Michael LouviereMichael Louviere
Advancing the Profession/Industry Influence – Bellwethers challenge the norms, push the envelope and raise the bar. Examples include serving as a mentor either within his or her individual organization or on a national, regional or local level outside of his or her individual organization; producing and presenting internal training sessions for the C-suite and/or clinicians and physicians on supply chain management; pioneering new concepts and ideas that may become reality; influencing those up and down the corporate hierarchy on the benefits of and promotion of optimal and sound supply chain management principles and techniques.
Work Experience – Minimum 25 years of service within the healthcare supply chain (including a hospital or non-acute care facility, manufacturer, distributor, GPO, consulting or service company, university or news publication).
Work Performance – Specific accomplishments and achievements in their respective organizations, including relationships with executives, clinicians, physicians and staff, quality management, expense management measures, committee involvement and management leadership.
Professional Activities – Minimum 10 years of active association participation (e.g., office holder, committee chair or contributor, organizing and running meetings, mentoring others) on the national, regional and local level; performed a minimum of 5 speaking engagements (national, regional, local, facility) and published at least 5 times (including writing an article or being interviewed by the trade media) during career.
Michael Louviere exemplifies the type of individual Bellwether League honors and inducts. He has worked extremely hard during his entire healthcare career, advancing the profession and mentoring those around him. He has been very active in local, state, and national materials management associations for the benefit of the profession. His dedication, commitment and sustained high accomplishment in the industry are characteristics to be admired.
Louviere also is involved with
What do you think about Bellwether League Inc.’s mission and philosophy and how do you feel about becoming an Honoree?
Bellwether League is doing a great job in recognizing today’s supply chain successes, especially in these trying times. Bellwether League’s activities could play a role in helping to mold the healthcare supply chain professionals of the future. I also appreciate your statement of reviewing not only the successes but also the failures because it is the failures that take us to the next success. I am humbled by the honor to be in with such distinguished executives.
What attracted and motivated you to join the healthcare supply chain management field when you did?
When I was a pharmacy director at Tulane Medical Center I was asked by my hospital administrator and vice president of nursing to fill in for our vacated director of materials management position until they found a replacement. I never turned back after that challenging experience.
For what one contribution would you like to be most remembered?
Pharmacy: I helped to change Pharmacy Pediatric Labeling Practices by providing key information that identified the detrimental effects of manufacturers changing their additives and sweeteners with oral pediatric medications; also in identifying Glactosemia at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Supply Chain: As a new materials manager at Tulane Medical Center I decided to integrate physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other clinical staff directly into the supply chain decision process. This supported my efforts to have more informed decisions, which then facilitated implementation of those decisions by using the same clinical professionals who supported the efforts.
If you were to encourage people – either outside of healthcare or just out of school – to enter the supply chain management field and potentially qualify to be a future Bellwether League Inc. Honoree, what would you tell them?
The key concept I try to share with all the people I have trained over the years is the same concept I would use today: The most important and satisfying thing you can do is to learn to serve others.
What is the one industry challenge you would like to see solved in your lifetime?
Standard global numbering system for healthcare.
How important is effective and innovative supply chain management during tough economic times?
In tough economic times it is critical to be effective as well as be efficient. Efficiency may get you there faster and with less steps but it may not be the right end or the right decision. Being effective is getting the right answer. Today we must be creative, we must be innovative.
Innovation is critical to success and should drive positive change: To make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity or satisfying a customer, or a process improvement is the fundamental source to make an impact. You don’t have to change the world to have incremental innovations, which add value and make a positive impact.
Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”