1. "Transparency to where every [stock-keeping unit] is manufactured and where subcomponents of every SKU are manufactured.

2. Real-time daily updates on tariffs and identifying tariffs down to the SKU level, determining domestic alternatives made in the USA.

3. Suppliers agree to hold firm pricing during each client's fiscal year, which allows for seamless budgeting and no inflation occurring during the year.

4. C-suite support to empower supply chain leadership to own all non-labor spend.

5. Assure that there is competition as soon as possible where only one manufacturer is sole source and has unbelievable prices. We need generic alternatives as soon as possible."

Rand Ballard, Chief Customer Officer, Vizient Inc., BLF Founding and Educational Sustaining Sponsor

"The healthcare supply chain is growing more complex by the day. To stay ahead, healthcare systems must prioritize automating repeatable tasks — a key strategy to reduce operational noise, minimize delays, and improve the overall customer experience. "To further simplify the supply chain, organizations should consider the following strategies:

6. Implement a middleware platform to integrate disparate systems and sub-systems. This allows existing data to be organized in a way that enables real-time, actionable insights for day-to-day operations.

7. Collaborate closely with suppliers to gain visibility into inventory availability and share operational data. This shift from transactional to strategic partnerships helps both parties plan more effectively and build long-term value.

8. Develop and track meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) tailored to each function within the supply chain. This requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach to ensure metrics go beyond high-level outcomes and reflect operational performance at every level."

Tom Redding, executive vice president and healthcare practice leader, St. Onge Co., Silver Sustaining Sponsor

"Simplifying the healthcare supply chain is about creating clarity, connection and confidence across the ecosystem. Here are five concepts that could simplify things right now, and where we see best practices gaining real traction:

9. Standardized, trusted data: You can't optimize what you can't trust. Establishing shared, clean, and enriched data across systems and trading partners lays the groundwork for smarter decisions. Whether it's contract alignment or product attributes, standardization reduces errors, rework, and waste.

10. Automating the manual and repeatable: Too much time is still spent on tasks like validating pricing, chasing order status, or matching invoices. Automating these workflows doesn't just save time — it reduces burnout and makes room for more strategic focus.

11. Real-time visibility: When everyone's operating off the same up-to-date view — of orders, inventory, backorders, pricing — it changes the game. It enables faster action, better coordination and more confident planning, especially when things don't go as expected.

12. Shared disruption playbooks: Every organization needs a standard, cross-functional response plan for common disruptions, from backorders to natural disasters. The key is embedding analytics and playbooks into daily operations, so you're not scrambling when the pressure is on.

13. Customer-informed innovation: Some of the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when supply chain, clinical and tech teams co-create solutions. We've seen firsthand how involving our customer community early — especially those on the frontlines — leads to better adoption and real-world impact.

"GHX is focused on helping the industry simplify without sacrificing what matters: Quality, cost-efficiency and ultimately, better care. Simplification is about reducing friction so the supply chain can move at the speed of need."

Tina Vatanka Murphy, president and CEO, GHX, a Platinum Sustaining and Educational Sponsor

14. "Collaboration/communication

15. Accuracy of data

16. Use of technology inclusive, but not exclusive, of artificial intelligence (AI)

17. Recognition that flexibility and customization are keys to successful operations, at the same time focusing these objectives on clinical outcomes, efficiency and effectiveness

18. Engagement of clinicians is imperative to success and credibility, best initiated at the onset of a new project"

Gail Kovacs, Bellwether Class of 2024, and a retired supply chain veteran

19. "Data integrity: Data that is accurate, accessible and comprehensive that can be used to guide/make decisions. Supply chain data is complex, and couple it with EMR data, it can be very complex.

20. Talent management: Healthcare has seen exponential growth in labor costs over the past five years; recruiting, retaining and developing those employees has never been more important. We need to have the right resources and tools to recruit and retain high talent and leaders willing to continuously develop these employees while providing opportunities within our healthcare supply chain community.

21. Standard Technology Platforms: As consumers, we frequent retail stores and self-scan store inventory out of an MMIS, yet we still lack standards for doing the exact same thing in healthcare. From receiving in inventory to accurate patient charting, standard technology platforms for healthcare supply chain can improve quality and safety for our patients while eliminating unnecessary days inventory on hand freeing up cash for necessary repairs or strategic growth initiatives.

22. Geopolitical Climate: Universal platform accessible to healthcare supply chain providing continual updates on the geopolitical climate around us. To support proactive resiliency, we must be aware of what has occurred, where it has occurred and how it could impact us.

23. Less preference, more evidence-based decisions: Evidence can drive decisions on what products, services and equipment are used for patient care; however, preference still plays a large factor on decisions within healthcare supply chain. In a climate where product availability and costs are unstable, starting these crucial discussions with end- users by leveraging evidence, data and talent is critical to achieving desired patient outcomes and meeting the end-user's expectations."

Angie Bruns, Future Famers Class of 2024, and senior director, Spend Management and Administration, The University of Kansas Health System

24. "Contract connection transparency: The price contract connection between supplier, distributor, GPO, and facility is a very manual and tedious process which is ripe for redesign and automation.

25. GTIN: The adoption of standardized data to transact and analyze is foundational to further automate and ensure accuracy across supply chain and EMR. Angie Bruns

26. Inventory transparency from raw materials to item used: Retail has been doing this for over 50 years now to reduce variation in the supply chain and be more resilient. Suppliers and providers need to work together to share data bi- directionally to benefit all.

27. Longer price contracts/commodity open market: There is a lot of time spent renegotiating commodity contracts, many times on a three-year cycle. Most of the cost savings have been driven out of these categories. It is time to rethink the way we source commoditized products to free up resources.

28. 3-D printed custom implants: This may be a more futuristic response, but I believe there is a day when implants are manufactured in the hospital setting or at least regionally for quick turnaround. There would be no need to bring in bags of implants not knowing what size is used until it is needed. Imaging and AI will be able to measure preoperatively the implants needed and 3-D-printed prior to the procedure day."

Corey Schmidt, CMRP, Future Famers Class of 2024, and assistant director, SHS Operations & Spend Management Integration, The University of Kansas Health System

29. "Adoption of data standards: We have not figured out yet how best to align both provider and supplier to bring these standards into daily use, but no different than pharmacy (NDC codes) or retail (UPC). Once in place, we will benefit greatly from improved operational efficiencies, customer experience, decision-making, reduced costs and increased agility.

30. System Integrations to bring data flow and information efficiencies: With so many disparate technologies and where common platforms simply do not offer enough utility, the need to bolt on and ensure that these systems can talk to each other reliably is essential in operating our daily supply chain functions.

31. AI applications: Clearly, we can automate non-value- added tasks and move our talented team members to focus on more valued purposed work. We all gain by using AI to address these transactional daily tasks.

32. Proper identification and measurement of 'value:' We need to return to truly identifying what really matters when we buy products or services. For clinical care, measuring outcome is not always feasible, but we need to at least circle back and ask our clinical experts about the experiences of using these essential products in the course of patient care. For services, we need to be more disciplined by measuring the key benefits of these purchase services. By so doing, we simplify the product and service choices we make going forward."

33. Standards surrounding controls (contracting, ordering, payment, planning, pricing, item master, quality, inventory): We tend to rely on price as the primary means to reduce our non-labor spend, yet we can make considerable advancements on improving our spend by addressing all elements of controls. Hence, we eliminate the tension on relying on one element of our controls by centering on all the internal controls that should be addressed."

Tom Lubotsky, Bellwether Class of 2022, vice president and Chief Supply Chain Officer, Allina Health, Bronze Sustaining and Educational Sponsor

34. "An integrated management approach aimed at developing solutions where all parties benefit

35. A sincere commitment to listening to all stakeholders and customers

36. Creation of a formal Supply Chain operational plan

37. A commitment to value-based decision making

38. Use of relevant KPIs to measure performance"

Fred Crans, Bellwether Class of 2020, Outreach Ambassador on the BLF Board of Directors, and business development executive, St. Onge Co., Silver Sustaining Sponsor

39. "Data-driven visibility: Providers need to integrate ERP, EHR, and supplier systems for real-time tracking of supplies and utilization. Developing an enhanced level of partnership with suppliers will result in fewer stockouts, reduced excess inventory, improved decision-making. Today, hospitals need to invest in digital dashboards, strengthen supplier data-sharing relationships and agreements, and standardize data formats.

40. Predictive analytics and AI: This technology is evolving quickly for all supply chain stakeholders. We need to leverage forecasting tools to predict demand spikes, shortages, and utilization patterns, this will become increasingly important as personalized medicine expands. The benefits of a good AI strategy are proactive risk management, cost savings, and optimized inventory levels. Healthcare supply chain can collaborate, across all participants, on implementing AI-driven forecasting models and link them to procurement and logistics systems.

41. Supplier diversification and resilience: Supply shortages have become too commonplace, specifically in pediatrics as suppliers rationalize their catalogs. Hospitals need to build multi-source strategies, regional partnerships and buffer stock for critical items. To prevent impact to patient care, hospitals implementing these strategies will reduce supply disruption risk and provide stronger negotiation leverage. Hospitals, suppliers, and GPOs should immediately qualify backup suppliers, conduct risk mapping, and diversify geographically.

42. Process standardization and automation: The healthcare supply chain is becoming more complex with new technologies and personalized medicine. Suppliers and providers have opportunities to streamline procurement, contracting and inventory management through automation. An innovative distribution model suggests lower labor costs, fewer errors, and faster cycle times are achievable. Across the healthcare supply chain, we need to adopt e-procurement platforms, robotic process automation and appropriately standardized product catalogs.

43. Sustainability and value alignment: We all know there is waste in healthcare. Supply Chain is obligated to align sourcing with environmental goals and patient outcomes, not just lowest cost. A collaborative effort involving providers, suppliers and clinicians can substantially reduce waste, build a strong brand reputation and assure compliance with ESG expectations. Begin now to develop a sustainability strategy that incorporates internal metrics, supplier expectations and expand value-based contracting."

Joni Rittler, Bellwether Class of 2025, retired vice president, Supply Chain, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

44. "Invest in providing clean, accurate, available, up to date, real-time, actionable data.

45. Use the full functionality of your ERP, EMR, and other systems to align visibility across patient encounters to streamline product mix, standardization and utilization in all areas.

46. Adopt AI where appropriate and proven to assist with contract writing/compliance, demand planning, alerting leaders/staff in advance of product mix, inventory levels, and other adjustments need to occur and, where possible, do the automation work behind the scenes.

47. Electronically link usage back to distributor or supplier to auto-order based on consumption.

48. Tighten P2P so exceptions are minimal."

Bellwether League Foundation Board Chairman Barbara Strain, Bellwether Class of 2021