When a nationally ranked, 932-bed academic medical center faced escalating supply chain challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, its leadership recognized that the problem went beyond materials management. The health system’s supply chain had become fragmented, with disconnected processes between suppliers, clinicians, and distribution partners. Their visibility was limited, critical items were delayed, and clinicians spent more time searching for supplies than serving patients.
The organization knew it needed a partner who could reimagine the supply chain by connecting operations, data, and decision-making in a way that would make the system not just efficient, but resilient.
A Modern Approach: Integrating Care Through a Smarter Supply Chain
RiseNow worked with the health system to redesign its operating model from the ground up. The new hybrid model introduced a Consolidated Service Center (CSC) to centralize oversight and coordination, while still leveraging the existing distribution partner for daily fulfillment. This approach delivered the best of both worlds: strong central control and continuity in daily operations.
The result was a connected supply chain that gave the health system unprecedented visibility into inventory and supplier activity. Clinicians gained faster, more reliable access to supplies, patient care quality improved, and the organization saw measurable financial and operational benefits.
RiseNow also helped elevate the Director of Supply Chain into an executive leadership role, empowering them with data, strategy, and systems that transformed supply chain management into a driver of clinical and financial excellence.
Building Resilience, Agility, and Trust
Transitioning to the hybrid CSC model wasn’t just a structural shift, it was a behavioral one. RiseNow guided the organization through a comprehensive change management process that included:
- Evaluating pre-transition models to identify gaps and inefficiencies
- Developing behavioral strategies to align staff and clinicians around shared goals
- Implementing scalable tools for warehouse management, sourcing, contracting, demand planning, and point-of-use automation
These efforts helped the organization adopt a sustainable framework that not only streamlined operations but strengthened collaboration between clinical and supply chain teams.
The Results: Better Care, Better Visibility, Better Outcomes
The impact was immediate and measurable.
- Quality of patient care improved, as clinicians had consistent, reliable access to the right supplies at the right time.
- Costs decreased, driven by real-time data and smarter inventory management.
- Visibility expanded, providing a 360° view into the entire supply chain, from warehouse to bedside.
- Internal customer service and satisfaction improved across departments.
Today, clinicians can retrieve items from any bin within the medical center’s storeroom, confident that each is uniquely tagged, tracked, and automatically updated in real time. Every item they need is in stock, easy to locate, reorder, and never expired; a true reflection of supply chain excellence that supports both staff and patients.
