SCO Spring/Summer 2025 | Issue 10 Issue 10 | Page 10

How artificial intelligence can free up time to improve outcomes
Adapting to a Changing Landscape

The Future of Supply Chain Intelligence

How artificial intelligence can free up time to improve outcomes

By Dave Kordik, Medline VP of customer technology solutions
Many challenges in the healthcare industry can be boiled down to one source: data. Sometimes the problem is a lack of data. Sometimes it’ s the opposite: a system has grown so large that the sheer amount of data becomes increasingly complex and difficult to manage.
No matter the issue, there’ s one common thread to all these data challenges: We’ re often too focused on the rearview. Analysts must sift through KPIs or metrics for events that have already taken place, and then retroactively go back and see how an issue could be fixed, or how the figurative bleeding could be stopped.
Supply chain intelligence and the way forward That’ s where a greater emphasis on supply chain intelligence can help healthcare

2x

A recent Gartner study found top performing supply chain organizations are investing in AI at twice the rate of others.
systems achieve better outcomes. With a firehose of data streaming in from a variety of sources, it can be extremely difficult to know if you’ re even looking at the right set. But using supply chain intelligence to assess data means you can free up time to tackle larger scale and more impactful projects, like standardizing the practices and products your clinicians use to achieve better patient outcomes.
Supply chain leaders can be more forward-thinking by analyzing risk, then being proactive to mitigate those risks. One of the biggest challenges facing supply chain leaders is developing a resilient supply chain by assessing inventory demand, sourcing products, identifying risk profiles and creating a strategic plan. It’ s difficult to predict all of the major geopolitical events that impact sourcing, whether they be storms that
shut down supply lines, manufacturing tariffs that cause major pricing disruptions, or other geo-political events disrupting sourcing or moving materials( port shutdowns).
But having a robust understanding of risk profiles can greatly reduce the amount of disruption supply chain leaders face. If you have clear risk profiles, you can formulate a plan for items that face greater risk. Knowing those profiles means
6 SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION Issue 10 / 2025