Contracting Professional of the Year Quotables

The Journal of Healthcare Contracting congratulates Laurel Junk in being named this year’s Contracting Professional of the Year. JHC talked with Junk about a number of topics, including new initiatives within her IDN, supplier relations and the ever-changing landscape of healthcare. The following are some interesting comments. To read the full article, click here

 

 

Laurel Junk on supplier relationships: “The most important qualities we look for in our partners are alignment with our mission and goals; [their ability] to take risks and [be] accountable for performance in all areas; and patience [working] with very complex customers.” Selecting the right partners enables her organization to “be truly ready for the significant changes that are coming to our industry in the near future,” she says. “We are excited about these opportunities and welcome those that see the value of dealing with difficult issues for the long term [rather than] maintaining the status quo.”

 

On drive end-to-end supply chain integration and standardization within the various medical facilities:

“We have made significant inroads over the last 24 months, including transportation centralization; the deployment of a new single-instance ERP system for purchasing and inventory management; improvement of our reporting capabilities; and alignment of the organization on the importance of end-to-end supply chain integration,” says Junk.  “In addition, we are excited about a collaborative supply chain initiative we recently started with the top supply chain executives from Geisinger Health, Mayo Clinic, Intermountain Health, and Sisters of Mercy.  Known as the Healthcare Transformation Group, the coalition is looking to bring our collective provider influence and passion to bear on accelerating healthcare supply chain transformation in the areas of improved patient safety, with better product identification and tracking, as well as significant supply chain processing efficiencies.