2023 Advisory Board Provider Representative

Stephen Downey

Chief Supply Chain & Support Services Officer
Cleveland Clinic
Lyndhurst, OH

 

 

 

Describe the reasons why you would like to run for the Advisory Board.

Healthcare supply chain is about how we serve the patient. Clinical care, education, and research are pillars in that service, and being able to contribute from my experience to those areas is how I can give back.

Describe why you are a good candidate for this leadership role.

My career has been focused on healthcare, and I’ve got over 20 years of experience in healthcare supply chain. I’ve served in many of the aspects of the continuum, from manufacturing to 3PL to GPO to a health system, so I have a perspective across each partner. I’ve also been blessed to work closely with top supply chains like Walmart, Target, and Apple, and bringing those best practices to healthcare is a mission of mine. I believe that it all starts with the patient, that we’re servant-leaders and that my team’s success is the most important measure.

Describe where you see health care evolving, and what you see supply chain’s role being in those future models.

Closer to home: Telehealth, hospital at home, and home care will continue as care moves to the patient. Supply chain needs to help enable that process, moving processes and systems to enable it in the hardest last-mile.

Collaborative: Trust is critical in a successful supply chain, and more mature industries bring that trust to bear in their supply chains. Automotive took down the barriers on supply network visibility back in the 80’s, and continuity increased. It comes to working together across the supply chain, focusing on the end patient.

Automated: Employee time is a valuable resource, and should be continually optimized and that time used on the most value added tasks. RPA, robotics, drones, AI/ML and more will continue to be an aide to the supply chain team in the entire process of service.

How will your leadership and vision strengthen AHRMM?

I am driven to improve care, and have a track record of sharing information to assist in that, speaking and writing with experience stories. Healthcare supply chain needs leaders who can execute today, plan for tomorrow, and see into next year and I’ve proven that ability. AHRMM also needs that, and I can help steer AHRMM forward to meet the changing needs of this industry. As an organization, AHRMM provides a critical value and yet is faced with the need to evolve as well. Member spend less time at exhibits, less time at conferences, more time online and digesting information differently. Content is moving to higher technology levels yet the workforce is slow to embrace. I will help the leadership team at AHRMM bring growth, experience, and success to the healthcare supply chain.

 

Background

Active member of AHRMM for 1 year(s) (Total number of years as AHRMM member 5)

Years in healthcare: 30

Years worked in the healthcare supply chain profession: 25

Years worked in current position: 1

Number of direct reports: 8

Number of employees in your department: 1,800

 

Describe your current position and responsibilities:

I lead the global supply chain, including all the aspects of sourcing (clinical, non-clinical, and pharmacy), materials management, operations, resiliency, P2P, data management, strategy, and supplier diversity. In addition, I lead our support services team, which includes food & nutrition, patient transport, service and support.

 

Service

List service to local chapter and to AHRMM national, including all committee/task force involvement, and whether you served as a member or as chair, within the past 5 years.

  • Advisory member, CQO

List Annual Conferences, Leadership Training Conferences, and Thought Leader Summits attended, including dates and locations, within the past 5 years:

  • AHRMM Annual Meetings
  • A number of AHRMM regional meetings as guest speaker
  • MedSC, SMI, Modex, SCOPE, Gartner, Logimed, IDN Summit, and Beckers. I've spoken at many of these, as either keynote, panelist or guest.

Service to professional associations or community organizations to which you belong, including all committees, whether you served as a member or as chair, the year(s) of service, any elected offices held and the year(s) held:

  • Board, Friends Health Connection (10+ years)
  • Board, Evergreen Cooperative (less than 1 year)
  • Advisory, Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (5+ years)