Modelling the Growing Process of Integrated Healthcare Supply Networks

2. Background

The growing pressures to increase healthcare efficiency and effectiveness while decreasing costs, largely explains the augmented concern with healthcare supply network optimization in many countries like U.S.A., Canada, The Netherlands, Spain etc.

Most important changes in international healthcare supply chains structure (Kumar et et al., 2008; Friesen, 2005; OntarioBuys, 2007 report; Ensenyat, 2008; Rossetti, 2008; Azzi et al., 2012) include centralized and/or outsourced control of logistics (to a third-party logistics provider), shared healthcare supply services, advanced electronic tools and automated processes implemented into key hospital supply chain functions (i.e. RFID technology: including requisitioning, ordering, invoicing, payment, contract management and reporting) and drug/material inventory centralization and distribution (i.e. Nicholson at al., 2004; Persona et al., 2008).