In this episode of Hospitals in Focus, we’re pulling back the curtain on an often-overlooked yet truly “critical” aspect of our health care system—the supply chain. It’s the backbone of our hospitals, ensuring that essential medical supplies reach patients in need. But what happens when that chain breaks?

Host Chip Kahn is joined by Ed Jones, President and CEO of HealthTrust Performance Group, to discuss recent events that exposed vulnerabilities in this intricate network. Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impact on a major manufacturing facility for IV solutions, hospitals nationwide faced a sudden, alarming shortage. This crisis underscores that our health care supply chain is a fragile, interconnected network, frequently dependent on a limited number of suppliers and manufacturers.

In this episode, Chip and Ed discuss:

• An introduction to Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), and how they help hospitals secure reliable supplies at fair prices.
• Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness: How the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene revealed and accelerated shifts in our supply chain, and what parallels these events share.
• The Role of GPOs in Drug Supply: An examination of how GPOs respond to shortages and their impact on supply and pricing.
• International Reach and Recovery: How global supply chains influence our health care systems.
• HealthTrust’s Unique Approach: What sets HealthTrust apart from other GPOs in its approach to building a resilient and cost-effective supply chain.

Guest Bio:

As President and CEO of Healthtrust Performance Group, Ed has overall responsibility for a broad set of capabilities focused on supporting healthcare providers. His primary focus is providing the strategic direction and leadership of a comprehensive spend management and performance improvement business based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jones oversees all dimensions of a $52B portfolio; directs all consulting, managed services and outsourced relationships/alliances, including accountability for HCA Healthcare supply chain, sourcing contingent labor, facility management and clinical education.

Jones’ leadership encompasses several HealthTrust/HCA Healthcare business ventures that strengthen provider performance and competitive advantage, including:

• HealthTrust Workforce Solutions - The clinical labor staffing and consulting company including a proprietary program called StaRN (extensive training program for all new nurses)
• HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement - Responsible for providing continual education for over 90,000 nurses at HCA Healthcare through a team of approximately 800+ educators and several simulation labs
• HealthTrust Europe, which provides sourcing and supply chain services to HCA U.K. and sourcing services to 39 provider trusts in the U.K.
• HealthTrust Global Sourcing Office in Shanghai, China
• Galen College of Nursing
• Group purchasing organization that delivers clinically integrated solutions and savings across all sites of care

He has 40 years of experience within the Healthcare industry, serving in his current role for the last 11 years and serving previously as the Chief Operating Officer of HealthTrust Performance Group with responsibility for strategic sourcing, clinical operations, custom contracting, supplier diversity, and regional operations. Prior to that, Jones served in several leadership positions within HCA Healthcare for 20 years following front-line roles at a hospital for seven years.

Jones is a founding board member of the Health Sector Supply Chain Research Consortium, and a member and subcommittee leader of the Federation of American Hospitals. He also serves on the board of Galen College of Nursing and is the chairman of the finance committee. Jones also serves on the board of CoreTrust. Previously, he served as board chair on the Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.