Alliant Purchasing Appoints Blair Childs as Executive Vice President, Innovation and Strategy
Louisville, KY — February 2, 2026 — Alliant Purchasing announced the appointment of Blair Childs as Executive Vice President, Innovation and Strategy, further strengthening the organization’s leadership bench and expanding its ability to help members navigate an increasingly complex healthcare and policy environment.
Childs brings more than four decades of experience shaping healthcare policy, strategy, and innovation at the national level. He has played a central role in many of the most consequential healthcare initiatives impacting hospitals, health systems, payers, manufacturers, and suppliers.
Most recently, Childs served on the executive leadership team at Premier, Inc., where he helped guide enterprise strategy and policy engagement. His career includes other senior leadership roles within national trade and advocacy associations, private enterprises, and Aetna. He also founded Childs and Associates, LLC.
Throughout his career, Childs has pioneered the translation of complex policy developments into actionable strategies. He has led or influenced landmark initiatives including the establishment of value-based purchasing within Medicare as part of the Affordable Care Act; enactment of the Medicare Advantage program; national efforts to advance interoperability in electronic medical record systems; and the creation of FDA user fee and accelerated reimbursement pathways for breakthrough technologies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he organized a cross-industry coalition of manufacturers, GPOs, and distributors that worked with the federal government to address critical supply chain disruptions.
In his role at Alliant Purchasing, Childs will focus on innovation and long-term strategy, advising on healthcare policy, regulatory trends, and market dynamics that directly affect providers and suppliers. His work will support Alliant’s strategic growth initiatives, partner strategy, and thought leadership—helping members better understand how policy-driven change impacts operations, margins, and future opportunities.
“Healthcare leaders are operating in an environment where policy, reimbursement, and regulation directly influence day-to-day decision-making and long-term strategy,” said Mark Slone, President & CEO of Alliant. “Blair’s experience provides Alliant and our members with a unique lens into how Washington works and how to translate that insight into informed, forward-looking action.”
Childs frequently speaks at national conferences and industry forums, and major media outlets including ABC, PBS, NBC, Politico, and Axios.
About Alliant Purchasing
Alliant Purchasing is a creative, value-focused, and progressive healthcare improvement partner that has been serving providers nationwide for over 35 years. With a commitment to operational and financial innovation, Alliant empowers members to navigate today’s healthcare landscape through simplified supply chain strategies and impactful margin improvement opportunities. Leveraging more than $84 billion in buying power, Alliant supports over 280 hospitals and 68,000 provider locations. Learn more at www.alliantpurchasing.com.
