Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Charlotte Carlstrom

Abstract

Health care providers in the United States expend more than $400 million in unnecessary direct costs annually managing the effects of widespread drug shortages. Based on the theory of complexity and complex adaptive systems, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to identify the strategies that health care pharmaceutical procurement leaders from the Eastern region of the United States use to address widespread drug shortages. Data were collected from 5 semistructured interviews with pharmaceutical procurement leaders, recorded field notes, and a review of public documents from company websites. Data analysis included deductive and open coding techniques. Emergent themes included: (a) proactive planning for supply chain and distribution channel disruptions, (b) creating strategic processes for alternative procurement methods, and (c) relying on proven sources of actionable information. Findings may influence business practices for health care procurement leaders by contributing new knowledge to develop strategies to address disruptions and drug shortages. Health care policy makers may use the findings to assess key strategies in delivering pharmaceutical products from manufacturers to end users.

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