University of Utah Health Earns the Healthcare Purchasing News 2024 Supply Chain Department of the Year Award

Healthcare Purchasing News has named University of Utah Health (U of U Health) as its 2024 Supply Chain Department of the Year.

Some key highlights from the team’s submission include:

• Non-Personnel Reduction: Through strategic sourcing, negotiating a contract in collaboration with their supply chain peers with a key strategic partner, they achieved a significant reduction in annual supply costs.
• Personnel Expense Optimization: By automating repetitive tasks and optimizing product intake with Medline, they decreased overtime expenses by 35% and increased productivity by 20% for the swing shift.
• Error Reduction and Improved Accountability: Implementing barcode scanning technology into their product intake processes reduced oversight of inventory shipment incongruencies by 50% with their former distribution partner, leading to cost savings of an estimated $500K annually.
• Supplier Collaboration and Optimized Inventory Management: The department has developed a strategic partnership with Medline, resulting in joint cost-saving initiatives and improved supply chain resilience. Data-driven strategies and collaboration have reduced their killed fulfillment rate by 40%.

Editor-in-Chief Janette Wider, who authored this year’s article, said, “University of Utah Health is truly deserving of the 2024 Supply Chain Department of the Year. The team not only worked superbly together to achieve significant cost reductions for annual supply costs but also worked collaboratively on customer service and process innovation. Under the leadership of Mark A Fawson, MBA, BSN, RN, CMRP, director, Material Services, this department achieved success worth noting and celebrating. You do not want to miss this year’s story, as Fawson shares his thoughts on current trends, challenges, and what he believes makes a department stand out from the rest.”