greater strain in the supply chain in the coming years.

Another example that Dr. Singh referenced was a shifting technology focus. “Health care has not witnessed technology cost reduction”. I do not think anyone can necessarily make that generalization. Since I’ve been working with a large hospital in Dallas the past 2 years, I have seen them move from manual, paper-based ordering to utilizing EDI and also upgrading their MMIS system to Lawson. This is a perfect example of how technology has resulted in operational cost reduction.

One of the my biggest takeaways from Dr. Singh’s presentation is that we should all have a 10-15 year view instead of a 2-3 year view, keeping in mind all of the different shifts. We tend to be reactive in our roles instead of proactive. It is amazing what we can learn from someone from the outside looking in.

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