Vice President of Supply Chain,
Mercyhealth
August 2023- The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
Amy Whitaker is the Vice President of Supply Chain at Mercyhealth. She is accountable for all Supply Chain functions in the organization, including operations, sourcing, procurement, item master and analytics and clinical integration/value analysis.
Any recent stories of successful projects you can share?
We are currently undergoing an overhaul, if you will. We are currently restructuring our sub departments and aligning our partners in a more strategic way. We are also in the middle of consolidating our ERP systems (from 2 to 1). This work has been challenging, but meaningful. We hope to improve our overall contribution to the organization.
What are some initiatives you are excited to work on currently or in the future?
We are focusing on building a strong clinically integrated Supply Chain. With this, we are focusing on data, including quality and patient outcomes. As we are driving our pricing down, we are also ensuring that we are improving our patient outcomes. As a nurse, this is a passion of mine. We are also opening a new hospital next month in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The work and planning leading up to our opening has been tremendous. To see it all come together is very rewarding for our organization. It is the first hospital in Crystal Lake. The community is very excited for our opening and we are honored to serve and care for the community.
What’s the biggest takeaway for you as a supply chain leader over the last few years of marketplace disruptions?
Supply disruption has always been something monitored by supply chain leaders. Supply chain disruptions and out-of-stock supplies have become the norm. I believe the key is to build a resilient supply chain that is predicting shortages, not reacting to the news of a shortage. This approach allows supply chain teams to make the correct supply decisions and pivot to equivalent products quickly, while maintaining our commitment to quality care for our patients.
How do you measure the success of your team and its impact on the organization as a whole?
Each division within Supply Chain has measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are reported out monthly. We track our progress and highlight our shortcomings. I share the KPI dashboard during our team meetings and with my leader.
What are the most important attributes of a successful supply chain team today?
Flexible, nimble, clinically integrated and highly skilled.
What are the keys to a successful provider/supplier relationship?
Transparency. Everyone talks about building partnerships.
Those relationships are built with trust and respect. Trust and respect is a two-way street. We all have the same goal, to save and improve lives. I believe the more we unite under that commonality the stronger our health systems will become.
What should suppliers avoid doing in their interactions with hospitals and health systems?
We have seen an increase in suppliers bringing items in for use in our ORs that have not been vetted for use in our health system. Some of this activity stems from supply shortages. However, it creates such disruption I would urge suppliers to avoid this behavior.