Many industries outside of healthcare recognize and respect the value that effective and efficient supply chain management contributes to the top and bottom lines. While the healthcare industry, particularly among the provider segment, has yet to be fully convinced, the movement already has begun. And it’s growing, albeit slowly but surely, from the top post in the executive suite.

That’s why Healthcare Purchasing News launched its annual search for "supply chain focused CEOs two years ago. We wanted to find these forward-thinking men and women, and you’ve helped us do that. In fact, we’ve shared profiles of seven of them with you in the January editions of 2005 and 2006.

Well, it’s that time of the year again – time to nominate noteworthy hospital presidents/CEOs for HPN’s third annual "S.U.R.E. Award for Supply Chain Focused CEOs" award. We’re looking to recognize chief executives who support, understand, recognize and empower the materials management department to do what needs to be done to achieve bottom-line savings and top-line revenue. We ask you, our dedicated readers, to recommend worthy candidates for recognition in our January 2007 issue by e-mailing us reasons how and why they deserve the spotlight – no more than a couple of paragraphs are needed for each of the four S.U.R.E. categories listed above that comprise the "SURE" acronym.

What makes
the 2007 S.U.R.E. Award even more special is that it appears in the first edition of HPN’s year-long 30th anniversary celebration.

Please keep in mind the following caveats and requirements to qualify:

1. GPO and distributor support is commendable, but we’re looking for internally driven details beyond their contributions.

2. Any nomination must be exclusive to HPN and not have been submitted to any other publication or media outlet currently or within the previous year.

3. Any nominated executive (or nominator) must be willing to share relevant basic financial details with our readers, including annual revenues, annual expenses and annual purchasing volume.

Help us share the stories of these remarkable CEOs in our January 2007 edition so that the industry may learn from them and be inspired. Thanks in advance.