Medline today announced it has entered a multi-year prime vendor partnership with DCH Health System (DCH) to serve the healthcare needs of the west Alabama communities. DCH had partnered with a different distributor for more than 20 years, and with this change, Medline will exclusively provide an extensive portfolio of essential medical supplies and solutions across the DCH system’s three acute care facilities – DCH Regional Medical Center, Northport Medical Center and Fayette Medical Center. The two organizations will collaborate to identify new strategies for enhancing patient outcomes and streamlining supply chain operations.
“We are pleased to enter into this new partnership with Medline,” said Jeromie Atkinson, vice president of supply chain for the DCH Health System. “Medline’s approach and services look to be an ideal match to help us to better adopt best practices and more efficiently serve the needs of our system.”
Working with DCH supply chain leadership, Medline will support the system’s mission to balance cost and value by optimizing supply chain practices across the healthcare provider’s operations. Under the agreement’s terms, DCH can easily monitor key metrics such as item utilization, contract compliance, price accuracy, and spend by product categories through Medline’s advanced analytics platforms.
“Medline appears to be best positioned to help their customers by providing more clarity and advanced warning of supply disruptions. We all painfully learned that the COVID pandemic wasn’t just some bodily virus, but also a pandemic in our supply chains,” said DCH Supply Chain Director Dave Ryan. “Medline’s ability to give us some advanced warning is very important, allowing us time to react, plan and execute alternative solutions.”
The DCH system will be serviced by Medline’s state-of-the-art distribution network, utilizing routine MedTrans fleet deliveries of lowest unit of measure (LUM) totes, arriving at DCH supply rooms “put-away-ready” to drive greater staff efficiency.
“Medline is committed to helping enable DCH to provide compassionate care and advance the caring of patients by understanding and addressing the system’s supply chain needs,” said Tom Reynolds, vice president of sales for Medline. “We look forward to working closely with the DCH team to optimize operations, provide reliable, superior service and prove ourselves as a strategic partner.”