6 professionals recognized by Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership as emerging industry beacons

Bellwether League Inc., the Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership, recognized six professionals for their contributions to supply chain operations during the first decade or so of their respective careers.

The Future Famers Class of 2019 includes the following individuals who have made significant strides in the healthcare supply chain industry early in their employment:

Jun B. Amora, Vice President, Enterprise Supply Chain Services, Geisinger Health, Danville, PA

Erin M. Bromley, System Director, Value Analysis & Clinical Inventory, Memorial Health System, Springfield, IL

Brian A. Dolan, Senior Director, Health System Supply Chain, The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, KS

Sidney L. Hamilton, Esq., Director, Network Contracting and Medical Center Purchasing & Value Analysis, The University of Vermont Health Network, Burlington, VT, and who recently joined Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Lebanon, NH, as Associate General Counsel

Sara M. Henderson, Vice President, Supply Chain, Avera Health, Sioux Falls, SD

Jessica Rinderle, Senior Sourcing Executive, Member Business Ventures, Mid-America Service Solutions, Vizient, Irving, TX

“Since 2015, the nominating committee has enjoyed the privilege of evaluating and reviewing the nominations of many solid candidates for Future Famer recognition, and this year’s class has its own unique collection of skills, accomplishments and contributions to Supply Chain management,” said Jamie Kowalski, Bellwether League Co-Founder and Board Member who also serves as chairman of the nominating committee. “Bellwether League is proud to welcome the 2019 Future Famers class, and we look forward to watching them continue on their path of success and service.”

Nick Gaich, Chairman, Bellwether League’s Board of Directors, praised this year’s Future Famer class as well. “Bellwether League’s Future Famer recognition program allows us to recognize our industry’s best and brightest young executives and their accomplishments, which in turn provides us a glimpse of those who will carry forward the torch of supply chain performance,” Gaich said. “I would like to congratulate all six of our 2019 Future Famers, and along with our Board of Directors, I look forward to keeping a watchful eye on their continued path of growth in advancing supply chain excellence to the patients and communities they serve.”

The newest Future Famers will be recognized during the 12th Annual Bellwether Induction Dinner event, scheduled for Monday, September 30, at The Westin-O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago adjacent to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Future Famers Class of 2019

Jun Amora parlayed extensive project experience at a variety of healthcare organizations to revamp and boost strategic sourcing and purchased services at Geisinger Health. Amora led the implementation of a two-bin inventory replenishment system at Seattle Children’s Hospital that reduced costs $2.5 million the first year and more than 40 percent space savings in the main hospital warehouse. Next, he led the pick-path redesign for a distribution center that serviced Cleveland Clinic with low-unit of measure picking volumes. He then co-led the centralization of supply chain operations and the implementation of an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system at NYC Health + Hospitals. Within a year of joining Geisinger, Amora assessed operations and crafted an improved strategic sourcing pipeline, developed a purchased services sourcing team and bolstered clinical coalitions with laboratory, radiology and surgical services.

Erin Bromley led the implementation of a value analysis structure throughout Memorial Health System spanning clinical and non-clinical areas that represents nine different value analysis teams. Bromley also has collaborated with a variety of clinical and administrative leaders across the health system to drive non-labor cost savings system-wide in such areas as cardiology, orthopedics, spine, laboratory, perioperative services, patient care, pharmacy, medical imaging, facilities management, information technology and contracted services. She is regarded for her versatility in assuming leadership roles, assuming responsibility for clinical inventories and representing the organization as a leader within its regional supply network.   

Brian Dolan used his background in perioperative services to integrate the fractured supply chain serving the operating rooms, cardiac labs, interventional labs and other ancillary service areas. He then fused in the entire ambulatory enterprise that had operated independently under this newly centralized supply chain operation. Through these efforts he also led the centralization of the organization’s item master, which helped reduce the cost of supply chain services by 30 percent. Dolan also critically evaluated his organization’s self-distribution operation, closed the off-site facility and converted to a direct distribution model that consolidated and incorporated bulk, stockless and physician-preference product fulfillment, resulting in $4 million in bottom-line savings. Under Dolan’s watch the organization also bolstered its clinical and supply chain IT capabilities by upgrading systems, linking together and implementing supply data standards.

Sid Hamilton brought his legal experience and expertise to contract management as well as his organization’s complete Supply Chain integration within the system-wide IT infrastructure. The management award-winning lawyer implemented IT business and contract processes into Supply Chain that shifted corporate cultural perspectives and upgraded long-standing operational practices. Hamilton also spearheaded a series of reprocessing, supply chain and sustainability process improvements that resulted in considerable recurring cost savings for the organization. They included a revamped product safety recall program, item master and electronic procurement processes, a new freight management program, overseeing value analysis and implementing “procure-to-pay” operational Lean Six Sigma reforms.

Sara Henderson led the charge to consolidate and centralize the item master across her entire health system, including recruiting team members and standardizing the data and information system-wide. These efforts catapulted her and her team to investigate supply charges for procedures, linking them to item usage and reimbursement potential. From there Henderson was able to help develop a common methodology for supply charging to patients that was rolled out system-wide, concurrent with implementation of the new electronic medical record platform. She also aligned the organization’s value analysis process to the physician teams and service lines available to patients, which facilitated a focus on clinical variation with relevant ties to procedural outcomes – evidence-based decision-making over cost-based decisions.

Jessica Rinderle has earned the reputation of being a fast and fierce contract negotiator, carving up even the most complex initiatives in such areas including peripheral vascular, advanced wound care and interventional urology. Rinderle has demonstrated a keen ability to synthesize complicated categories and present information in a clear and concise format to facilitate product contracting decisions from provider and supplier perspectives. Her efforts last year derived $8.9 million in annual savings from 27 negotiated contracts alone. Rinderle ventured outside her subject matter expertise to co-lead a newly formed CIO Council with executives who had never worked together before and complete several IT-related contracts that generated $16 million in savings.

Bellwether League’s Board of Directors, a veteran group of industry advocates, evaluates and validates professionals submitted for consideration in its Bellwether and Future Famer award programs.

For more information about Bellwether League, visit www.bellwetherleague.org.