Includes bibliographical references (pages 125-136) and index.

1. Essentials of healthcare supply chain management -- 2. Supply chain transformation in the healthcare sector -- 3. Designing sustainable healthcare supply chains -- 4. Performance metrics for the healthcare supply chain -- 5. Emerging trends of healthcare supply chain management -- References -- Index.

According to the health data released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other OECD country. To make it worse, the United States has one of the highest growth rates in healthcare spending. For example, the share of GDP devoted to healthcare spending grew from 9 percent of GDP in 1980 to 16 percent of GDP in 2008. This 7 percent increase in healthcare spending as a share of GDP is one of the largest across the OECD. Currently, U.S. healthcare spending constitutes $2.5 trillion, or 17.3 percent of GDP, with healthcare costs increasing 9 percent annually. To reverse this alarming trend, the Obama administration recently led the effort to dramatically reform healthcare policy, laws, and regulations. One of the most iconic reforms includes the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. Although this act aims to increase the access, fairness, quality, and affordability of health insurance, it is likely to increase the financial burden of some individuals and organizations through higher fees and taxes. That is to say, the success of healthcare reforms often hinges on our ability to find innovative solutions that can allow us to streamline healthcare practices and enhance productivity to the fullest potential. Such solutions that are increasingly put forward by many managerial experts is the adaptation of supply chain principles for healthcare management that are designed to reduce wasteful spending, strengthen connectivity among healthcare partners, and increase visibility of required care and resources.