Lead With AI – Episode Summary
Episode Overview
Title: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare Supply Chains and Cutting Millions in Waste
Host: Dr. Tamara Nall
Guest: Kylan Bailey, Executive Director of Growth, Clarium
Release Date: December 23, 2025
This episode explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare supply chains—saving major healthcare systems millions by streamlining procurement, minimizing waste, and responding to disruptions in real-time. Host Dr. Tamara Nall sits down with Kylan Bailey from Clarium, an AI-powered logistics and supply chain company, for a candid, jargon-free conversation about tangible impacts, ethical considerations, and the rapidly approaching future of automated healthcare operations.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introducing Kylan Bailey and Clarium
- [02:33] Kylan shares his diverse background, starting as an enterprise architect and branching into multiple healthcare sectors. He highlights his passion for AI’s impact on patient care and operational efficiency.
- Clarium’s Purpose: Founded by Steve Liu roughly 5 years ago, Clarium addresses the often-overlooked challenge of medical material logistics in healthcare.
- Clarium Defined: "Clarium is essentially a resiliency platform…consolidates a lot of historically siloed data throughout these supply chain teams and allows…real time insights on disruptions." — Kylan Bailey [04:41]
2. The “Holy Smokes” Moment
- [05:43] Users often have an immediate “wow” reaction during Clarium demos, as the platform consolidates myriad tedious, manual processes—comparable to the leap of the iPhone integrating multiple devices into one.
- Quote: “The holy smokes moment tends to hit very early in our conversations.” — Kylan [06:49]
3. How Clarium’s AI Works Under the Hood
- [07:12] Kylan details that Clarium interfaces with a broad spectrum of data sources: electronic health records, ERP systems, warehouse management systems, GPOs, and external suppliers.
- The system consolidates thousands of data points to surface actionable insights in real time—e.g., detecting supply chain risks (like a weather disaster disrupting a gown supplier) and instantly recommending alternatives.
- Quote: “Think of it really as algorithms unifying data to deliver actionable insights in real time.” — Kylan [10:09]
4. Clarium’s Integration Model & Unbiased Approach
- [10:47] Clarium works directly with healthcare systems (e.g., Kaiser Permanente, Yale New Haven, Cleveland Clinic) and also integrates with all major suppliers to ensure neutrality. This allows clients to expand supplier networks during crises.
- Quote: "We are really the first fully unbiased organization in the healthcare supply chain space using AI as the primary foundation..." — Kylan [12:53]
- Ethics & Data Security: Data use and retention are top priorities due to sensitivity in healthcare data and changing client attitudes post-2018.
5. Real-World Magic: Tangible Impact Stories
- [17:10] Kylan shares powerful savings stories:
- One major US healthcare system found $28 million in savings by optimizing "preference cards” (lists of instruments and supplies surgeons prefer, often managed on paper and rarely updated).
- A small Midwest system saved $2 million in just 90 days, far exceeding their multi-year goal.
- Quote: “Those are real numbers. Those are things that have been signed off by, by our counterparts at the healthcare system. That's what excited me. That was what the real world magic is.” — Kylan [20:46]
6. The Future of Clarium and AI in Healthcare Supply Chains
- [20:59] With healthcare systems building their own robot-powered warehouses, Kylan envisions AI-led software platforms and warehouse automation converging by 2030, radically transforming operations.
- Quote: “I think what we're doing in 2025 is going to look really old. I think that the next five years are going to be advancements equal to 30 or 40 potentially.” — Kylan [21:52]
7. Call to Action: Awareness and Exploration
- [24:00] Kylan challenges listeners to recognize the critical role of supply chain in every healthcare interaction.
- Quote: “Next time you go to a doctor's appointment...think about when they take out a stethoscope, ...put on latex gloves, ...use the little plastic thing to look inside your ear. All of that...is from the supply chain. You wouldn't be able to get any of those things done...if it weren’t for so many people working so hard...” — Kylan [24:08]
- For more, visit clariumhealth.com.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
AI “Holy Smokes” Moment, Demo Reactions:
“I think the holy smokes Moment is interesting just because we tend to get a holy smokes reaction the first time we demo it to somebody.” — Kylan [05:43] -
On Clarium’s Unbiased Platform:
"We are really the first fully unbiased organization in the healthcare supply chain space using AI as the primary foundation of what we do." — Kylan [12:53] -
Ethical Handling of Data:
“Data retention and data use, everybody at this stage...knows that AI doesn't work without data, and that data specifically in healthcare is very sensitive. And so ...how it's used, it's really the largest things that I keep top of mind.” — Kylan [14:02] -
Massive Impact Example:
“We were able to identify with a major healthcare system...$28 million in savings for them.” — Kylan [20:15] -
Vision for the Future:
“AI is moving probably the fastest...since the invention of the Internet...I think the next five years are going to be advancements equal to 30 or 40 potentially.” — Kylan [21:52]
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------- |:--------------:| | Introduction to Clarium & Kylan Bailey | 02:33 | | What is Clarium?/Customer Base | 03:54 | | “Holy Smokes” Demo Moments | 05:43 | | How Clarium’s AI Works | 07:12 | | Data Integration & Unbiased Services | 10:47 | | Real Impact – Savings Stories | 17:10 | | Future of AI-Powered Healthcare Supply Chain | 20:59 | | Call to Action/Public Engagement | 24:00 | | Deep, Philosophical “Creation” Question | 27:00 | | Rapid Fire: Overrated/Underrated Trends, Books | 29:32 | | Biggest, Boldest Predictions | 34:34 | | How to Connect with Clarium and Kylan | 36:48 |
Bonus: Rapid-Fire Q&A Highlights
Most Overrated AI Trend:
“The general use of the term AI…98% of the time it’s just process automation.”—Kylan [29:32]
Most Underrated AI Trend:
Advancements in supply chain AI—highly impactful but under-recognized compared to fields like ambient scribing and defense. [30:49]
Book Recommendation:
"Every Tool's a Hammer" by Adam Savage — a lesson in adaptability. [33:26]
Biggest, Boldest Prediction:
"There’s already more [in AI] here than we know…we’re about to learn a lot more about what already exists." [34:34]
Conclusion & How to Learn More
- Website: clariumhealth.com
- Connect with Kylan Bailey on LinkedIn or email: kylan@clariumhealth.com
- Listeners are encouraged to explore AI and supply chain innovations in their own fields and become more aware of the unseen infrastructure enabling modern healthcare.
For those considering AI for healthcare supply chain, this episode pulls back the curtain on real savings, adaptability, and the near future where software and hardware metamorphose together in service of human health.
