I’m pleased to introduce myself to you as the new Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare Purchasing News. It is an honor to join a publication that, for nearly 50 years, has been a trusted voice for professionals in supply chain management, surgical services, sterile processing, infection prevention, and product evaluation. I look forward to building on this legacy with the help of our dedicated editorial team and the expertise of our readers and contributors.
That tradition has been sustained in recent months by the leadership of Associate Editor Matt MacKenzie, who has guided our newsletter, website, and print magazine. His steady hand ensured continuity and quality during the search for new editorial leadership, and I am grateful for his efforts.
My career in B2B healthcare media has focused on telling stories that connect with people and highlighting the challenges and innovations shaping our industry. In recent years, I’ve covered issues spanning pandemic response to supply chain resilience, gaining a deeper appreciation for the professionals who keep healthcare functioning, often out of public view.
The U.S. healthcare supply chain remains under acute strain. Drug shortages have exposed the nation’s heavy reliance on offshore manufacturing. Hospitals are squeezed by inflation and single-source dependencies that can collapse overnight, as seen when Hurricane Helene knocked out much of the country’s IV fluid supply last year. Geopolitical tensions and looming tariffs threaten to drive costs higher and cybersecurity threats test the integrity of digital supply chains. Amid these headwinds, providers are leaning on technology, reshoring initiatives, and supplier diversification to shore up resilience. But despite these moves, the supply chain remains fragile.
In this issue, we examine how pharmacy leaders are confronting rising drug costs, shortages, workforce constraints, and regulatory pressures. Many are borrowing proven strategies from medical-surgical supply chain management, such as integration, automation, and data-driven decision making, to strengthen pharmacy operations and improve patient safety.
We also continue our series on the complexities of centralizing high-level disinfection under sterile processing department oversight. While centralization is considered the ideal, each hospital or health system handles HLD differently and variations in practices and circumstances create challenges. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all roadmap, successful HLD centralization depends on addressing unique organizational nuances and stakeholder input.
Finally, we feature a Q&A that highlights AI’s exciting potential in drug discovery, especially for antimicrobial resistance, helping labs collaborate with clinicians to select appropriate therapies. And in infection prevention, AI can do so many things to ultimately reduce healthcare-associated infections and improve patient safety from predicting outbreaks to guiding targeted antimicrobial therapies.
I welcome your ideas and feedback as we move forward. As Matt mentioned in his Editor’s Note last month, we want to ask you, our readers, what topics you’re most interested in being covered. Please send me a line at [email protected]. Together, we will continue advancing HPN as a vital resource for healthcare professionals everywhere.
