What disruptive technologies will shape the second half of 2020s?
And how might they influence the 2030s?
By Rick Dana Barlow
As the healthcare supply chain industry and profession perches atop the peak of the decade's mountain this year, organizations and professionals can look back at a long, arduous climb at entry and potentially technological hope looking forward to 2030, based on what's chosen to be adopted and implemented and how it may improve clinical, financial and operational outlooks.
Leaders & Luminaries gave industry executives, experts and leaders within the Bellwether Community a choice of 20 technological options largely viewed as disrupting the status quo of the past (and the option to recommend something additional that's relevant ... and the sole suggestion should be considered mind-blowing and efficiency shattering ... stay tuned).
Of the 20, only 14 resonated among the group, with the six being ignored more surprising than the predictable top five that included a tie.
What didn't register a blip: Augmented reality, AGVs, AMRs, automated product dispensaries, blockchain, drones and self-driving vehicles.
The Top 5: AI, cybersecurity, demand management/predictive analytics software, Internet of Things (IoT)/machine-to-machine (M2M) interoperability, RPA and digital twins. See the color-coded chart below with blue representing the top five, green the next interest and red being the flatliners.
Top 5 tech leaders of interest
- Artificial intelligence (AI) – both Generative AI and Agentic AI
- Cybersecurity (e.g., apps, hardware, software)
- Demand management/predictive analytics software
- Internet of Things (IoT)/Machine-to-machine (M2M) interoperability
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (including advanced dashboards, using “bots” to accomplish basic, mundane and routine tasks and automatic reorder points)
- Digital twins for operations, processes, software
Next 8 of interest
- 3-D printing (a k a “additive manufacturing”)
- Cloud-based software for virtual ERP to virtual MMIS to virtual item masters to virtual physician/surgeon preference cards, etc.
- Mobile data capture devices/tech. (e.g., multifunctional smartphones for clinical, operational tasks)
- Robotics (including “cobot” arms, biped, quadraped, wheeled, etc.)
- Tracking and tracing – bar coding, RTLS (e.g., RFID, infrared, ultraviolet), Bluetooth, Near- field communication, etc.) and smart labels (e.g., QR codes)
- Virtual reality (VR) (e.g., for demonstrations, designing, inservice training and education)
- Wayfinding (e.g., digital flatscreens/interactive touchscreens, voice-activated signage, kiosks)
- Wearable computing/sensors (e.g., wearable/wireless sensors, watches, wristbands, rings, pins, headsets, glasses, goggles)
Bottom 6 not resonating
- Augmented reality (AR) (e.g., for directions, instructions, locating, mapping, teaching, training)
- Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and automated mobile robots (AMRs) (including remote-control tugs, platforms, carts, forklifts)
- Automated product dispensaries (e.g., closed cabinetry, open/weight-based cabinetry/carts)
- Blockchain (Distributed Ledger)
- Drones (for local delivery/transport, inventory management)
- Self-driving vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, vans)
Amid the hype swirling around artificial intelligence for the last few years, it should surprise no one that AI pulled away from the rest of the pack.
Dee Donatelli, Bellwether Class of 2015, vice president, Spend Management, symplr, and principal, Dee Donatelli Consulting LLC was most emphatic about AI's appeal and longevity.
"My efforts are 100% in the application of AI agents," she told L&L.
"The traditional elements you outline are tried and true but less relevant to my world today and our future."
Donatelli isn't alone in her solid support of AI.
"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to fundamentally transform decision- making, automation and communication within the healthcare supply chain," said Tom Redding, executive vice president and healthcare practice leader, St. Onge Co., Silver Sustaining Sponsor, who ranked it No. 1 for him. "Its capacity to optimize workflows in real time and extract actionable insights from vast, unstructured datasets positions AI as the most impactful and far-reaching disruptor on the horizon."
Tina Vatanka Murphy, president and CEO, GHX, BLF Platinum Sustaining and Educational Sponsor, agrees, also ranking AI in the top spot on her list.
"AI has moved from buzzword to business imperative," Murphy insisted. "Whether it's generative tools that help streamline complex workflows or predictive models that guide better decisions faster, AI is fundamentally changing how work gets done — and who gets to do it. When paired with trusted data and embedded into daily operations, AI can amplify human potential and drive the kind of speed, insight, and adaptability the healthcare supply chain has long needed. The real disruptor isn't the technology itself — it's the mindset shift that comes from treating AI as a team member, not just a tool."
Even though he ranked AI No. 1, too, Eugene Schneller, Ph.D., Bellwether Class of 2024, professor, Supply Chain Management, W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, and renowned lecturer and industry observer, adds some realism into the mix.
"AI is at an infant stage," he acknowledged. "It will lead to reduction in workload, improve the ability to anticipate challenges and provide guidance. It will also lead to the restructuring of the roles played by intermediaries across the healthcare supply chain."
Fred Crans, Bellwether Class of 2020, Outreach Ambassador on the BLF Board of Directors, and business development executive, St. Onge Co., Silver Sustaining Sponsor, echoes Schneller's caution.
"AI's impact will be colossal but is yet to be quantifiable," he deadpanned, having ranked AI No. 2 on his list behind cybersecurity. "Cybersecurity mitigates risk to the organization," he added.
"Any cybersecurity-based disruption of services has the potential for significant impact on operations, safety, communications, finances, morale and reputation," contended Gail Kovacs, Bellwether Class of 2024, and a retired supply chain veteran, who chose it for the No. 1 spot.
Rand Ballard, Chief Customer Officer, Vizient Inc., BLF Founding and Educational Sustaining Sponsor, ranked cybersecurity at the top of his list because it has "proven to be a threat that devastates healthcare when you are held hostage and shuts down, fundamentally shuts down health systems. It is not a controllable threat yet, but it can be prevented," he assured.
Cybersecurity earned the fourth spot from GHX's Murphy. "As healthcare becomes more digitized and interconnected, the supply chain is increasingly a target for cyber threats, with real-world consequences for care delivery," she told L&L. "Cybersecurity can no longer be treated as a compliance checkbox; it must be embedded into every layer of digital infrastructure. Trust, continuity, and resilience depend on protecting the integrity of systems that move both data and goods."
Cybersecurity remains a looming and lingering thread, according to Tom Lubotsky, Bellwether Class of 2022, vice president and Chief Supply Chain Officer, Allina Health, Bronze Sustaining and Educational Sponsor, who gave it the No. 3 slot in his overall ranking.
"Unfortunately, we live a world where protecting our data security will continue to be a primary requirement to assure that insight and daily operations can be carried out in our patient care and supportive functions," he lamented.
Behind AI and cybersecurity, demand management and predictive analytics software occupy a solid No. 3 position on the list, particularly against the backdrop of the COVID-19 global pandemic that disrupted supply chains worldwide among all industries — not just healthcare. "Accurate demand planning drives everything," Crans summarized.
That's why Murphy made it No. 2 on her list. "In a world defined by volatility, the ability to anticipate demand, surface risk early, and act proactively is a game-changer," she noted. "Predictive analytics enables more resilient planning, reduces waste and helps align resources with real patient needs — moving us from a reactive model to one built for sustainable precision. As healthcare delivery becomes more value-based, getting ahead of demand patterns will be key to improving outcomes while managing costs."
Schneller acknowledges that demand planning and predictive analytics can be embedded in AI, and "can support decision making and contribute to efficiency and cost reduction." St. Onge's Redding concurs, which is why he put it in second.
"Demand management is emerging as a critical pillar of modern supply chain strategy," he said. "Though less attention-grabbing than AI or digital twins, it is a vital enabler of both. When properly implemented, demand management tools significantly enhance inventory optimization, reduce waste and improve procurement accuracy, especially when informed by historical usage patterns and clinical data integration."
Bellwether League Foundation Board Chairman Barbara Strain, Bellwether Class of 2021, stresses the importance of demand planning and predictive analytics, slotting it No. 2 on her list. "Like no other industry healthcare does not have a full grasp on what their consumers use and for what reason," she said.
What did Strain rank as her No. 1? Something radical and unlisted: "Access anywhere at no charge databases with product/technology equivalent attributes, outcome measures and patient reported outcomes," she detonated. "Let's put health into care."
Technology talking to each other via IoT and M2M earned the No. 4 spot among the top 5, according to healthcare supply chain experts.
Allina's Lubotsky cited it as second in his list. "Connectivity to disparate systems will be necessary, and key platforms used today (e.g., ERP and EDI) simply will not offer all the capability to bring speed to value required to manage aggressively our end to end supply chain," he said.
"IoT can reduce workload, improve efficiency and support patient care," Schneller added.
Robotic process automation (RPA) rounded out the Top 5 in a virtual tie with digital twins.
"AI and RPA are critical issues that are currently in our environment at some level already," Kovacs observed. "Given the rapidly accelerating speed of change in so many facets of work and personal life, these issues are expected to require increased vigilance to ensure their existence works for the good of the organization, its employees and the patients they serve. Managing the potential disruptions caused by AI and RPA has the upside of significant improvements. Upside benefits should be the point of focus."
RPA with dashboards and other means of monitoring is needed for the workforce to track processes and procedures happening around the organization in all care and operational areas, according to Strain.
Redding also supports digital twins as No. 2 on his list.
"Digital twins provide a dynamic, virtual model of the physical supply chain, enabling leaders to simulate disruptions, evaluate process changes and forecast demand scenarios with confidence," he indicated. "While adoption may be slower due to implementation costs and technical complexity, the long-term benefits, particularly for large integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and advanced health systems, will be substantial."
Murphy also supports cloud-based software for virtual electronic operations, which occupied the No. 3 spot on her list.
"Fragmented, legacy systems can't support modern, agile supply chains," Murphy contended. "Cloud-based platforms offer the interoperability, scalability and real-time data access needed to connect stakeholders across the value chain. This can build a more responsive, insight- driven foundation for the future. What once lived in silos can now live in systems that talk to each other, adapt to change, and support continuous improvement at scale."
At No. 1 on his list, Lubotsky embraces tried-and-true tracking-and-tracing as a necessary means of maintaining clean inventory counts and records. "Accurately capturing the use of our products is key to data integrity and contributes greatly to the downstream reports that can be developed that will bring actionable insight," he said.