Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative (HIRC)

The Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative (HIRC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the resilience of healthcare supply chains in the United States. HIRC focuses on developing standards and best practices to ensure continuity and transparency in patient care through collaborative efforts among healthcare providers and suppliers.

Mission and Objectives

HIRC's primary mission is to increase the resiliency and transparency of healthcare supply chains. This is achieved by fostering collaboration, setting industry standards, and implementing best practices among its member organizations. The organization aims to simplify the path to resilience, align operational goals, and drive broad industry adoption of resiliency standards.

Founding and Membership

HIRC was established in 2019 by a group of prominent health systems and trading partners, led by organizations such as Mayo Clinic and Corewell Health. Today, it comprises over 90 health systems, suppliers, and industry partners. Notable founding members include:

• Providers: AdventHealth, BJC HealthCare, Corewell Health, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern Medicine, and Stanford HealthCare.
• Suppliers: Baxter Healthcare, Cardinal Health, Johnson & Johnson, Medline, Medtronic, and Stryker.

New members have joined over time, including Vizient, a major healthcare performance improvement company, which enhances HIRC's capabilities with expertise in data analytics and sourcing.

Partnerships and Initiatives

HIRC partners with various entities to further its mission. For instance, NotiSphere has collaborated with HIRC to develop communication standards for supply disruptions. This partnership highlights HIRC's commitment to innovation through collaboration.

Resiliency Standards and Badges

HIRC has introduced a Resiliency Badge, which suppliers can achieve by adopting HIRC standards. This badge represents a commitment to resilient operations and is increasingly seen as a key criterion for evaluating trading partners.

Impact

By promoting resiliency and transparency, HIRC helps reduce the frequency and impact of supply chain disruptions, which are critical to maintaining patient care. The organization's efforts contribute to creating industry norms for proactive risk management and fostering a culture of cooperation among stakeholders.

Overall, HIRC plays a pivotal role in strengthening the healthcare supply chain ecosystem by promoting standards, best practices, and collaboration across the industry.