Gartner, Inc. has released its 13th annual Gartner Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 ranking. To reflect growing maturity across the healthcare and life sciences supply chain, the ranking now solely focuses on U.S. health systems.
“We’re making the move to an all-healthcare-provider ranking because we recognize that the healthcare supply chain has made significant progress in size, scope and capabilities compared to when we started the ranking in 2009,” said Eric O’Daffer, vice president analyst with the Gartner Supply Chain practice. “This shift in methodology allows for more healthcare providers to be featured in the ranking and for a better distinction from our Supply Chain Top 25 ranking, which is global and covers all industries.”
In this revamped ranking, Cleveland Clinic takes the top spot with the highest overall peer and analyst opinion scores. Banner Health, Ochsner Health Systems, Baylor Scott & White Health and Mercy complete the Top 5. As a result of the new methodology, eight healthcare providers make their debut.
“Cleveland Clinic is a prime example of sustained leadership,” O’Daffer said. “They excelled in optimizing the clinical supply chain across products and services, including new construction, pharmaceuticals and purchased services. RFID-based point-of-use technology now spans across most procedural areas, increasing patient safety, capturing revenue, and reducing loss and expiration.”
In its fourth year, the Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 Masters recognizes sustained supply chain leadership in healthcare. To be included, those health systems must have attained top 5 composite scores in any seven of the last 10 years.
“Mayo Clinic and Intermountain Health Care sustained their standing as Masters for yet another year. Even with the pandemic still disrupting healthcare, they expanded their operations, piloted new home care programs and continuously improved their capabilities,” O’Daffer said.
Three major themes stand out when looking at the leading health systems:
Increased Risk and Resilience Capabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic with its ups and downs forced health system supply chains to deal with all kinds of disruptions and shortages, from personal protective equipment (PPE) availability to talent shortages. While this was a challenging situation for supply chain leaders in healthcare, they took on the challenge and are now witnessing the results of their efforts.
Expanded ESG Efforts
Supply chain leaders are also thinking about the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects that the C-suite and other stakeholders may be demanding of the supply chain. This means, for example, expanding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and forming partnerships to mitigate health equity issues.
Focus on Collaboration
The pandemic showed how important collaboration is in the case of PPE and the manufacturing of capital equipment like ventilators. Many organizations, including manufacturers, realized that they can’t fulfill their mission without more collaboration with the health systems. In turn, the health systems recognized that they need an efficient supply chain that has the right product at the right place and at the right time, and that they need the resources of the manufacturers of clinical equipment to better serve their patients.
