Trifecta of expertise in patient care, logistics and technology aims to elevate intelligence and resiliency across the healthcare supply chain

NORTHFIELD, Ill., Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Medline announced two major healthcare providers – Northwestern Medicine and Providence – will collaborate with the company in the development of Mpower™, Medline’s AI-powered supply chain solution built on Microsoft 365 and powered by Azure AI to reduce disruptions and improve patient care.

“Having forward-thinking providers join our AI supply chain collaboration with Microsoft is very powerful,” said Marc Phillips, Medline senior vice president of supply solutions. “These healthcare providers see the future of streamlined information and workflow through Mpower, greatly benefiting their patients, staff and communities. They are committed to creating a supply chain that is reliable and resilient, and they want a seamless solution that is simple for their teams to use.”

Medline announced its collaboration with Microsoft last year to advance supply chain resiliency and optimization with the development of a new “AI digital control tower” for product substitutions, approvals and communications. The platform is built on Microsoft 365 and is designed to be intuitive and accessible for all health systems. This transformative, predictive solution is built specifically for the healthcare supply chain.

“AI is transforming healthcare supply chain management by simplifying procurement and lightening the operational load,” said Larry Jones, Microsoft CVP, health and life sciences. “Mpower combines Microsoft 365 and Azure AI with Medline’s resilient supply chain expertise to help ensure essential supplies are within reach, allowing caregivers to concentrate on what truly matters: their patients. We’re excited to see what our shared customers Northwestern Medicine and Providence are able to achieve with this powerful tool.”

Medline invited Northwestern Medicine and Providence to help develop Mpower based on their industry leadership, excellent care and long-standing work with Medline. As part of the effort, each provider dedicated supply chain, technical and clinical leadership to drive Mpower development and implementation through their respective networks, offering them the opportunity to tackle the industry’s most pressing supply chain issues.

“Today’s dependency on the global marketplace is characterized by higher levels of complexity and turbulence coming from both external and internal supply network disruptions,” said Dave Walker, Providence SVP and chief supply chain officer. “To reduce this risk, legacy linear supply chains, once optimized for cost and stability, need to be replaced with supply chain ecosystems that incorporate event readiness, efficient responsiveness and effective recovery. Our partnership with Medline and Microsoft will forge the next level of supply chain resilience capability.”

“Being part of this collaboration with Medline and Microsoft aligns with our philosophy and who we are fundamentally,” added Tabitha Welsh, Northwestern Medicine director of supply chain, “We are responsive, agile innovators at Northwestern – especially when looking at ways to enhance and scale quality of care and becoming more efficient.”

Once launched, Mpower will be available at no cost to Medline Prime Vendor customers currently using Mpower™ Foundations™, Medline’s cloud-based risk-profiling and prediction platform.

To learn more about this Mpower announcement, visit the Medline Newsroom.

About Medline

Medline is the largest provider of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions serving all points of care. Through its broad product portfolio, resilient supply chain and leading clinical solutions, Medline helps healthcare providers improve their clinical, financial and operational outcomes. Headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, the company employs more than 43,000 people worldwide and operates in more than 100 countries and territories. To learn more about how Medline makes healthcare run better, visit Medline.com.

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