In 2023, nearly one in five Americans experienced delays in medical care due to shortages in drugs or hospital equipment. Despite the vast scale and spending power of the U.S. healthcare system, hospitals—especially smaller and regional ones—continue to struggle with timely, affordable access to essential devices. These gaps create ripple effects across the industry, driving up costs, straining providers, and limiting patient outcomes.
At the forefront of addressing this challenge is Lingling Tan, Chief Business Officer at Jijia Healthcare and a Senior IEEE member. With over two decades of experience in pharmaceutical strategy and medtech commercialization, Tan is helping shape a model that brings efficiency and resilience to hospital supply chains.
A Different Approach to Medical Supply Chains
The funding environment has begun to reflect confidence in new models. In mid-2025, Jijia Healthcare raised $1.3 million in early-stage investment to expand its U.S. presence. Unlike traditional distributors that rely on stacked margins and product catalogs, the company integrates directly into hospitals’ procurement systems. By embedding into operations, Jijia manages sourcing, logistics, regulatory documentation, and FDA compliance—removing intermediaries that inflate costs and delay access.
“Medical equipment access can’t be dictated by inefficiencies,” Tan explains. “Hospitals need the right solutions at the right time. That’s not up for debate, and that’s what we’re working to provide.”
Scaling With Strategy and Partnerships
With fresh capital, Jijia plans to accelerate hospital onboarding and expand advisory services that modernize procurement processes. A key element of the model is strengthening partnerships with vetted international manufacturers to create a stable pipeline of FDA-approved equipment, tailored to the needs of its hospital network.
Tan’s experience leading healthcare scale-ups across Europe and Asia has been critical to this strategy. She has emphasized frameworks that align compliance, operational resilience, and measurable cost savings, giving U.S. hospitals a reliable alternative at a time when many are rethinking their supply chains. Her perspectives also extend into broader industry discussions, including her scholarly paper Scalable AI-Enabled Healthcare Systems: Strategic Patient Segmentation and Clinical Intelligence, which reinforces how scalability and credibility must go hand in hand.
Why It Matters
The stakes are clear: procurement bottlenecks affect not just financial performance but also patient care. By streamlining access to FDA-approved equipment, companies like Jijia Healthcare are positioning themselves as partners in systemic reform, not just suppliers. The model holds particular promise for regional hospitals, which often lack the leverage of larger systems yet face the same urgent care demands.
With capital in hand, seasoned leadership, and an operating model built for the realities of U.S. healthcare, Jijia Healthcare is carving out a pragmatic role in reshaping how hospitals source, acquire, and deploy the tools they need to deliver care.
“True growth comes when science is not just a support, but the driver,” Tan reflects. “When companies align medical credibility with scalable systems, they build trust—and trust is what sustains the entire industry.”
Summary
In 2023, U.S. hospitals faced drug and equipment shortages, delaying care. Jijia Healthcare, led by Lingling Tan, is streamlining procurement, reducing costs, and strengthening supply chains to improve timely patient access.
