Miguel F. Machado is on a Mission

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A company had a data tracking and management problem. Its leaders wanted to analyze spending patterns and find creative ways to improve sourcing and reduce costs. Miguel F. Machado, a systems analyst with expertise in information technology, volunteered to create and interpret the data sets that would power their decision-making. What started as a simple desire to deploy his skills to provide helpful information turned into an unexpected calling that put him on a new career path.

As Machado applied his IT training and tech skills to solve the problem at hand, he learned more about supply chain management, contracting, and supplier relationship building. The rising IT star immediately realized the potential of using his expertise in a new way. “IT is all about data, and I saw how powerful it would be to translate data to drive key decisions in the supply chain,” he explains.

Machado’s newfound interest quickly grew into something of an obsession. He found himself looking not only for improved outcomes but also for new opportunities.

“This work is fulfilling because what we do can make an organization leaner and more efficient. When we align business and clinical objectives, good results come.”

Miguel F. Machado    

A role in sourcing and contract management at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center—Machado’s first job in healthcare—sealed the deal. Managing strategic sourcing events for the University of Texas Systems and employing e-procurement and e-sourcing tools to enhance negotiations energized Machado. He also developed methodologies to ensure competitive pricing and track savings.

In doing so, Machado was supporting the lifesaving work of clinicians at one of the world’s top cancer care and research centers. “This work is fulfilling because what we do can make an organization leaner and more efficient,” he says. “When we align business and clinical objectives, good results come.”

Nearly twenty years later, Machado is still working in healthcare. He joined Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in 2020 to lead a small team of buyers at the renowned pediatric facility to leading a full-blown purchasing department.

Weeks after Machado’s arrival, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The unexpected event forced him to pivot. Instead of building out a department, Machado was scrambling to get TCH needles, syringes, and personal protective equipment. In doing so, he applied his data analytics experience to understand how much inventory the hospital had, interpret utilization rates, and determine supply needs during the crisis.

During this era, Machado’s team supported about eighty clinics across greater Houston and Austin. He used the challenging period to give his team hands-on training opportunities. Once TCH solidified its COVID response, Machado returned his focus to restructuring his unit to optimize its impact. He subdivided his department into warehouse, capital procurement, hospital operations, value analysis support, and Texas Children’s pediatric/urgent care clinics teams.

All teams process orders, provide customer service, and interact with vendors, but Machado’s new structure allows each team to develop a niche. For example, the capital procurement team focuses exclusively on researching and ordering large equipment and working directly with equipment planners. Machado says productivity has increased as he has delegated critical response duties to the team leads he carefully trains, coaches, and mentors.

“Part of my job is to get those on my team ready for their next role, assignment, or promotion,” he says. Machado toils to give each person visibility within the organization so executive leaders will know who they are and what they are capable of.

It’s been nearly twenty years since Machado discovered his niche in healthcare. After working at MD Anderson Cancer Center, he moved to Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) to serve as director of supply chain management. The four years he spent there showed him how the most effective healthcare systems have moved beyond models in which physicians are choosing and ordering their own medical supplies and even office equipment.

“Supply chain isn’t just about saving money; it’s about stretching every dollar,” he says. “Our teams want to be the subject matter experts on the boring stuff so our clinicians have more time to devote to patient care.” Moreover, when his department uses group purchasing to save BCM money on nonclinical products, physicians have more funds for their clinical supplies.

Machado continues to turn his IT background into a strength as he partners with other TCH departments. Finance, for example, when negotiated contracts have discounted payment terms. Machado and his peers in finance have developed a system to capture those discounts by issuing payments in time to qualify for the cost savings.

In the spring of 2024, Machado’s team supported TCH as it opened a new North Austin hospital. They worked overtime to supply the $485 million, 365,000-square-foot campus 200 miles away from TCH’s flagship location. The facility holds a neonatal unit, operating rooms, a sleep center, pediatric ICU units, a cardiovascular department, a pharmacy, and more.

The North Austin facility allows Texas Children’s Hospital to deliver advanced treatment to one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. As TCH continues to expand, Machado’s innovative approach and leadership will continue to optimize operations so healthcare providers can spend their time on what matters most: patient care.

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