作者： 蔡昇達
感謝 Mayo Clinic 的老闆 Dr. Kendall Lee，教我不僅要會看病、做研究，還要了解商業、世界運作的方式，安排了這次供應鏈的參訪。
一進到倉儲中心，除了巨大的空間和堆很高的各式物品外，最讓我印象深刻的是高掛的標語，「以病人為中心 (The Needs of the Patient Come First)」，這個信條著實貫徹在 Mayo 的每個角落。
各種各樣的物品，服務明尼蘇達及威斯康辛州 22 間的醫院、35 間的診所、總共九百多個配送點，Mayo Clinic 在佛羅里達及亞歷桑那的據點，也各服務兩百多個配送點，因為採購量大(超過七萬份的合約)，整個體系形成一個 Group Purchasing Organization (團體採購組織)，與供應廠商議價的能力極強，每年為 Mayo Clinic 節省大筆支出，盈餘做品質改善或是投入醫療服務，因此被評為全美前三名的醫療供應鏈： Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Intermountain Healthcare (在猶他州)。舉 2019 年開始的新冠肺炎疫情為例，幾年下來整個 Mayo Clinic 體系並沒有發生「防護裝備不足」的狀況，在全美實屬難得。
機器人會看路徑上有沒有人或是其他機器人，自行閃避、調整路線。
整個供應鏈的管理 (Supply Chain Management, SCM)應用了許多資料分析和人工智慧的技術 (與 Amazon 的物流系統接近)，使用機器人之前，整個區域需安排 11 位工作人員，使用機器人後只需要在最重要的三個節點各安排一位，共三位工作人員，且使用後增進配送的效率為兩倍，另外，大幅減少了工作人員的職業傷害(如肌肉拉傷、扭傷等)。
每個機器人員工皆有名字，如上圖這個是參考星際大戰的天行者路克 (Luke Skywalker)。
機器人快沒電時會自己開回去上圖的充電區充電
這個妙佑醫療國際的物流中心，每週上班六天，每天皆是數十量大卡車進出，上面這張照片是「準備送出」的物品，一個區塊即是一輛車，大小車輛一天需送出至少 50 輛。
品管大螢幕，各個點代表不同的區域，如綠色的點表示那個區域物品配送流暢、效率高，管理者一眼即可知道哪邊出了狀況，需要前往關心。可以注意到，背後的標語也是醫院的核心精神：「The Needs of the Patient Come First」
原來在看病、開藥、手術的背後，有強大的後勤團隊在支援著，感恩為整個體系默默付出的人們！也感謝老闆的用心安排！
English version:
Author: Sheng-Ta Tsai
I am deeply grateful to my mentor at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Kendall Lee, for teaching me that being a good physician is not only about clinical care and research, but also about understanding business and how the world operates. He thoughtfully arranged this visit to Mayo Clinic’s supply chain operations.
Upon entering the inventory and distribution center, beyond the vast space and towering stacks of supplies, what impressed me most was the prominent slogan displayed overhead: “The Needs of the Patient Come First.” This core principle truly permeates every corner of Mayo Clinic.
A wide variety of supplies are managed here, serving 22 hospitals and 35 clinics across Minnesota and Wisconsin, with more than 900 delivery points in total. Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Florida and Arizona each support over 200 additional delivery locations.
Because of this massive purchasing volume, the system effectively functions as a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), giving it strong bargaining power with suppliers. This results in substantial annual cost savings, which are reinvested into quality improvement initiatives and patient care services. As a result, Mayo Clinic is consistently ranked among the top three healthcare supply chains in the United States, alongside Cleveland Clinic and Intermountain Healthcare (based in Utah). Taking the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2019 as an example, over the ensuing years the Mayo Clinic system did not experience shortages of personal protective equipment—a rare achievement across the United States.
Mayo Clinic’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) system incorporates extensive data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies—comparable in sophistication to Amazon’s logistics systems. In the video shown during the visit, robots autonomously transport supplies back and forth.
Before automation, this area required 11 staff members to operate. After implementation, only three staff members are needed—one at each of the three critical control points. This change has doubled delivery efficiency while also significantly reducing occupational injuries, such as muscle strains and sprains.
Each robotic “employee” even has a name. The robot shown in the photo above, for example, is named similar to Luke Skywalker from Star Wars.
This Mayo Clinic logistics center operates six days a week, with dozens of large trucks entering and leaving every day. The photo above shows items ready for shipment—each designated zone corresponds to a single truck. At least 50 trucks of various sizes are dispatched daily.
A large quality-control dashboard displays operational status across different zones. Each dot represents a specific area: green dots indicate smooth, efficient supply flow. At a glance, managers can immediately identify problem areas and intervene as needed.
It is only now that I truly appreciate that behind every clinic visit, prescription, and surgical procedure, there is a powerful logistics and support team working quietly in the background. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributes to this system behind the scenes—and once again, thankful for my mentor’s thoughtful arrangement of this visit.
