Every clinician knows the frustration of reaching for a supply that isn’t there. Retailers solved this problem years ago with predictive tools and tighter supply chains. Why is healthcare still playing catch-up?
Kristen Miles, Vice President of Healthcare Product Strategy at Oracle, has been working on that problem. At the 2025 Oracle Health Summit, she laid out how automation, AI, and even lessons from retail can give healthcare a supply chain that keeps up with clinical demands.
Key Takeaways
- AI Can Prevent Supply Shortages. Instead of manual checks or late phone calls, AI can flag gaps before they disrupt care.
- Healthcare Can Borrow From Retail. Retailers and logistics companies have already written the playbook, healthcare providers now get to use it.
- Visibility at the Point of Care. Clinicians need real-time inventory at the bedside, not wasted trips to the stockroom.
AI That Knows When Supplies Are Running Low
For decades, hospitals relied on manual checks or frantic phone calls to catch shortages. Miles noted this is where AI can deliver immediate impact: “Historically, people are waiting for the phone call – ‘I don’t have any in my bin’ – before they take action. With AI, it’s doing that monitoring for you, and then giving you the suggestions and, if you wanted to, taking action to fulfill.” As supply chains grow more complex and global disruptions more frequent, AI acts as an early warning system that keeps care from being derailed.
Borrowing From Retail, Not Reinventing the Wheel
Hospitals often see themselves as different from other industries, but when it comes to supply chain, the parallels to retail are striking. As Miles put it: “We may think of hospitals as being a bit of a laggard… but what they’ve started to do is open up their eyes and say, what is Amazon using for efficient supply chain processes?” By adapting lessons from retail, logistics, and manufacturing, Oracle gives healthcare a chance to benefit from systems already proven at scale. Who knew this is a case where being a follower is an advantage.
Visibility at the Point of Care
Inventory management shapes the clinical experience as much as operations. Miles described the vision this way: “Clinicians are able to see what’s available… at the point of care as opposed to going back and doing some documentation in the back room and not knowing whether or not that product’s going to be there.” Real-time, accurate inventory means treatment decisions can happen confidently at the bedside, not delayed by a trip to the stockroom.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
What makes Oracle’s approach notable is not just the technology, but the way it draws on supply chain expertise honed in industries like retail and logistics. Healthcare can stand on the shoulders of giants rather than solving these challenges in isolation.
Equally important is how Oracle is weaving these capabilities directly into its EHR, something that few vendors can match.
Learn more about Oracle Health at https://www.oracle.com/health/
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