In this episode of Smarter Sourcing, John speaks with Marisa Farabaugh, SVP & Chief Supply Chain Officer at AdventHealth, who brings her insights on the transformative role of supply chain management in healthcare, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses how her team adapted operations to ensure the availability of critical supplies and the importance of collaboration across departments.

Additionally, Marisa highlights AdventHealth’s commitment to sustainability, detailing their initiatives to reduce carbon footprints and promote environmentally friendly practices. She also touches on how effective leadership and innovation can drive success in the healthcare supply chain landscape.

Topics discussed:

• Strategies for hiring leaders who fit the company culture and possess the potential to drive growth and innovation in the supply chain.
• The importance of resilience in supply chain operations, especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lessons learned from those experiences.
• Adapting supply chain strategies to ensure the availability of critical supplies during the pandemic and other emergencies.
• The role of technology in enhancing visibility and efficiency within the healthcare supply chain, including the development of inventory control systems.
• Sustainability initiatives and the commitment to reducing carbon footprints and promoting environmentally friendly practices.
• The significance of collaboration across departments in healthcare supply chain management and how it contributes to overall organizational success.
• Challenges faced in healthcare supply chains compared to other industries, particularly regarding upstream visibility and communication with suppliers.
• The evolving landscape of healthcare supply chains post-COVID and the focus on building more resilient and adaptable systems for the future.

Guest Quote: 

Covid was a crisis that started with the healthcare supply chain. We were in the middle of, okay, this just sort of starting to unfold. Looking back on those moments, we still don’t have in healthcare supply chain, this really great way to know upstream what’s going on with our suppliers. I’ve got like a hundred thousand different SKUs that come into our hospitals. We still bring in new things all the time, but I don’t have great visibility other than, you know, the relationship and the sales team, from those suppliers about what disruptions are they experiencing. And I think that’s very different in healthcare supply chain than it is. If I recall in my Hershey Days.

Get in touch with Marisa Farabaugh:  

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Get in touch with your host, John Pavia: 

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