Robert Wiehe, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain and Logistics Officer, UC Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Robert Wiehe received his undergraduate degree in manufacturing engineering from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and his master’s in business administration from The University of Cincinnati.
He began his career in the automotive industry as a project engineer and advanced through various leadership positions in the consumer goods industry, primarily focused on operations management and supply chain. He is certified in change management and is a six sigma lean black belt.
Over the course of his career, Wiehe has managed global supply chains and numerous manufacturing facilities, serving as a supplier to companies such as Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. He has served on national boards of directors in the industry, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Miami University where he teaches operations and supply chain management.
At UC Health, Wiehe is the senior vice president, chief supply chain and logistics officer working as an integral leader in the operations team. Since assuming the role in June 2015, his responsibilities have expanded beyond Supply Chain to include managing Sterile Processing, Clinical Engineering and the Project Management Office. Recently, he has been assigned as the operations and logistics lead on a Perioperative Leadership Team tasked with improving Operating Room utilization and expanding capacity across the health system.
About UC Health:
UC Health is an integrated academic health system serving the Greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky region. In partnership with the University of Cincinnati, UC Health combines clinical expertise and compassion with research and teaching – a combination that provides patients with options for even the most complex situations.
Members of UC Health include: University of Cincinnati Medical Center, West Chester Hospital, Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care, Bridgeway Pointe Assisted Living, University of Cincinnati Physicians (includes nearly 900 board-certified clinicians and surgeons), Lindner Center of HOPE and several specialized institutes including: UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute; UC Cancer Institute; and UC Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute. Many UC Health locations have received national recognition for outstanding quality and patient satisfaction.
With more than 12,000 employees, it is one of the largest employers in Greater Cincinnati. And during the 2019 fiscal year, UC Health had 2 million visits and admissions from patients from all 50 states. UC Medical Center is also the region’s only level I trauma center for adults, and saw more than 121,000 Emergency Department & Trauma visits last year. Learn more at uchealth.com.
Repertoire:What is the most challenging/rewarding project you have worked on in the last 12-18 months?
Robert Wiehe: I would have to say that my current role on the Perioperative Leadership Team has been the most challenging project I have encountered in my five-plus years in healthcare. The role has dictated that I immerse myself with the perioperative team and quickly learn from the subject matter experts the issues that we are facing as a system.
It has been rewarding in the sense that I have been able to learn from front-line staff, leverage the strong relationships that I have with our clinical chairs/physician group and bring a different skill set to the team to help lead improvement efforts in both efficiency and quality.
In many ways, we are using similar methodologies to what we use in Supply Chain by applying data and lean principles to develop interventions and solutions to problems. While the work is still underway, we have already started to improve utilization and expand OR capacity to help UC Health live into its purpose to advance healing and reduce suffering.
Repertoire:What project or initiative are you looking forward to working on?
Wiehe:Over the past two years, Supply Chain has worked hard to align with our physician partners and become “physician led and supply chain supported.” The integration between supply chain and our physician partners is one of the most important projects that we continue to evolve and grow. It is important that our front-line clinical staff views supply chain as a strategic partner who shares a common vision that focuses on our patients.
At the core of this project is lean principals, clinical informatics and relationships. We have invested heavily in the necessary resources to provide and use data to drive better decisions and focus on clinical quality and safety. Through transparency of data and inclusion in strategy development, we have built a strong foundation for the future.
We have had strong support from both the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer; and continue to build trust and develop physician champions through our various initiatives. I am truly excited to see our collaboration and partnerships continue to grow and to see the benefits to our system and patients.
Repertoire: How are you better at practicing your profession than you were 5-10 years ago?
Wiehe: In addition to continual self-development and pushing myself to take on new challenges, I have a deeper understanding today of how diversity and inclusion can drive better results. As I have grown older, I have become more aware of the importance of deeply understanding and listening to various perspectives and how this can effectively drive performance improvement regardless of the project.
I also have a better understanding today of the importance of analyzing a situation and being flexible on what approach I may take. I am more comfortable today with being either a leader or sometimes a teammate based on what the situation dictates.
Repertoire:What lesson or lessons do you think supply chain leaders will take from the COVID-19 pandemic?
Wiehe:I think there are several takeaways that Supply Chain leaders will learn from this pandemic:
- Collaboration and communication with clinicians are critical to Supply Chain operations
- A deep understanding of clinical usage and patient population is necessary to improve demand planning
- Strategic partner communication about upstream supply risks is vital
- Community collaboration and coordination needs to be a part of the new normal
I’m proud to work for UC Health because as the region’s academic health system, we are a source of hope for all people, regardless of how complex the health challenge – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.