Finding the Visibility No One Knew Was Missing

“The fact that nothing has been said is a huge compliment.”

For Rusty Allport, laboratory administrative director at St. Catherine Hospital, silence signaled success. Reaching that point, however, required rethinking how lab supplies were managed across Powers Health.

As an integrated nonprofit health system serving Northwest Indiana, Powers Health was balancing increasing testing demands, staffing pressure and fragmented lab distribution. Leaders needed a more reliable, coordinated approach—one that would simplify workflows for lab teams while strengthening supply chain visibility across the organization.

To get there, Powers Health chose to expand its existing Prime Vendor relationship with Medline to include lab supplies. The objective was straightforward: streamline distribution, reduce complexity and give laboratories the consistency and support they needed to stay focused on patient testing.

Here’s how Powers Health leveraged Medline’s Prime Vendor partnership and collaborative implementation model to achieve a smoother, more cohesive approach to lab supply management.

Managing disjointed lab distribution with minimal onsite support

“Prior to adopting a more holistic distribution approach and partnering with Medline, lab supply management at Powers Health was generally functional but lacked consistency,” says Megan Schwellenbach, vice president, national field sales, Medline. “At the time, laboratories were supported by multiple distributors, with varying levels of onsite engagement. Based on feedback from the Powers Health facilities, lab supply representative visits were infrequent, and some locations had minimal onsite presence.”

That lack of engagement created communication gaps and limited opportunities to address issues proactively. As Allport explains, the system worked, “but there were a lot of balls being dropped here and there,” including challenges related to lot control and navigating supply shortages.

“Our goal was to add more support and provide proactive communication,” says Schwellenbach.

Absorbing manual work, visibility gaps and staffing pressure

Supply hiccups and limited distributor involvement often forced lab teams to borrow products across facilities, increasing manual work and introducing unnecessary risk. At the same time, staffing shortages meant technologists were spending more time managing supply issues and less time at the bench.

Additional challenges included:

• Limited visibility into product availability and alternative options
• Difficulty planning amid changing testing needs, particularly for respiratory and microbiology assays
• Time diverted from patient testing to resolve supply‑related problems

Over time, this fragmentation reduced supply continuity across the health system. For lab leadership, success ultimately meant fewer surprises and more certainty that supplies would simply be there when needed.

“Powers Health supply chain historically did not have the same level of visibility on purchasing, pricing and procurement for the lab as it did for med/surg,” says Alex Baier, division sales manager – acute care, Medline. “Streamlining this through Medline allowed for increased visibility, better reporting and ultimately better continuity of supply.”

“They really put a face to their business. Having that point person to resolve our issues is paramount.”

—Rusty Allport, Laboratory Administrative Director, St. Catherine Hospital

Aligning supply management under a single approach

Building on its relationship with Medline for medical‑surgical supplies, Powers Health chose to integrate lab distribution into its existing Prime Vendor agreement. The goal was to consolidate vendors, reduce complexity and align lab supply management more closely with system‑wide supply chain operations while maintaining the lab’s quality and performance standards.

“Powers Health’s willingness to look at their distribution agreements holistically, including lab, allowed for us to not only provide better financial value but also increase our supply efficiency and consistency,” Baier explains. “Their team now has a single source of reporting and pricing – and a Medline team to support their entire continuum of care. This has freed up their team to focus on what truly matters: taking care of their patients.”

Collaborating on a lab-led implementation

Medline partnered closely with lab and supply chain leaders across all four hospitals to support a structured, transparent implementation. Ashley Blaeser served as Medline’s primary laboratory specialist for the system and maintained a consistent onsite presence throughout the transition.

“I had been there every week since we started implementation,” Blaeser says. That level of engagement allowed lab teams to review products in real time, ask questions early and coordinate approvals efficiently.

From the outset, Medline and Powers Health collaborated using a detailed conversion file to:

• Review current‑state products and identify conversion opportunities
• Prioritize items requiring sampling, validation or additional discussion
• Account for sensitive products tied to inspections or regulatory considerations

A high level of internal standardization across Powers Health facilities further streamlined the process. Lab directors and supervisors worked closely together to review products, align on decisions and promote standardization that supported both consistency and day‑to‑day workflow needs.

“They were extremely standardized from the get‑go, which was amazing,” Blaeser notes. “For example, they were using the same microscope slides at all four facilities. It was great to work with them and have them all be on the same page.” This helped accelerate decision‑making across sites. Adding lab to the existing med‑surg Prime Vendor agreement also made it easier to manage products used across departments, reducing variation and improving coordination through a single distributor.

Lisa Callahan, strategic account manager at Medline, agrees: “The successful implementation can be attributed to the great collaboration and teamwork demonstrated throughout the process. Powers Health lab teams were excited about trying new products, and we worked alongside them to provide them with products that meet their needs.”

Validating products through a One Medline event

A pivotal milestone in the transition was a hands‑on One Medline event held onsite approximately six weeks into implementation. Designed as an interactive review rather than a traditional vendor showcase, the event gave lab directors, managers and supervisors dedicated time to evaluate products slated for conversion before any changes were finalized.

Instead of walking through a broad catalog, Medline worked with Powers Health lab leadership in advance to identify the specific products teams wanted to see and test. The event featured targeted sampling across core lab supply categories, including consumables and everyday bench products used in routine workflows. This approach allowed staff to handle products directly, ask detailed questions and compare options in real time.

“People usually trickle in and come at their own convenience,” says Blaeser. “When the event started, every person who was attending the event was there at the top of the hour. They all came as a group. They all stayed the entire three hours that we conducted the event.”

For Allport, the ability to evaluate products in person made a meaningful difference. “That was a tremendous benefit because they could see and touch the products. Anything we had issues with, they rectified our concerns, so everything worked out really well.”

The One Medline event created space for open dialogue between lab leaders, supervisors and Medline specialists, helping teams flag preferences, raise concerns and confirm product fit early. By validating products together in person, Powers Health built shared confidence that the conversion decisions and selections supported real‑world workflows at the bench.

“Prior to the holistic partnership with Medline, Powers Health laboratories worked with multiple distributors and received minimal onsite support.”

—Megan Schwellenbach, Vice President, National Field Sales, Medline

Strong communication and inventory planning

Throughout implementation, Medline led weekly status calls that gave lab and supply chain teams clear visibility into product approvals, sampling progress, contracting status and inventory timing.

“Our weekly calls with Powers Health provided a platform to address any open items and keep us in lockstep throughout the process,” Callahan says. “Implementations involve many moving parts, and clear, consistent communication was key for our success.”

This coordinated approach allowed Powers Health to manage inventory as legacy products were depleted, delay conversion on sensitive items when needed and avoid unnecessary waste. The lab conversion ultimately went live smoothly, without disruptions in supply.

Reducing friction builds trust in supply continuity

By bringing lab supplies into its Prime Vendor partnership, Powers Health reduced supply chain friction for lab teams. Communication improved, onsite support became the norm and lab leaders gained greater assurance that supplies would be available when needed.

“We’ve had zero complaints,” says Allport. “The fact that nothing has been said is a huge compliment.”

Returning time to the bench and away from supply issues

With fewer supply disruptions and a single point of contact, lab staff now spend less time managing orders and resolving issues, and more time focused on their primary work. Improved coordination across facilities has also eased internal borrowing and helped maintain consistent standards system‑wide.

“They really put a face to their business,” Allport says. “Having that point person to resolve our issues is paramount.”

Establishing a foundation for long‑term efficiency

Beyond day‑to‑day operational improvements, consolidating lab supplies under the Prime Vendor agreement has delivered broader strategic benefits. Powers Health has simplified vendor management, strengthened collaboration between lab and supply chain teams and improved visibility across categories.

“We trust Medline as our primary partner for both product and distribution because they consistently deliver on reliability, quality and service. Knowing Medline has us covered allows us to focus on patient care with complete confidence.”

Len Schmidt—Vice President, Supply Chain, Powers Health

“Although the lab uses their own set of products, we’ve also standardized tourniquets, gloves and other items that are used in the lab but are still in the scope of med-surg,” says Blaeser.

Looking ahead, the health system is positioned to continue building on this foundation. As Allport reflects, lasting success comes down to confidence and consistency: “When everything just works, that’s when you know you’ve done it right.”