Primer: Applying the Principles of Supply Chain Management in the Healthcare Provider Sector

Welcome to the healthcare supply chain: the art and science of supply chain management as it is configured and practiced in hospitals and hospital systems. If you have come to a new position as a supply chain leader within a provider organization from another industry, or even right out of school, then this primer is written for you.

It can also be a valuable guide for senior executives who take on executive oversight of a provider supply chain for the first time in their career, whether or not they are veterans of the healthcare industry.

It covers most of the elements of the healthcare supply chain but, in another sense, its message is far from elementary. Understanding and applying what is found in this book can make a strategic difference in the success (or lack thereof) of both the reader and, more importantly, the supply chain of his or her organization.

In short, this book will not fully prepare the outsider to effectively deal with the challenges of the healthcare supply chain, but it will provide a firm foundation on which to build.