The supply chain partnerships that began just before the pandemic and have evolved throughout the COVID crisis are not the same as when they first started fleshing out their initial goals . It ’ s clear to say that the goals are definitely not the same , either — or at least those too have evolved . There are a multitude of reasons why a hospital system might choose a new distribution vendor — cost , product options and availability , optimization , inventory space , better efficiencies in the stockroom , etc .— and in the case of UW Health , at the University of Wisconsin , Madison , that ultimate choice was tested soon after the health system signed a prime vendor agreement with Medline .

Judy Webb-Hapgood , System Vice President of Supply Chain and Support Services , joined UW Health in 2021 , in the throes of COVID , and she had a front row seat to the

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