A taxonomy of healthcare supply chain management practices

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the classification of a sample of hospitals based upon the extent of supply chain management practices application. Data was collected from 63 Bulgarian hospitals. Scores of 14 measures of two dimensions of healthcare supply chain management (HSCM) – internal and external, were subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis. A detailed characterization of the resulting three clusters was made in terms of the applied HSCM practices. On the basis of the scores for these practices the clusters were labeled as ‘leading hospitals’, ‘developing hospitals’, ‘underdeveloped hospitals’. This research also explores the differences between the groups of hospitals in relation to their performance. The use of a cluster analysis helps in gaining an understanding of the patterns of HSCM. This will be useful for researchers who want to test the existence of these patterns in their countries and for healthcare practitioners as well who could formulate a HSCM strategy based on their level of HSCM development and choose to apply practices within the different HSCM patterns. Originality – The article investigates how HSCM practices create differences among hospitals, including their performance.