Supply chain infrastructure based on global standards improves safety, quality, and performance, says Anne Snowdon, scientific director and CEO of the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health), based in the Odette School of Business.

She has discussed the innovative state of Alberta Health Services’ supply chain system in several interviews with national media outlets, offering insight into the value of a digitized healthcare supply chain system for policy makers, solution providers, health system leaders, clinicians, citizens, and researchers.

An integrated and digital supply chain enables health systems to identify cost-saving opportunities while improving patient safety, which Dr. Snowdon notes gave Alberta capacity to meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Alberta has tremendous leadership and a clear vision of the critical importance of how integrated supply chain infrastructure enables the safety and care of patients but also the safety of their physicians and nurses,” she says.

“They have invested in a consolidated system where their procurement team can track and trace every product across their entire system. This provides a line of sight into how much stock they have and how much will be needed.”

Find more information, including links to Snowdon’s interviews with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Global news networks, on the SCAN Health website.