Taking The Supply Chain Pulse

If your supply chain analytics feel shaky, clinicians are probably sensing it too and that’s where savings go to die. We sit down with Steve Kinsella, owner of Data Leverage Group, to get blunt about the healthcare supply chain data quality problem hiding in plain sight: messy ERP foundations, inconsistent item master data, and downstream systems that amplify every error. Steve explains why the real cost isn’t just bad reporting, it’s the loss of trust that keeps value analysis teams from even getting to the starting line on standardization and cost reduction.

From there, we tackle the temptation of “fast data” and why artificial intelligence does not equal artificial infallibility. AI tools can generate instant summaries and confident answers, but Steve walks through the real risks when those answers are built on dirty sources or weak prompts. In healthcare, decisions around products and clinical practice can’t be made on autopilot, so we talk about validation, responsible use, and the guardrails that keep AI helpful rather than harmful.

We also get practical about what actually moves decisions forward: a repeatable value analysis workflow that includes clinicians early, runs disciplined trials that don’t turn into black holes, and hands off cleanly to logistics for implementation. The through line is clear: strong process plus clean data protects critical thinking and speeds up the right outcomes.

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We step away from the daily hospital storeroom grind and zoom out to the bigger idea of supply chain design with Taylor Wilkerson from Design for Life. We talk about using design thinking to rebuild public health supply chains so more people get the medicines and care they need, even as budgets shrink.
• Taylor’s career path from engineering to public sector supply chain work
• Why public sector supply chains measure success in impact, not profit
• How professional groups build real relationships and career options
• Practical alternatives to shallow “networking” and why friendships matter
• What design thinking and systems thinking mean in supply chain design
• Common structural problems in national healthcare supply chains
• Warehouse count, inventory flow, and procurement choices that cut waste
• The patient impact of stockouts and the trust cost of failure
• Partnerships Design for Life is seeking: funding, technology, volunteers
Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and connect with us online so you'll never miss an episode and can catch up on all the ones we might have missed.
Got a topic you're fired up about, or maybe you want to be a guest on the show? Fred would love to hear from you. Just reach out at fcrans@stonge.com.

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We talk with HonorHealth Strategic Sourcing Program Director Matthew Mitchell about why healthcare capital is uniquely hard to manage and why demand for care creates real pricing pressure. We dig into practical ways to plan, fund, and measure major equipment purchases so capital dollars go further and technology actually gets used. 
• Matthew’s path from government and healthcare to hospitality and back, and what it taught him about cost control 
• Inelastic demand in healthcare, explained with simple examples 
• Why capital management looks different across IDNs and why standards are still rare 
• Moving from reactive buying to proactive capital planning after acquisitions and infrastructure strain 
• The growing role of IT and cybersecurity in capital prioritization 
• Mapping capital to a five to ten year strategic plan while vendors refresh models faster than depreciation 
• Managing internal customers across finance, clinicians, biomed, IT, construction, and purchasing 
• How we decide between buying, leasing, and placement deals for fast-changing technology 
• Using dashboards and utilization lookbacks to validate ROI and adjust operations 
• Why capital “savings” is often cost avoidance that funds more priorities 
And don't forget to hit that subscribe button and connect with us online so you'll never miss an episode and can catch up on all the ones you might have missed. 
Got a topic you're fired up about, or maybe you want to be a guest on the show? Fred would love to hear from you. Just reach out at fcrans@stonge.com

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We talk with Eric O’Daffer about why healthcare supply chains need to invest more aggressively in AI platforms, indirect spend governance, and capital equipment planning. We share what’s working now, what still feels early, and what leadership teams must do to turn supply chain into a true enterprise value driver. 
• Eric’s post-Gartner focus on advancing healthcare supply chain as his true north 
• Doubling investment in supply chain technology, AI, and analytics to connect data and reduce labor 
• Platform strategy vs best-in-class point solutions, aligning roadmaps to the health system AI strategy 
• Where measurable ROI shows up now, including pricing accuracy, preference cards, and transaction discipline 
• Indirect spend and purchased services as a major under-resourced opportunity, requiring governance and executive air cover 
• Capital equipment as a 7% to 10% spend category, needing standardization, lifecycle planning, utilization management, and cybersecurity oversight 
• Leadership and resourcing as the common requirement across AI, indirect spend, and capital ownership 
And don't forget to hit that subscribe button and connect with us online so you'll never miss an episode and can catch up on all the ones you might have missed. Got a topic you're fired up about, or maybe you want to be a guest on the show? Fred would love to hear from you. Just reach out at fcrans@stonge.com

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Encore Episode: We talk with sterile processing expert Kim Jones about why central sterile is the hidden driver of operating room performance and patient safety. This conversation is still highly relevant as health systems continue to face OR efficiency and staffing challenges.
how Kim transitioned from HR into sterile processing leadership and education
how certification and education directly impact performance and team pride
why small breakdowns in SPD drive major OR delays and disrupt surgical schedules
where OR, sterile processing, and supply chain fall out of sync and how communication gaps create ripple effects
how to build trust with surgeons through stronger partnerships and visible OR leadership support
what audits at leading health systems reveal, including outdated assumptions about SPD performance
why Lean efforts break down when point-of-use cleaning and tray completeness are inconsistent
how traditional staffing models miss complexity and why volume alone is misleading
where robotics and automation can improve safety, reduce injuries, and increase throughput
how traveler pay gaps and post-pandemic dynamics are fueling ongoing retention challenges
how to confidently make the case to the C-suite using both data and real operational constraints

Subscribe: Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and connect with us online so you'll never miss an episode and can catch up on all the ones we might have missed. Got a topic you're fired up about, or maybe you want to be a guest on the show? I would love to hear from you. Just reach out atfcrans@stonge.com. 

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