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chain , what would you say are your biggest hurdles ?

DW : We continue to work on managing the diverse perspectives of both supply chain leaders and clinicians , striving together for the common goal of achieving great outcomes . We must have continuous dialogue to understand the overall impact to the financial P & L of the organization , while simultaneously showcasing the quality of products they deserve . Some of the initiatives we have implemented :

mize high-dollar industry and reduce waste — all designed to give time back to caregivers to do what they do best .

Everyone wants lower costs , but clinicians still have high expectations around non-standard product use , with preferences for tools and products . This is where the art comes in . We must have ongoing dialogues with our clinicians to show them the impact that a non-standard approach to product selection has on not only the financial health

of the organization but also to convey that a higher level of standardization — with equal or superior quality of product — brings a lower risk of shortages and a continuity of supplies to the caregivers and patients who need them most .

SCO : How are you mobilizing your own team to approach the

ideas of supply chain system thinking ? How do you foresee utilizing technology and operational changes ?

DW : There are a couple of parts to that : 1 . First , mobilizing the team is really a function of creating clarity around our proposed or desired direction , transparently discussing that direction , and then hopefully gaining some agreement across not only my team , but the stakeholder groups

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“ We must build relationships that enhance a network or an ecosystem and become good stewards of each other ’ s businesses — both internally and externally … breaking down the barriers that suboptimize collaboration .”

• We have a clinical committee that can adjudicate outcome , quality , and cost , which has led to a 90 % compliance rate of product usage .

• We have leveraged our contacts and counterparts in other industries like retail , academia , etc ., to get outside perspectives on logistics and standardization .

• We are looking to create a periop program that will opti-