Robin Lincoln
Senior Vice President, Supplier Relations and Contract Operations
Capstone Health Alliance
Asheville, North Carolina
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but raised in West Tennessee, Robin Lincoln is the daughter of first- and second-generation immigrants. Her father, Michael, was born in Poland, but left that country when he was 16 to join the Royal Air Force in World War II. Neither he nor Robin’s mother, Olefie, went to college, “but they always shared with me their work ethic and their belief in loyalty to your employer, your faith and your family,” she says.
Lincoln got an undergraduate degree in computer science, and went to work in hardware and software support for Sprint. Four years later, she joined The Faneuil Group in Johnson City, Tennessee, which provided customer support for clients of the Bell System of telephone companies. Ultimately she managed a 350-employee call center for the firm.
In 2001 she took a turn into healthcare, first as project manager and ultimately, vice president and COO for Wilson Pharmacy and Home Health, a closed-door, retail and compounding operation. “Healthcare can be frustrating to someone new to it, in that it’s not driven by numbers and sometimes not even by logic, but by clinicians’ passion about their patients,” she says. “I have been impressed and humbled by that clinical passion, and find it an ongoing challenge to achieve efficiencies without compromising patient care.”
Lincoln became director of Synergy Health Group, a 22-hospital networking group, in 2006, and then director of group purchasing for WNC Health Network – now Capstone Health Alliance, a regional group purchasing alliance and a Premier owner.
Describe a key mentor or event in your life.
“Throughout my career, I can think of several leaders who took a leap of faith and encouraged me to take positions that were, in all honesty, a stretch for my capabilities,” she says. “Guy Wilson, the president and CEO of the pharmacy and my first intro to healthcare, was a true entrepreneur, who invested millions in automation and challenged us to do things differently every day. Those opportunities created a commitment to continuous learning for me. I have also tried to pattern myself after leaders who have a great work/life balance and work hard to promote those around them.”
In what way(s) are you a better supply chain leader than you were, say, five or 10 years ago?
“Supply chain in healthcare is much more than a numbers game and requires the perspective of cost, quality, and outcomes. My key takeaway has been to involve as many cross-functional stakeholders as possible early in any product or process evaluation to gain their perspective. Also, as leaders, we need to be able to clearly articulate goals and expected outcomes to our teams when we present opportunities for change.”
Describe the key characteristics of the successful supply chain leader of the future.
“The supply chain leaders I admire most are committed to supporting the goals of the entire health system, including patient care, financial, and strategic objectives,” says Lincoln. “These supply chain leaders use innovation, leadership, and team building in conjunction with their supply chain focus, and have the tenacity to take on complex, long-term projects. They are energetic and persistent in their efforts to achieve results, and tend to focus on the more complex and higher spend categories that drive the greatest results. I would recommend healthcare supply chain to energetic leaders of the future who have a desire to make positive changes in the healthcare of their communities.”