How Can Supply Chain Do More with Less in the Face of Unprecedented Turnover?

• Dan Hermes, Director, Advisory Services, Lumere, a GHX company

With so many startling headlines describing employee turnover in healthcare these days, it’s natural to wonder how supply chain teams can possibly continue delivering speed to value as the ranks of experienced workers dwindle.

To help our customers think through this critical issue, several colleagues joined me for a recent GHX Summit Satellite panel discussion. During our conversation, the panelists highlighted three secrets that supply chain teams can tap into to do more with less:

1. Improve processes and define roles: Start by honestly analyzing your current processes and protocols. Are there any gaps or inefficiencies? Once you identify and understand what’s working and what isn’t, begin rethinking the way your department runs. If you’re a leader, you may even want to consider restructuring your department.
   
   From there, you can begin to clearly define the roles and expectations for your team members and cross-functional collaborators. After all, when everyone understands their core responsibilities, teams and individuals are better primed to deliver high-quality work.
   
   
2. Take stock of and leverage existing relationships: Aligning the right collaborators to the right initiatives is essential. Depending on the project, you might need to leverage anyone from a clinician to a supplier, so take stock of who is already in your professional Rolodex. Most of us have a diverse, helpful pool of colleagues, contacts and thought leaders who we can rely on as needed for project support and feedback.
   
   
3. Find a true technology partner (with actual humans): A technology provider and a technology partner are quite different things. A true partner will not only equip your team with powerful workflow and analytics software solutions but will also assign actual flesh-and-blood advisors to help you maximize those tools, determine which parts of your processes can be automated and chart a growth path forward.

While these are certainly tough times, GHX Lumere’s team of seasoned experts are ready to advise on best practices for doing more with less while keeping the delicate nuances of your organization top of mind.

For a deeper dive into these concepts, watch the entire panel discussion.

Dan Hermes

Director, Advisory Services, Lumere, a GHX company