Alumnus Spotlight: Jeromie Atkinson

Sometimes, the lynchpin of optimal patient care is 1,000 miles away. 

As the chief supply chain officer of Intermountain Health, Jeromie Atkinson, WSU Master of Health Administration graduate, knows that all too well. 

“If we don't do our job, a patient may not have the supply or the service that delivers a critical function that they need,” he said. “If we fail, the nurses fail, the physicians fail, and ultimately the patient fails.”

Following the threads contained in a web of supply chains can be daunting. For example, Atkinson is responsible for ensuring that 68,000 caregivers across six different states have the supplies they need to provide quality patient care. Every good or service used in a health system is accompanied by its own distinct supply chain, he said. 

For the patient, the logistics are, of course, largely invisible. They are all around, however.

“Supply chain is a critical aspect of healthcare that touches everything from the food that is consumed in the cafeteria, the people that clean the fish tanks, the people that provide the cleaning in the rooms when a patient leaves, and all the other patient supplies used on a day-to-day basis,” Atkinson said. 

Just wrangling all of that is a challenge in and of itself, but Atkinson, who has over 30 years of experience, keeps another thing in mind: cost. 

“Healthcare is too expensive, and it's too complicated,” he said. “Wherever I can help make it simpler, cheaper, and easier to navigate for patients is something I care a lot about.”