By Keith Bresciani, For SCM Professionals
Introduction
I’ve seen this scenario play out time and time again.
A supply chain team launches a well-intentioned reform, product standardization, inventory optimization, redesigned delivery schedules. On paper, the strategy is sound. The data supports it. The metrics look strong. And then it stalls.
Not because the idea was flawed, but because the people most impacted by the change weren’t meaningfully involved from the start. In healthcare, no supply chain initiative succeeds in isolation. You can’t optimize logistics without engaging the clinicians who rely on them every hour of every shift. Yet too often, supply chain operates as a background function, while clinical teams are treated as downstream recipients rather than partners. That gap is where reform loses momentum.
The False Divide
Healthcare has long drawn a line between “clinical” and “non-clinical” roles. It shows up in org charts, communication silos, and how change is managed. Supply chain is expected to improve efficiency and reduce waste, without disrupting care delivery. In practice, that often means changes are made to clinical areas, not with them.
Product substitutions roll out with little nursing input. PAR levels are adjusted based on historical data instead of current workflows. Delivery routes are redesigned without end-user feedback. When pushback comes, it’s labeled as “resistance to change.”
But resistance isn’t the problem.
It’s a response to exclusion.
A Real-World Lesson
During a PPE optimization effort at the height of COVID-19, our regional supply chain team proposed revised storage and distribution protocols. From an operational standpoint, the plan was logical.
Clinical feedback was immediate:
- “This doesn’t account for isolation room protocols.”
- “It conflicts with our rounding patterns.”
- “You’re adding steps we don’t have time for.”
Had we pushed forward without listening, the initiative would have failed. Instead, we paused, partnered with nursing leadership, walked the units together, and redesigned the process collaboratively.
The result wasn’t just a better plan, it was one that was understood, respected, and sustained.
Why Clinical Voices Matter
Clinicians aren’t just stakeholders. They are co-architects of successful reform.
When involved early:
- Implementation moves faster
- Resistance drops
- Workflows improve
- Trust and accountability increase
This isn’t just good change management, it’s smart operational leadership.
What Gets in the Way
Most breakdowns come from three places:
- Speed over partnership – Rushing timelines crowd out collaboration.
- Assumed understanding – Leaders think they know the workflow but miss the reality.
- Siloed ownership – Supply chain is viewed as separate from frontline care, when it isn’t.
None of these are malicious—but all of them create distance.
How Leaders Can Bridge the Gap
- Involve clinical leaders early, during design, not review
- Co-round in impact areas and observe real workflows
- Translate metrics into clinical meaning, not just savings
- Build feedback into rollout plans
- Recognize and celebrate shared ownership
Final Thought
Healthcare doesn’t need more top-down mandates. It needs more cross-functional design.
The success of supply chain reform isn’t measured by cost avoidance alone, it’s measured by how well the change is understood, adopted, and improved by the people it affects.
If you want your next initiative to stick, don’t just inform clinicians.
Build it with them.