Staritas names 12 healthcare groups for 2026 supply chain award

Staritas recognized 12 hospitals and health systems across 10 states with its 2026 Supply Chain Excellence Award on Oct. 8, highlighting organizations that use data, benchmarking and market intelligence to improve purchasing decisions. The award lands as healthcare providers face higher supply, technology and operating costs and look for ways to find savings.

Why it matters: - Healthcare supply chain decisions are taking on a bigger role as hospitals face persistent pressure from rising supply, technology and operating costs. - The award highlights how data, benchmarking and market intelligence are being used to identify savings and guide strategic purchasing across hospitals and health systems. - Staritas said its clients identify up to $13 billion in potential savings opportunities each year.

What happened: - Staritas announced the recipients of its 2026 Supply Chain Excellence Award on Oct. 8 in Boston. - The award recognizes healthcare organizations for strong supply chain performance and for using market intelligence to improve decision-making. - The 12 recipients are Bon Secours Mercy Health; Bronson Healthcare; Inova; Jackson Health System; Montefiore Einstein; MU Healthcare — University of Missouri; Northeast Georgia Health System; The Queen’s Health Systems; United Health Services Hospitals, Inc.; Universal Health Services; VCU Health; and WakeMed Health & Hospitals. - The honorees span 10 states: Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Florida, New York, Missouri, Georgia, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

The details: - Staritas said the award looks at effective use of market intelligence and benchmarking to identify savings opportunities, evaluate purchasing decisions and improve spend management across supply and capital categories. - The recognition covers medical supplies, capital equipment, physician preference items, service contracts and reagents. - The company said supply chain teams influence decisions beyond the price of individual products, including capital equipment, purchased services, utilization and standardization. - Emmet O’Gara, Staritas chief executive officer, said healthcare organizations are under pressure to control costs without compromising resources clinicians and patients depend on. - O’Gara said the recipients show how supply chain organizations are bringing greater rigor, visibility and insight to decisions that can affect the entire enterprise. - Stuart Morris-Hipkins, Staritas chief operating officer, said the recipients stand out for turning intelligence into action and focusing teams on the opportunities with the greatest impact.

Between the lines: - The award frames supply chain management as a strategic lever, not just a procurement function. - Staritas is signaling that hospitals can create value by reducing variation and using market evidence to challenge purchasing habits. - The emphasis on benchmarking suggests buyers are increasingly comparing performance across categories, not just negotiating price line by line.

What's next: - Staritas will likely keep using the award to spotlight healthcare organizations that link data-driven purchasing with measurable savings. - Hospitals and health systems facing cost pressure are likely to keep leaning on supply chain intelligence to prioritize spending and standardization decisions.

The bottom line: - Staritas is positioning supply chain intelligence as a core tool for healthcare cost control, and this year’s honorees show how far that approach has spread across the industry.