Lessons from the Field: Breaking Down Silos in the Healthcare Supply Chain
This blog is for healthcare sales representatives who head out each day with one simple goal: making sure customers have what they need for their patients, exactly when they need it.
I spent nearly two decades as a sales representative calling on the perioperative and supply chain space, and during that time I saw how supply sourcing challenges are often made harder by disconnected systems and limited visibility not just for providers, but for reps in the field. Too often, we’re asked to solve problems without the full picture, whether at the customer level or within our own organizations.
I share three real-world examples and the key takeaways they offer.
1. Chasing Supplies on a Friday
How many times have you received a late-day or worse, Friday request for a product needed after the cutoff for next-day delivery? As sales reps, our instinct is simple: do whatever it takes to get the product to the customer. We make the calls, push the limits and find workarounds, no matter the time or effort required. The real challenge, though, was visibility. I often had limited insight into what was actually available across warehouses and distributors. Finding answers meant:
Some days, I’d win. Other days, I wouldn’t. Now imagine a different outcome: a single system that shows real-time availability across your customer footprint, warehouses and primary distributors. Those frantic Friday afternoons could become predictable, informed decisions instead of last-minute firefighting.
Key Takeaways
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Urgent requests are inevitable; last-minute demand isn’t the exception in healthcare.
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Visibility enables proactive service by reducing guesswork and internal back-and-forth.
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Unified systems shift the experience from reactive problem-solving to confident, data-driven decisions.
2. The Discontinued Item Journey
Do you remember the dreaded email announcing a product would be discontinued in 30–60 days? Suddenly, you’re pulling reports, verifying impacted customers and scrambling to help them transition—all while wondering why the notice was so short.
As consolidation continues, low-velocity, low-margin products often disappear first, forcing customers to switch brands. What if there were more transparency? What if reps and customers had insights to anticipate product risks before the announcement hit?
Key Takeaways
- Early insight prevents disruption and allows for proactive planning.
- Transparency reduces stress and keeps reps focused on supporting customers.
- Trend analysis can turn reactive problem-solving into strategic decision-making.
3. The Final Lesson That Opened My Eyes
Silos exist not by design, but over time. I experienced this firsthand supporting a customer transitioning to a new vendor. The vendor could verify quantities in my local warehouse but I couldn’t. That moment made me ask: How does that make sense?
Experiences like this and the others led me to Surgence, driven by the goal of helping healthcare supply chain organizations break down silos and make faster, more confident decisions.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these experiences, scrambling for last-minute supplies, navigating discontinued products and working across disconnected systems, points to the same underlying issue: silos limit our ability to serve customers confidently and proactively.
Breaking down those silos isn’t just about technology. It’s about giving sales reps and supply chain teams shared visibility so they can anticipate challenges, align faster and ultimately deliver better patient outcomes.
As you meet customers in the new year, consider asking: What would change in your day-to-day work if visibility and predictability across the supply chain were no longer a barrier, but a given?
