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HealthTrust University Conference

HealthTrust aims to be members’ co-pilot

An aviation theme for this summer’s HealthTrust University Conference in Las Vegas – “Navigating with Insight” – underscored HealthTrust’s role as a co-pilot to its members as they navigate the complexities of a constantly evolving healthcare landscape, according to the company.

The conference hosted nearly 4,000 HealthTrust members, staff, speakers and supplier representatives. HealthTrust hosted more than 60 education sessions. Topics included the clinically integrated supply chain, cost management, pharmacy, big data and analytics, antibiotic stewardship and the opioid epidemic. Again this year, attendees and exhibitors rated the conference very high, citing that it is unique compared to other tradeshows they attend, the company said.

At the conference, President and CEO Ed Jones shared his perspective on the escalation of healthcare costs, the impact of healthcare reform, and macro and demographic dynamics in the marketplace. To keep pace with the rate of change occurring in healthcare, the progressive operator will continue to leverage the collective wisdom of its membership through innovation, thought leadership and best practices, he said.

HealthTrust executives discussed initiatives to advance its clinical integration agenda, leverage its operator-informed advisory capabilities and provide members with expanded contracting visibility. For HealthTrust, the clinically integrated supply chain is one in which all stakeholders – clinicians, physicians, pharmacists, administrators and supply chain personnel – are engaged in sourcing and contracting decisions, utilization and tracking clinical and financial outcomes.

At the Conference, HealthTrust recognized 21 individuals with its highest honor, the annual Member Recognition Award, which acknowledges member organizations that demonstrate best practices and achieve operational excellence benefitting providers and their patients. Awards were presented in five categories.

Outstanding Member: Recognizes members who have demonstrated exceptional fiscal improvement by leveraging HealthTrust savings initiatives, maintaining contract compliance and adopting new contract categories. The recipient was RCCH HealthCare Partners, Brentwood, Tennessee, represented by:

• Rob Jay, executive vice president, operations and group president.
• Brian Hitchcock, vice president, materiel resource operations.
• Steven Boyett, manager, materiel resource operations.

Operational Excellence: Recognizes members who have implemented best practices in streamlining and maximizing supply chain operations and/or cost-savings initiatives. The recipient was RWJBarnabas Health, West Orange, New Jersey, represented by:

• John Doll, corporate CFO and executive sponsor.
• Bob Taylor, senior vice president of supply chain.
• Paula Strollo, vice president of supply chain consolidated operations.
• Mary Twomey, vice president of clinical resource management.
• John Tomocheck, vice president of data management and analytics.
• Tracy Burrell-Hancock, vice president of supply chain facility operations.
• Richard Hill, vice president of supply chain integration.
• Phil Maneri, system vice president of contracting and sourcing.

Clinical Excellence: Recognizes members who have demonstrated best practices in executing clinical initiatives leading to improvements in care outcomes, physician engagement, operational efficiency and/or financial savings. The recipient was Hackensack University Medical Center, Transitions of Care team, Hackensack, New Jersey, represented by:

• Nilesh Desai, MS, RPh, MBA, administrator of pharmacy and clinical operations.
• Jewell Thomas, PharmD, supervisor of Transitions of Care.
• Dianne Aroh, MS, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, executive vice president, chief clinical and patient experience officer.

Social Stewardship: Recognizes members for impactful contributions in the areas of environmental sustainability, supplier diversity or community outreach. Recipient was Marissa Wilson, BSN, RN, CPhT, patient assistance coordinator, CHI Memorial Hospital, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Gita Wasan Patel Pharmacy Excellence Award: Named in honor of former HealthTrust Pharmacy Clinical Advisory Board member Gita Wasan Patel, the award recognizes members who have implemented and demonstrated best practices in pharmaceutical initiatives, including improvements in patient care outcomes, operational efficiency and/or financial savings. The recipient was Ardent Health Services, Nashville, Tennessee, represented by:

• Tom Chickerella, vice president of supply chain.
• Travis Lawler, PharmD, director of pharmacy, BSA Health System, Amarillo, Texas.
• Amber Elliott, PharmD, BCPS, pharmacy clinical coordinator and residency program director, BSA Health System, Amarillo, Texas.
• Luke Barnett, PharmD, clinical manager, BSA Health System, Amarillo, Texas.
• Roland Plude, director of materials management, BSA Health System, Amarillo, Texas.
• Kara Fortune, corporate director of pharmacy services.

HealthTrust announced that its 2018 HTU Conference would be held July 23-25 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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HealthTrust Awards Scripps Health an Innovation Grant for Perioperative Opioid Stewardship Initiative

Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated healthcare delivery system based in San Diego, California, was awarded a HealthTrust Innovation Grant at the 2017 HealthTrust University Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. HealthTrust established the annual grant three years ago to sponsor and reward new, scalable ideas for advancing healthcare by improving care delivery, health outcomes, cost savings, operational efficiency and/or population health.

The $50,000 award provides a $25,000 grant and $25,000 in HealthTrust service line expertise to support the replication of best practices across the membership. Scripps Health was selected for its innovative idea to address the overuse of opioid analgesics in patients undergoing surgery.

Scripps’ perioperative opioid stewardship initiative involves education-oriented interventions across episodes of care, beginning with patients’ initial discussion with the surgeon and continuing three months post-surgery. The overriding goals are for patients to have realistic expectations of postoperative pain and a clear understanding of the side effects of opioids, including the potential for addiction. The focus initially will be on general surgery, expanding next to spine surgery and orthopedics.

Success will require physicians to embrace the multimodal pain management approach, and the need to limit and monitor post-discharge opioids. Physicians, nurses and pharmacists at Scripps will be working collaboratively with one another, community-based primary care physicians and a county-wide prescription drug abuse task force.