When someone talks about supply chain management, what usually comes to mind is the procurement, acquisition, in-house storage, and distribution processes for the consumable items that the healthcare facility uses on a daily basis.
This usually involves such things as GPO (group purchasing organization) negotiations, just-in-time (JIT) deliveries by medical distributors, on-site storage, inventory management and distribution to the end-user departments on a recurring basis. It also may involve an automated electronic ordering system that essentially minimizes the active engagement of the materials management/purchasing department personnel.