An evaluation framework for measuring supply chain performance in the public healthcare sector: evidence from the Italian NHS

Abstract

Innovations in supply chain (SC) management are rapidly spreading in public healthcare sectors across developed countries. In particular, healthcare managers and policymakers view SC innovation as a way to lower costs and improve quality. However, although the related rhetoric is strong, the literature provides little evidence of the benefits and performance of such SC initiatives. Above all, the literature lacks a sound conceptual framework for appraising SC management in public healthcare organisations. We argue that the public nature of healthcare and the specificities of the healthcare context require a specific theoretical approach to identifying the appropriate dimensions of SC initiatives to evaluate. Drawing from an extensive literature review and a longitudinal analysis of an inductive case study – a public hospital network developed in Tuscany (ESTAV), Italy – this work proposes a framework for assessing supply chain performance in the public healthcare sector. In addition, an empirical analysis was conducted to test the soundness and robustness of the framework, and this article presents conclusions regarding its applicability and managerial implications.