Outside of the healthcare provider organization market segment, companies generally regard the supply chain with a modicum of respect for managing assets used in the manufacture and sale of products. This links the supply chain in most other market segments directly to the top-line revenue stream as well as to the bottom-line expense stream.
Supply chain within the healthcare provider organization market segment, however, typically fails to experience similar benefits and rapport.
Supply chain as a department and function may serve as specialists in strategic sourcing, product and service evaluation, contracting, purchasing, logistics, distribution and process facilitation – all of which typically fall on the expenditure side of the budget.