Healthcare Supply Chain Intelligence: Aligning Organizational Processes and Performance Outcomes

Purpose: In comparison to classic warfare that target for winning outcomes, healthcare operations, by nature, deal with decisions involving ultimate quality of human life. Healthcare information management, different from other industry contexts(e.g., manufacturing and services operations), requires high quality of intelligence which is characterized as deeply personal, urgent, cross-disciplinary expertise and collaborative decision making. However, very little is known about its scope and business process. This paper aims to define healthcare supply chain intelligence in open network age and examines ways to align organizational processes and performance outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: Using literature survey methods, critical factors of healthcare supply chain intelligence are defined and interrelationships between organizational process practices and performance outcomes are explained. Findings: The findings demonstrate need for research path in this area. The core supply chain intelligence factors are the lack of conceptual framework of healthcare supply chain intelligence that defines the scope, processes and performance measures. Accordingly, research in this area is in the early stage of development. Thus, there is serious call for a useful guideline for future research in the form of case study and empirical study. Research limitations/implications: The results from the qualitative review provides a stepping stone for defining and implementing research agenda. Further examination requires theoretical extension and field-based studies that provide managerial insight. Practical implications: The conceptual framework and the findings provide timely respective on healthcare supply chain intelligence for healthcare executives and managers and suggest practical strategic initiatives and managerial action plans. Originality/value: In this article, we argue for the constructive role of healthcare supply chain intelligence that is transparent but private, widely shared but safely guarded, and readily available but highly controlled. We present the key success factors of effective healthcare supply chain intelligence and its evolving patterns.