April 21, 2026 – Girls in Sourcing for Well being Programs (WISH) launched its first webinar on April 7 with Cecile Hozouri, Company Vice President of Provide Chain at Scripps Well being. She shared insights about her profession, management and the way forward for healthcare provide chain. Cecile is the Company Vice President of Provide Chain at Scripps Well being in San Diego – an enormous healthcare system with 5 hospitals, greater than 30 clinics, 17,000 workers and greater than 3,000 docs. She’s been at Scripps for about 20 years, and the best way she talks about her work? You may really feel how a lot she actually loves it. Our host for the dialog was Maria Hames, associate at Healthcare Hyperlinks, who has identified Cecile for years and introduced a lot power to the entire dialogue.

She began as a pharmacy tech in highschool

Cecile doesn’t have a standard enterprise or provide chain background. She earned her pharmacy tech certification whereas nonetheless in highschool in Minnesota, and labored her manner by means of faculty doing simply that: working in hospital pharmacies, trauma facilities, outpatient settings. She paid her personal college charges. That grounding within the precise scientific world gave her one thing that many provide chain leaders do not have: a deep understanding of what it feels wish to be on the entrance strains of affected person care.

“The pharmacy actually gave me a style of healthcare. My profession began there early, after I was younger.”

From there, a consulting agency tapped her on the shoulder as she rapidly picked up a brand new digital system they have been implementing. That transfer to consulting – and finally to Scripps as an unbiased contractor – received her to the place she is at this time. She by no means deliberate a straight path. She stored saying sure to the subsequent fascinating factor.

Provide chain is not nearly saving cash

This was a giant problem for me as a result of I feel lots of people outdoors the trade assume that the provision chain is nearly shopping for issues cheaper. Cecile made it clear that that is not the entire image.

At Scripps they’re now centered on one thing referred to as evidence-based buying – which mainly means we work with docs and surgeons to search out out whether or not costly merchandise are literally essential for sure procedures, based mostly on actual scientific proof. Contemplate costly surgical gadgets equivalent to wound closure units or pores and skin substitutes. As an alternative of simply negotiating a greater value, they ask themselves: Does this affected person even want this product for this particular case?

“The straightforward wins are gone. We’re taking a look at what is actually wanted and utilizing proof to help it.”

It is a utterly completely different strategy and requires deep collaboration between provide chain groups and the scientific aspect: physicians, surgeons, service strains. It is a relationship that takes time to construct, however Cecile mentioned it has been considered one of their most profitable cost-saving methods lately.

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