Caresfield attended Premier Breakthroughs 22 last month to connect with customers and take advantage of the robust general and continuing education sessions. It was an opportunity to see where the industry was heading. Here are some lessons we learned Premier Breakthroughs 22.
Lesson One: You Can’t Penny-Pinch Your Way to Success
The opening session featured Premier executives setting the stage for Breakthroughs 22. Instead of reflecting on the past, the event focused on healthcare’s path forward. Premier President and CEO Michael J. Alkire pushed the audience to work towards radical evolutions. He compared the healthcare industry to Godzilla, and COVID-19 as the nuclear event that forces evolution.
Alkire outlined the biggest challenges facing the industry:
- Overhauling data infrastructure
- Building supply chain resilience
- Addressing labor shortages
- Improving margins
Alkire acknowledged that each one of these issues requires a significant investment. One of the best ways Caresfield can help is through supply chain resilience. In our recent blog post Reliable Medical Supplies – A Family Priority we shared how we make and store products in the U.S. and retain a skilled staff to process orders to ensure a reliable supply of essential supplies. Our labels and specimen collection products may help properly identify patients and samples, meaning you won’t have to redraw blood or other samples.
Lesson Two: Transparency Equally or More Important than Price
Speaking with supply chain professionals in our booth and at the reverse expo, we consistently heard themes of cost control and transparency. While many of these discussions acknowledged little could be done about rising prices in the short term, several comments revolved around transparent communications.
For Derek Stewert, executive director, supply chain & services at Advent Health, transparent communication is essential to doing his job effectively. As head of a 10-person analytics team for a 46-hospital system, he often evaluates multiple solutions at once.
“I value transparency and attentiveness,” Stewart said. “Suppliers could call to check in often and then when we are comparing products or if there are multiple options on the table, we often require cross reference information.”
Read more about what we heard from attendees at Breakthroughs in our recent blog article, Overheard at Breakthroughs 22.
Lesson Three: Suppliers are Subject Matter Experts
In Achieving Supply Chain Goals Through Strategic Relationships, Joe Wilson, senior vice president, supply chain services, NYC Health + Hospitals shared the seismic culture shift implemented at his organization. The New York-based health system spends $1.4 billion annually and has over 1,600 contracts with over 5,400 suppliers.
Up until 2014, the system had no enterprise resource planning system. Routine supply orders could take two weeks. Capital equipment could take seven months or more. With many facilities owning over 50 years of history, Wilson transformed the staff mentality from working for a hospital to working for a system.
One of the keys to the transformation was building clinical engagement and restructuring the supply chain. Previously, conversations with suppliers were not about outcomes, but terms and price.
“By elevating clinicians, the process got better,” Wilson said. “We took sales out of the equation and our suppliers became subject matter experts and specialists.”
Similarly, in the panel discussion What you Need to Know About How the Pandemic Has Changed Your Customers and Their Expectations, Kathryn Carpenter, vice president, sourcing, contracting, clinical strategy and implementation at CommonSpirit Health shared how the organization’s relationships with suppliers is evolving.
“Some of our smaller suppliers are now some of our best partners,” Carpenter said. “CommonSpirit is committed to grow with business suppliers that will be great partners and they rely on suppliers’ trust, honesty and transparency.”
Caresfield, an Expert in Labels, Identification and Specimen Collection
Once again, Caresfield is in position to be a great partner. We make it easy to convert your labels with a team of Certified Healthcare Label Technicians. One of our experts can do a 15-30 minute visit to your facility, gather samples and report back. The visit won’t disrupt your operations, and we can have 90 percent of your spend ready within three weeks.
In addition to sending technicians to your facility, Caresfield hosts expert content here on our blog. Our CaresTalk webinars provide expert advice along with case studies, like our recent Wraparound IV Line Drug Labels, Harnessing Best Practices to Improve Patient Safety. We also publish whitepapers, eBooks and other resources, including:
- 7 Strategies to Prevent Forgotten Tourniquets
- Printer Hardware FAQ
- 6 Tips for a Headache-Free ID Band and Label Conversion
Celebrating Outstanding Care Providers
Breakthroughs also presented opportunities to recognize outstanding healthcare systems and facilities. During the event, Premier recognized Henry Ford Health with the 2022 Premier Alliance Excellence Award.
Additionally, The BreakAway, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women recover from the disease of addiction in New Albany, Indiana, received the 2022 Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award. We strongly encourage you to watch the video.
Caresfield salutes Henry Ford Health for transforming healthcare and The BreakAway for helping an underserved population. We also applaud Premier for recognizing these facilities. Caresfield is emphatically committed to caring. We are work to support the healthcare community and underserved populations through our Caresfield Cares Program.
There were many valuable lessons at Breakthroughs 22. We look forward to meeting with more healthcare providers and supply chain professionals at other in-person events in the coming months!
