When linen spend rises, most health systems see only one thing: the invoice. It tells you what you paid, not why. On the Power Supply Vendor Spotlight, Jason Isherwood, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearVu-IQ, joined Mike Hopkins, Vice President of Supply Chain at Northwestern Medicine, to talk about what it takes to see the full picture.
The problem with managing linen by invoice
Invoices show pounds and pieces delivered. They don’t show which units are using linen, whether that usage matches patient activity, or where inventory is piling up. Without that view, decisions about ordering and par levels are built on assumptions.
What utilization intelligence changes
The conversation centers on moving from assumptions to evidence. Key themes from the episode:
- Seeing usage across facilities. Utilization patterns look very different from one hospital, and one unit, to the next.
- Connecting linen to patient activity. Comparing usage against census and patient activity separates real demand from habit and hoarding.
- Better ordering and inventory decisions. With clear patterns, teams can right-size pars and orders instead of padding them “just in case.”
- Putting insights into practice. Mike shares how Northwestern Medicine’s team is using these insights in day-to-day supply chain operations.
Why it matters for health systems
Linen is a large, recurring spend that rarely gets the analytical attention other supply categories do. A clearer picture of utilization gives supply chain leaders a way to control cost without cutting service to nursing units.
Learn more about hospital linen inventory and par level optimization, or see how ClearVu-IQ delivers utilization intelligence. Health systems can also request a complimentary utilization assessment.
Want to see what’s driving your linen spend? Schedule a conversation with Jason → or hear all of Jason’s podcast appearances →