One GPO executive explains how today’s suppliers can compete with the challenges brought on by the pandemic. By Pete Mercer Understanding and meeting the needs of the customer has never been so complex, especially for the healthcare industry. We are continuing to see an unprecedented level of challenges at every front in healthcare: staffing, capacity, burnout, quality of … [Read more...]

Santa’s new helper? Self-driving truck pilot program launches during the holidays TechCrunch reported that Waymo Via, the delivery division of Alphabet’s self-driving arm, is expanding its existing partnership with UPS to carry freight via autonomous Class 8 trucks. The six-week pilot, which kicked off in November and will continue until the end of the year to support the … [Read more...]

HIDA advocates expediting medical supplies through ports and transportation By Linda Rouse O’Neill Transportation disruptions have become major international news – ships anchored off ports for weeks, rising transportation costs, delivery delays. HIDA’s message to policymakers is that these challenges are a major healthcare issue, threatening providers’ ability to care … [Read more...]

Insurers are investing in virtual-first health plans as a way to provide more options, convenience for consumers. By Pete Mercer All it took was a pandemic. Among many other things, the coronavirus pandemic revealed the fragility of our healthcare infrastructure in the face of a massive disruption. Accessibility weaknesses laid bare, primary care and physician offices had … [Read more...]

The urgent care model continues to evolve as patient needs and technologies emerge  The Urgent Care Association (UCA) is an organization of leaders, providers and suppliers in on-demand healthcare. It supports success through advocacy, education, research and collaboration. Its CEO Lou Ellen Horwitz recently spoke with Repertoire about the organization, some of the biggest … [Read more...]

Nursing homes have the greatest need ... but the fewest resources Since the mass production of penicillin began in the 1940s, antimicrobials have drastically improved human health, preventing death from bacterial infection and lowering the risk associated with surgery and other lifesaving medical procedures, point out the authors of a recent report from the National Academy … [Read more...]

Now is a good time for medicine and public health to put their acts together Prior to COVID-19, did you know the names of the medical officers of your state or county public health departments? Did the physicians you call on know their names? It was the lack of coordination between medical providers and public health that led to failures in testing and vaccination during … [Read more...]

Fortune 500 execs get leadership training. How about physicians? When was the last time you came upon one of your physician customers poring over their copy of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” “Good to Great,” “Wooden on Leadership” or “Jack: Straight from the Gut,” by the late chairman and CEO of GE, Jack Welch? Reading materials like these may be what’s needed, as … [Read more...]

How Kaiser Permanente leverages its purchasing power to create a more equitable and healthy society through working with local, diverse suppliers. Kaiser Permanente’s spending decisions are aimed at building healthy, equitable and sustainable economies. They address economic and environmental disparities and create positive health outcomes through three focus areas: supplier … [Read more...]

By Dr. Robert Pearl The coronavirus pandemic is what academics would label a “strategic inflection point,” an unforeseen event that causes the world to change dramatically and irrevocably. As a result of Covid-19, people everywhere have experienced major changes in the ways they conduct business, communicate, educate their children and plan for the future. In the United … [Read more...]