MODEL OF THE FUTURE
BY GEORGE S. GODFREY
Huddle Up! By shifting from a top-down management structure to a team approach, Baptist Health South Florida’s supply chain team was able to pivot nimbly to proactively address challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare supply chains across the coun-
The supply chain team began observ-
try in unprecedented and unforeseen ways. Suddenly, the ability to acquire appropriate
ing the Radiation Oncology daily huddle
supplies wasn’t only a matter of meeting patient needs – medical caregivers also were
to understand the value of cross-func-
completely dependent on the supply chain for their safety.
tional collaboration to deliver excellence in patient care and determine how to leverage these observations to develop
At Baptist Health South Florida
a world-class supply chain by building
(BHSF), we were positioned to respond
excellence in much the same way as the
because of an alternative management
radiation oncology team.
strategy already in place before the first coronavirus case was detected. That designed to continually evolve as part of
Connection, communication and collaboration
our culture, got us through the crisis and
The groundwork for changing from a
promises to yield further improvements in
reactive operation to a culture of excel-
process, communication, use of tech-
lence began with connecting with the
nology and improved partnerships with
team members. Daily contact between
vendors and end-users.
the team members and leadership be-
comprehensive team approach, which is
came the norm to break down commu-
The groundwork for changing from a reactive operation to a culture of excellence began by connecting team members
Radiation Oncology Morning Huddle
nication barriers that previously existed. Communication became bi-directional,
through bi-weekly huddle meetings for a
allowing leadership to better understand
holistic view of the supply chain pipeline.
the strengths and weaknesses of the
These transformational huddles encour-
a clinical process developed and imple-
supply chain and then assigning who
aged self-directed individuals and work
mented in the Department of Radiation
was best prepared to tackle issues among
teams to anticipate, detect and deal with
Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute.
the team. It was important that the team
a wide range of challenges. Infrastruc-
While the daily radiation oncology topics
members understand they were empow-
ture was implemented to give each team
were very different, the goals of deliver-
ered and were key to process improve-
member the data, processes, responsibil-
ing treatment vs. delivering products
ments and innovations.
ity, and authority to contribute toward
needed for treatment were similar. Fur-
Every supply chain huddle
common goals.
thermore, the sense of urgency required
begins with connecting as a team.
to determine appropriate treatment for
Over 100 team members participate
patients on a daily basis is the same sense
in the huddle, including representation
Emulating clinical best practices
of urgency needed to ensure goods and
from each hospital site, contracts &
The supply chain huddle was designed
services are available to the clinical teams.
sourcing, distribution & logistics, infor-
specifically to solve issues unique to sup-
Issues must be resolved immediately so as
matics, and HR. It would be impractical
ply chain but in fact, was modeled after
to not jeopardize quality of care.
to physically gather twice per week,
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August 2021 | The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
