Taking The Supply Chain Pulse

We explore how pediatric care reshapes supply chain strategy and why curiosity, clear KPIs, and real relationships drive better outcomes. We also dig into rural pressures, shifting reimbursements, and building a talent pipeline that pairs education with experience.

• Defining high mix, low volume for children’s hospitals
• Preparing for pediatric surges and limited vendor coverage
• Reviewing reimbursement more often to protect margins
• Choosing a small set of KPIs that guide action
• Building relationships that beat transactional networking
• Rural access risks and current-state assessments
• Growing homegrown talent and planning succession
• Balancing education with hands-on experience
• Mentorship, feedback, and the next generation’s path

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We take the pulse of supply chain headlines with Bryan Jensen and Tom Redding, exploring planning, sourcing, and the push for visibility amid policy shifts, tariffs, and healthcare disruption. We share practical ways to build resilience when certainty is scarce.

• moving from pandemic-era buildouts to S&OP and inventory strategy
• inflation, tariffs and country-of-origin rules reshaping cost and sourcing
• decentralized care driving centralization of pharmacy and sterile processing
• AI-enabled demand forecasting tied to cash and service levels
• collaboration replacing transactional buying in healthcare
• examples across food, toys and pharma that change risk posture
• visibility into tiered suppliers, allocations and capacity as a baseline
• rural closures, Medicaid pressure and workforce gaps forcing new models
• certainty as the key enabler of better planning and investment
• clear takeaways on alternate sourcing, critical stock and shared data

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If you have a topic you would like to discuss or want to be a guest on the show, you can reach out to Fred directly at [email protected]

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We explore how a former OR tech became a supply chain leader and built trust with physicians while modernizing contracts, inventory, and utilization. Alan shares the playbook for “reasonable just in time,” in-house distribution, and cleaning up preference cards to cut waste and risk.

• career path from OR operations to SVP supply chain
• building integrated systems across purchasing, inventory, finance
• regional GPO strategy for physician preference items
• in-house distribution for resilience and control
• point-of-use inventory in cath labs and operating rooms
• utilization governance and clinical integration with surgeons
• preference card cleanup as a cost and quality lever
• lessons from Cleveland Clinic on culture and alignment
• COVID shortages, counterfeits, and buffer strategies
• tariff volatility and leadership communication
• earning trust through transparency and consistent results

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Season three opens with a twist: Tom Redding takes the interviewer’s chair to explore Fred Crans's 60-year journey across healthcare logistics and supply chain. What follows is a fast-paced, deeply human conversation about resilience, mentorship, and the kind of innovation that doesn’t always look like a shiny device. From typing memos and walking hospital campuses to orchestrating complex, data-driven IDNs, Fred shows how the fundamentals—relationships, clarity, and integrity—scale with technology rather than get replaced by it.

Fred’s story reframes what “innovation” really means. As a Navy corpsman in Vietnam, he watched helicopters—not instruments—save lives by shrinking the time from injury to care. That lesson became his operating system: build networks that move fast, standardize handoffs, and feed decisions with accurate data. We dig into value analysis, the rise of data quality as a competitive edge, and the cultural shifts required to align clinicians, purchasing, and vendors. Along the way, Fred shares a defining moment when he challenged leadership and a favored GPO to protect truth and his team—proof that integrity isn’t just moral, it’s operational.

Mentors loom large in Fred’s narrative, from a WWII survivor who taught him to stop “winning” at others’ expense, to supply chain icons who built today’s leadership bench. He’s proudest of the 30-plus people he’s helped elevate to director roles and beyond. For early-career pros, his advice is blunt and generous: learn the clinical world you serve, pair analytics with empathy, and seek out elders who will challenge and champion you. He also looks ahead 20 years—fewer but stronger systems, better-educated supply chain leaders with real-world clinical context, and technology that turns clean data into faster, smarter decisions. Stay to the end for why he won’t retire at 80: purpose, community, and the joy of staying relevant.

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We talk with Stuart Wooster, a former hospital supply chain leader now on the supplier side, about how value, quality, and risk management change when you build products as well as deliver them. The result is a practical playbook for resilience, smarter negotiations, and better outcomes.

• value as quality, service, and cost combined
• community hospitals sustained by smart scale, not size alone
• provider reliance on GPOs versus strategic insourcing
• manufacturing quality, traceability, and parametric release
• distributor windows and the true causes of stockouts
• advanced wound care total cost versus unit price
• dual sourcing, localization, and FTZ strategy
• negotiation tactics and fair margin for RD
• clinician feedback loops and supplier collaboration
• resilience planning for uncertainty and disruption

Don't forget to subscribe and connect with us online where you can find all of our episodes
If you have a topic you would like to discuss or want to be a guest on the show, you can reach out to Fred directly at [email protected]

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We explore how smarter value analysis, better space planning, and disciplined sterile processing turn hidden complexity into safer, simpler care. Crystal shares cases where consolidating supply rooms, mapping risks with FMEA, and aligning teams produced measurable gains.

• nonclinical path that leads to healthcare supply chain expertise
• value analysis maturity beyond price toward clinical integration
• standardizing sourcing, SKUs, and stocking logic across hospitals
• space planning that prevents “closet creep” and fragmented PARs
• sterile processing risk mapping using FMEA tied to standards
• bridging OR, SPD, and service lines to end silos
• pairing ops experience with industrial engineering for ROI
• moving beyond low‑hanging fruit to flow, labor, and waste reduction

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If you have a topic you would like to discuss or want to be a guest on the show, you can reach out to Fred directly at [email protected]

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Greg Goddard, Division Vice President of Supply Chain at Scion Health, shares his extraordinary work with Ukrainian orphans through his foundation Simply Loved Orphan Care. Despite ongoing war, Greg travels to Ukraine to provide children from the Children of Grace Orphanage a 10-day retreat in the Carpathian Mountains away from air raid sirens and drone strikes.

• Scion Health operates 15 community hospitals and 63 long-term acute care facilities across 26 states
• Greg and his wife started Simply Loved Orphan Care after adopting two Ukrainian sisters in 2019
• Western Ukraine faces fewer attacks than eastern regions, but air raid sirens and drone strikes still occur
• Economic challenges include average Ukrainian salary of $6,300 compared to $73,500 in America
• Despite war, Ukrainian supply chains have adapted remarkably well with stores remaining stocked
• The mountain retreat costs only $4,000 for 26 children for 10 days including lodging and three meals daily
• Ukrainian children show remarkable resilience while maintaining their childhood despite war conditions
• Working in a war zone provides valuable perspective on healthcare supply chain challenges in America

To support Simply Loved Orphan Care, visit www.simplyloved.org or email Greg at [email protected]

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St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho has been recognized by Gartner as one of the top 25 healthcare supply chains in the country, achieving this distinction as a mid-sized independent organization competing with much larger systems.

• Eight hospitals, 300+ clinics, and $4 billion in annual revenue.
• Transformed supply chain operations by hiring 20 strategic employees, mostly from outside healthcare.
• Generated $160 million in cost savings over a decade through strategic negotiations.
• Built true strategic supplier partnerships based on transparency and aligned incentives.
• Opening a 330,000 square foot Consolidated Service Center housing both medical-surgical and pharmacy operations.
• Collaboration with other health systems provided valuable insights for supply chain transformation.
• Mission-driven approach to healthcare supply chain offers better work-life balance than for-profit sectors.
• Addressing critical talent pipeline challenges by engaging with local universities.

Remember to subscribe and connect with us online where you can find all of our episodes. If you have a topic you would like to discuss or want to be a guest on the show, you can reach out to Fred directly at [email protected].

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Reggie Gardner, a Navy Corpsman turned graduate student, represents the future of healthcare supply chain by combining practical medical experience with formal supply chain education at the University of Tennessee. His journey highlights the evolution from learning supply chain on the job to pursuing advanced degrees in one of the nation's top programs.

• Reggie served five years as a Navy Corpsman with the Marine Corps before working in hospital settings
• His experience in cardiovascular ICU during COVID-19 demonstrated the critical importance of proper supply chain management
• Unlike previous generations who learned on the job, Reggie is gaining formal education in supply chain principles, simulations, and strategic planning
• The podcast discusses how healthcare supply chain has traditionally been reactive rather than proactive
• Students at Haslam College of Business conduct comprehensive analyses similar to what healthcare organizations should be doing
• Balancing cost efficiency with quality remains a key challenge in healthcare supply chain
• Mentorship plays a crucial role in developing the next generation of supply chain leaders
• Healthcare organizations benefit from professionals who understand both clinical needs and supply chain principles

If you have a topic you would like to discuss or want to be a guest on the show, you can reach out to Fred directly at [email protected].

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Tom Redding, Executive Vice President and Healthcare Practice Lead at St Onge Company, discusses why healthcare organizations need to regularly assess their supply chain operations to stay competitive and efficient in today's challenging environment.

• The importance of taking a pause to benchmark operations, especially for new leaders who have about two years to make their mark
• Why health systems should evaluate their department performance, consistency of workflows, and clarity of expectations
• Key areas to assess: logistics, inventory management, organizational structure, technology systems, facility infrastructure, and performance management
• How decentralization of healthcare delivery creates new logistical challenges that require strategic planning
• The value of conducting objective third-party assessments rather than relying on vendor-provided "free" evaluations
• Why operations teams need strategic planning just as facilities teams develop master plans
• The critical importance of having the right people with the right skills in the right positions
• How healthcare delivery is increasingly focused on logistics as care moves into homes and community settings

Visit stongcompany.com to learn more about how St Onge Company can help transform your operations with cutting-edge strategies.

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