Mark Thill
As a nation, we strategize, hypothesize and even fight about how we can provide affordable healthcare to all. Meanwhile, those in healthcare continue to go about their work, doing everything they can to improve patients’ health and lives. Supply chain executives are no exception.
But hard-working, well-intentioned doctors, nurses, department heads, technicians, administrators, supply chain teams, dieticians, etc., can only go so far in creating a sustainable healthcare system. Two recent articles convinced me of that.
A recent article in Health Affairs talked about the impact of socioeconomic factors on health. It’s not a new topic. Many have studied and written about the ill effects on people’s health of substandard housing, lack of transportation, violence, lack of education and lack of healthy food. But the problem is a nagging one.
And then there’s the high percentage of elderly Medicare patients who receive surgery in the last year of life – another topic I read about recently. We are grateful for the extended lifespan that modern technology and medical practitioners have given us, of course. But we’ve got some problems in how we’re managing it.
Solving the problems of poverty and end-of-life care won’t lead to a perfect healthcare system. But they would go far in helping us find sustainable solutions.
Can supply chain play a role? I’d like to hear your thoughts, at mthill@sharemovingmedia.com.