Questions for the CCO : Five Questions for Brion Bailey, Syft’s New Chief Commercial Officer
Brion shares why he joined Syft, the top ways supply chain management is changing, and how supply chain optimization can improve a hospital’s bottom lineBrion Bailey, Syft’s new Chief Commercial Officer, has spent 25 years in healthcare, serving in leadership positions at companies such as Becton Dickinson, CareFusion, Cardinal Health, and Pyxis Technologies. Over the years, Brion has seen healthcare undergo several changes as hospitals have increasingly turned to technology—such as EHRs, clinical decision support tools, and artificial intelligence—to support their initiatives. Still, Brion says, technology’s role in healthcare is not slowing down.
“Hospitals across the industry are recognizing the value of technology in improving patient care, but also in improving operations,” says Brion. “The supply chain is no exception. Hospitals that use technology to optimize the supply chain are experiencing significant savings and efficiency improvements.”
This is one of many reasons Brion is so excited about joining Syft. “I wanted to continue my career with a company that is ahead of the curve, and Syft is one such company,” says Brion, noting that he’s particularly interested in helping hospitals identify how new technology can advance their strategic initiatives.
Here’s more on why Brion decided to join Syft, and how he believes supply chain optimization and innovation can help hospitals meet their strategic objectives:
Why did you decide to join Syft and what did you find most compelling about the company?
Brion: Syft is particularly well positioned for the future due to its portfolio of technologies and services that address financial, clinical, and operational challenges. It is also nimble enough to meet evolving regulatory and financial pressures, while maintaining a cadence of functional improvements to its existing platforms.
Read: More than half of hospital leaders see supply chain improvement as path to higher margins
There’s a lot of innovation occurring in SCM. What do you find most exciting?
Brion: Hospitals are increasingly recognizing the importance of supply chain optimization, and their interest in deploying transformational and disruptive technologies is growing exponentially. Technology is enabling business relationships that have historically been viewed as nonproductive with little customer or patient value. More hospitals are encouraging manufacturers to partner together and present accretive value propositions. College graduates that pursue healthcare careers will have an unprecedent portfolio of technology solutions to enhance their professional capabilities.
To find out how supply chain optimization could reduce costs at your hospital, use this free tool.
How are hospital leaders’ perspectives about SCM are changing?
Brion: When I started my career back in the early ‘90s, supply chain management was always in the basement and rarely incorporated nursing liaisons. Now, hospitals are recognizing the value of more interdepartmental collaborations that include, or are led by, supply chain executives. Supply expense is typically the second largest expense for hospitals, and hospital leaders are recognizing the value of investments that can help optimize the chain, better manage their bottom line, and improve their margins. It’s also becoming apparent that supply chain executives can have an impact beyond negotiating a better price within the procurement process. Ensuring a more cost-effective patient outcome and reducing nursing non-clinical administrative time are two prominent examples of this impact. It’s encouraging to see how healthcare is embracing non-traditional and disruptive technologies to improve performance.
Where do you see the hospital supply chain in five years?
Brion: Healthcare systems will expand the use of technology like artificial intelligence to enhance supply chain management across the enterprise. Predictive Analytics will transform hospital supply chain and provide opportunities for new service providers and disruptive technologies (i.e. Amazon). As one of my mentors told me early in my career, “You can move information faster than product”. Career opportunities for data scientists and similar positions will continue to increase as the supply chain becomes more widely recognized as a critical component of cost-effective care. Universities are investing in supply chain graduate degree programs that will provide new resources. I believe we’ll see a migration of talent from non-healthcare related industries with divergent ideas that continue the transformation.
You’ve spent much of your career in the healthcare space. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
Brion: It’s critical to identify mentors and take time to build relationships. I’ve been blessed throughout my career with both customer and corporate mentors. They’ve had an immeasurable impact on my foundational knowledge and I’ll continue to seek them out at every opportunity.