McKesson highlighted key trends affecting the performance of the healthcare supply chain as the industry transitions to value-based care models.
Here are the five trends to know.
1. Web-based tech will drive growth of the healthcare supply chain management market.
Market valuation is projected to reach $2.22 billion by 2021, driven by compliance with the FDA's unique device identification initiative, pressure on healthcare providers to improve efficiency and profitability, and cloud-based supply chain management strategies.
2. Data and analytics will be increasingly used to drive supply chain management performance.
Advanced analytics will be used to reliably predict supply chain outcomes. A report by The Health Sector Supply Chain Research Consortium found analytics were considered an area of focus for 94 percent of provider executives and 88 percent of supplier executives.
3. The push for population health management will reshape healthcare supply chain management.
A report from Global Health Exchange identified population health as a trend that will drive the innovation of a patient-centered supply chain that supports delivery of care outside the hospital.
4. Supply-chain relationships will be redefined by risk-based contracting between providers and suppliers.
Under value-based reimbursement contracts, healthcare providers will assume more clinical and financial risk, and they'll seek to share it with suppliers. The majority of 52 health system executives surveyed by Premier said exploration of risk-based contracting with suppliers will be important to their supply chain management teams in the next three years.
5. Healthcare supply chain leaders will need to upgrade and expand their skill sets.
The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management and the Strategic Marketplace Initiative together created a career guide describing ideal attributes of future supply chain leaders. The organizations said traditional logistics and purchasing skills will be replaced with data analytics, global commerce, clinical and systems integration and alternative payment models.