December 7, 2022 – Laura Johns is the administrative director for supply and support services at Cleveland Clinic. Read an excerpt from The Journal of Healthcare Contracting’s “Women Leaders in Supply Chain” below.
Please tell us a little bit about your role and responsibilities within your organization.
As the Administrative Director for Supply Chain and Support Services at Cleveland Clinic, I lead a team responsible for all aspects of our business operations, including budget and workforce management, communication, employee engagement, strategic planning, goal setting, project management and compliance, for our global department that spans sourcing, materials management, data and technology, and patient support services. I also lead our supplier diversity, sustainability and resiliency initiatives. My team thinks of ourselves as “the glue,” working closely with our CSCO, leadership team and stakeholders across the organization, and externally, we make connections and help the department achieve objectives.
In what ways has the supply chain changed for the better over the last 2-3 years?
I like that wording, “for the better,” because I think, when it comes to supply chain, we focus a lot on the negatives that have come out of the pandemic. When I think of things that are “for the better”, the renewed energy around resiliency comes to the top of my mind. As we come out on the other side of the pandemic those impacted have had time to regroup and think, “How do we prevent this from happening in the future?” It takes trust, transparency, and communication among the providers, suppliers, GPOs and distributors to find solutions together.
The goal of our resiliency program is to eliminate backorders – it’s ambitious and requires a different level of partnership with our stakeholders. We are embarking on a journey to understand exactly where our products are coming from and as far back in the network as we can, so we can predict disruptions, plan for how to handle them, and respond effectively. From the suppliers we have spoken to, nearly everyone has been willing to help us get there. They may not be able to commit right away, but they are willing to work with us and move toward that goal.
It’s not just Cleveland Clinic that is having success on this journey, in my position as a board member of the Healthcare Industry Resiliency Collaborative (HIRC), I get to see this happening all over the industry. I think it has the power to really transform care delivery and provide the best possible care to our patients.
To see the rest of our Women Leaders in Supply Chain list, click here.