Supply Chain & Procurement
45 articles
The Overlooked Link Between OR Block Scheduling and Supply Forecasting Accuracy
Facilities that integrate OR block scheduling data directly into supply forecasting achieve meaningfully more accurate surgical supply ordering than those treating the two as separate functions.
Jun 21, 2026
Managing Peristomal Skin Complications: A Supply-Focused Approach to a Persistent Ostomy Care Challenge
Peristomal skin complications remain among the most common ostomy-related issues driving unplanned clinical visits. Appropriate supply selection and early intervention meaningfully reduce their frequency.
Jun 14, 2026
Intermittent Catheter Coating Technology: Comparing Hydrophilic Options in 2026
Hydrophilic-coated intermittent catheters have become the clinical standard for many patients, and coating technology continues to evolve with real implications for comfort and infection risk.
Jun 13, 2026
Absorbent Product Sizing Standardization Across Multi-Site LTC Chains: A Practical Framework
Long-term care chains managing absorbent incontinence product sizing across many sites face real standardization challenges balancing resident fit needs against purchasing efficiency.
Jun 12, 2026
Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis Prevention: Matching Skin Barrier Products to Risk Level
Incontinence-associated dermatitis remains a common, often under-addressed skin complication. Appropriate skin barrier product selection meaningfully reduces incidence when applied consistently.
Jun 11, 2026
Ostomy Pouching System Innovation: What's New in Adhesive and Odor Control Technology
Ostomy pouching systems continue seeing meaningful innovation in adhesive technology and odor control, directly improving quality of life for a patient population that has historically been underserved by incremental product change.
Jun 9, 2026
Biodegradable Incontinence Products: Weighing Sustainability Claims Against Performance and Cost
A growing number of biodegradable and more sustainable incontinence product options are entering the market, but facilities need to evaluate performance and cost trade-offs carefully.
Jun 8, 2026
Bed and Chair Sensors vs. Wearable Fall Detectors: A Procurement Comparison for Long-Term Care
Long-term care facilities choosing between bed and chair exit sensors and wearable fall detection devices face real trade-offs in coverage, cost, and resident acceptance.
Jun 7, 2026
Orthotics and Bracing Formulary Management: Reducing Complexity Without Limiting Clinical Options
Orthotics and bracing formularies tend toward significant SKU complexity given the wide range of anatomical fit and clinical indication involved. Structured formulary management is helping rein this in.
Jun 4, 2026
The Outpatient Shift in Total Joint Replacement Is Redrawing Orthopedic Supply Chains
As total joint replacement continues migrating to outpatient and ambulatory settings, orthopedic implant and instrumentation supply chains built for inpatient hospital volume are adapting to a different distribution model.
Jun 3, 2026
Standardizing Orthopedic Rehab Supply Across a Multi-Site Health System Without Losing Clinician Buy-In
Rehab supply standardization efforts often stall on clinician resistance. Health systems getting this right are finding ways to standardize purchasing without dictating every clinical choice.
Jun 2, 2026
School-Based Health Centers Are a Growing but Under-Resourced Corner of Medical Supply Procurement
School-based health centers continue expanding access to care for underserved student populations, but many operate with thin, ad hoc supply chain support relative to their clinical scope.
May 30, 2026
Onsite Employer Health Clinics Are Building Their Own Miniature Supply Chains
As more large employers open onsite or near-site health clinics, they are having to build lightweight but genuine medical supply procurement functions from scratch.
May 29, 2026
Lab Reagent Shortage Risk Remains Underappreciated Relative to More Visible Supply Categories
While PPE and IV fluid shortages draw the most attention, laboratory reagent supply carries comparable disruption risk that receives considerably less proactive resilience investment.
May 26, 2026
Blood Bank Supply Chain Resilience Gets New Attention After Recent Disruption Events
Recent blood supply disruptions have prompted hospital transfusion services to rethink inventory management and supplier diversification strategies for blood products and related supplies.
May 25, 2026
Nebulizer, MDI, and Soft Mist Inhaler Selection: A Supply Chain Perspective on Device Choice
Choosing among nebulizer, metered-dose inhaler, and soft mist inhaler delivery for respiratory medication involves clinical, cost, and environmental considerations that procurement teams increasingly weigh together.
May 23, 2026
Specialty Pharmacy Cold Chain Logistics Are Getting More Complex as Biologics Proliferate
The growing volume and diversity of temperature-sensitive specialty biologics is straining cold chain logistics capacity across hospital and specialty pharmacy operations.
May 22, 2026
Enteral Nutrition Supply Reliability Remains a Recurring Hospital Pain Point
Periodic enteral nutrition formula shortages have repeatedly disrupted hospital and long-term care feeding protocols. Here is how facilities are building more resilient sourcing.
May 21, 2026
Urgent Care Chains Are Building Enterprise-Grade Supply Chains as Location Counts Climb
As urgent care operators scale from a handful of locations to regional and national footprints, their supply chain practices are having to mature rapidly to keep pace.
May 20, 2026
Dedicated Vascular Access Teams: The Staffing Model Reshaping IV Insertion Practice
Dedicated vascular access teams, rather than general bedside nursing staff handling all IV insertions, continue expanding as facilities weigh the cost against measurable complication reduction.
May 14, 2026
What the Recurring IV Fluid Shortages Taught Hospitals About Supply Resilience
Repeated IV fluid shortages tied to manufacturing disruptions have pushed hospitals to build genuinely different resilience practices for this uniquely difficult-to-substitute category.
May 13, 2026
PPE Par Level Optimization: Right-Sizing Inventory After the Post-Shortage Overcorrection
Many facilities still carry PPE par levels set during the shortage era, well above what current risk and supply reliability actually justify. Optimization efforts are freeing up real capital.
May 12, 2026
Glove Material Alternatives Get a Second Look as Nitrile Tariffs Reshape the Cost Calculus
With nitrile glove tariffs pushing costs higher, facilities are re-evaluating vinyl, latex, and blended material alternatives for applications where nitrile's superior properties are not clinically essential.
May 11, 2026
Closing the Wound Care Supply Gap Between Hospital Discharge and SNF Admission
Wound care continuity often breaks down at the hospital-to-skilled-nursing-facility transition. Better supply and documentation handoff practices are closing that gap.
May 2, 2026
Exudate Management: Matching Absorbency Technology to Wound Drainage Levels
Selecting dressings with appropriate absorbency for a wound's exudate level remains a core wound care skill, with real implications for both healing rates and dressing change frequency costs.
May 1, 2026
Wound Debridement Methods Compared: Matching Technique and Supply to Wound Type in 2026
From autolytic to enzymatic to mechanical and surgical debridement, matching the right method and supporting supplies to wound characteristics remains a foundational wound care decision.
Apr 29, 2026
Skin Tear Prevention in Long-Term Care: A Supply and Protocol Framework for Aging Skin
Skin tears remain a persistent, under-addressed injury category in long-term care. A combination of appropriate supply selection and consistent protocol adherence meaningfully reduces incidence.
Apr 28, 2026
Wound Care Formulary Standardization: Cutting SKU Sprawl Without Compromising Clinical Outcomes
Wound care is notorious for SKU proliferation across health systems. Formulary standardization efforts are reducing complexity, but only when done with real clinical input.
Apr 27, 2026
Price Transparency Data Is Giving Procurement Teams New Leverage Against Device Cost Opacity
Growing availability of hospital price transparency data is letting procurement teams benchmark their device and supply costs against peer facilities in ways that were not previously possible.
Apr 26, 2026
Multi-Year Contracts vs. Spot Buying: Which Wins in a Tariff-Volatile Market?
Tariff volatility has scrambled the traditional calculus between locking in multi-year contract pricing and staying flexible with spot market purchasing. Here is how the trade-off has shifted.
Apr 25, 2026
Sustainability Scorecards Are Becoming a Real Factor in GPO Contract Awards
Packaging waste and reusable-versus-single-use ratios are increasingly showing up as formal criteria in GPO supplier scorecards, not just marketing talking points.
Apr 24, 2026
What Good Procurement Performance Actually Looks Like: A 2026 KPI Benchmarking Guide
Supply chain leaders increasingly need to show their work in numbers. Here are the KPIs that matter most and how current benchmarks compare across facility size and type.
Apr 23, 2026
Cell and Gene Therapy Cold Chain: A New Frontier of Ultra-Low-Temperature Logistics for Hospitals
As more cell and gene therapies reach approval, hospitals administering them face cold chain and handling requirements far more demanding than traditional biologic storage.
Apr 22, 2026
The Last-Mile Problem: Why Rural and Critical Access Hospitals Face a Different Supply Chain Reality
Rural and critical access facilities face longer lead times, fewer carrier options, and thinner margin for error than urban health systems. Their supply strategies need to reflect that.
Apr 22, 2026
Vendor-Managed Inventory and Smart Cabinets: Who Actually Benefits From the Model?
Vendor-managed inventory paired with smart supply cabinets has become common in high-cost implant categories, but the value split between facility and vendor deserves closer scrutiny.
Apr 21, 2026
AI-Driven Demand Forecasting Is Moving From Pilot to Standard Practice in Hospital Supply Chains
Machine learning demand models are increasingly replacing simple historical-average forecasting for medical supply ordering, with measurable reductions in both stockouts and excess inventory.
Apr 21, 2026
Contract Leakage: Why So Many Hospitals Are Paying Off-Contract Prices Without Realizing It
Studies of hospital purchasing data consistently find a meaningful share of spend flowing to off-contract or non-compliant pricing. Here is how facilities are catching it.
Apr 20, 2026
Blanket Purchase Orders vs. Just-in-Time Ordering: Choosing the Right Model for Each Supply Category
Neither pure just-in-time nor pure bulk-and-hold is right for every category. A category-by-category framework helps procurement teams pick the right ordering model for each.
Apr 19, 2026
Medical Device Reshoring and Nearshoring: How Far Has It Actually Gone in 2026?
Years of tariff pressure and supply chain disruption have pushed reshoring and nearshoring rhetoric hard. The actual manufacturing footprint shift has been real but slower than the rhetoric suggests.
Apr 18, 2026
Freight Cost Volatility Is Quietly Eating Medical Supply Margins — Here Is What Buyers Can Do About It
Unit pricing gets all the negotiation attention, but freight surcharges and fuel adjustments have become one of the least-scrutinized line items on medical supply invoices.
Apr 18, 2026
Building a Tariff-Resilient Sourcing Strategy: A Practical Supplier Diversification Playbook
Single-country sourcing concentration has become a board-level risk topic. Here is a practical framework for diversifying medical supply sourcing without blowing up your unit economics.
Apr 17, 2026
Reverse Logistics for Recalls: Why Hospitals Are Rebuilding Their Returns Infrastructure in 2026
Medical device and consumable recalls are growing more frequent and more granular. Facilities without a formal reverse logistics process are losing money and compliance standing on every one.
Apr 16, 2026
Dual Sourcing for PPE: Building Resilience Without Doubling Your Vendor Management Burden
Dual sourcing has become standard guidance for critical PPE categories, but poorly executed it just creates twice the vendor management work. Here is how facilities are doing it well.
Apr 15, 2026
The 100% Nitrile Glove Tariff: What Higher China Duties Mean for Hospital Glove Budgets in 2026
Since January 2026, U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made medical gloves have doubled to 100%, with additional forced-labor duties layered on top. Here is what facility buyers need to know about pricing and sourcing.
Apr 14, 2026
Beyond Unit Pricing: How GPO Contracts Are Evolving Into Data-Driven Procurement Partnerships in 2026
Group purchasing organizations are no longer just price aggregators. In 2026, GPO contracts increasingly bundle supplier scorecarding, compliance analytics, and shortage-risk data alongside the unit price.
Apr 13, 2026Stock Your Facility with Clinical-Grade Supplies
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