By Healthcare Facilities Today

According to an article on the FierceHealthcare website, supply chain management and logistics can serve as a cost management tool for healthcare organizations. 

Brent T. Johnson, Intermountain Healthcare's vice president supply chain and support services and chief purchasing officer was interviewed by DCVelocity about how the health system manages its supply chain.

The more efficiently and cost-effectively the healthcare facility manages its supply chain, the better the outcome for both patient and provider, said Johnson in the article.

Johnson manages the Salt Lake City-based company's $1.5 billion nonlabor spending, as well as a number of other services, such as laundry and linen, environmental, clinical engineering, food and nutrition, information technology asset management and printing.

Intermountain Healthcare built the new $40 million Intermountain Kem C. Gardner Supply Chain Center in 2012. The 327,000 square-foot facility employs more than 350 people who stock and distribute more than 2.5 million medical items annually, bringing previously scattered services and programs to one location, according to the article. 

The distribution center supports all of the operations for all Intermountain's hospitals, clinics and home care services, which include 33,000 employees, 22 hospitals, 185 clinics and 26 retail pharmacies.

Read the article.