Approximately 3,500 people – 1,900 HealthTrust members and 1,600 HealthTrust suppliers – attended this summer’s HealthTrust University (HTU) Conference & Vendor Fair in Nashville, Tenn.
The conference theme, “Orchestrating Success,” was adopted from HealthTrust’s joint advertising campaign with Parallon, and was intended to reflect its operating model, which brings together engaged and progressive industry thinkers. It also honored the conference’s “Music City” location.
HealthTrust held 47 educational classes for supply chain, pharmacy, nursing and executive development. The topics ranged from innovative strategies to reduce medication errors, to strategies for building provider-supplier relationships, to the positive financial impact of clinical evidence evaluations, and the “retail-ization” of healthcare.
President and CEO Ed Jones spoke to members about industry trends, including HealthTrust’s recent decision to become a sponsor of the Cost-Quality-Outcomes (CQO) initiative. Launched in January 2013 by the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management of the American Hospital Association, CQO is intended to prepare supply chain professionals to become the industry experts in the correlation between cost (of supplies, procedures and delivered care), quality and outcomes. Jones also shared news of HealthTrust’s recently signed five-year agreement with Tenet Healthcare.
Award winners
- Social Stewardship – Community Outreach Award (recognizing a member that has gone “above and beyond” in community outreach efforts to improve access to care) went to Right Care, Right Here Team, Holy Family Memorial, Manitowoc, Wisc. Team members include: Patti Bertsche, RN, BSN, guided care nurse; Marcia Donlon, RN, BSN, MS, administrative director, primary care/care continuity’ Gary Schmidt, MD, medical director of Felician Village; and Deb Sprang, RN, manager of clinical operations.
- The Social Stewardship – Sustainability Award (recognizing a member that has demonstrated a commitment to conservation and preservation of the healthcare environment) went to the Green Team, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, N.J. Team members include: Josh Binn, perioperative materials and support services manager; Richard Killeen, director of purchasing; Geffry LaFortune, senior buyer, purchasing department; Janet O’Dea, senior buyer, purchasing department; and Kyle Tafuri, sustainability advisor.
- The Clinical Excellence Award (recognizing a member that has implemented and demonstrated a best practice in supply chain clinical initiatives) went to the Blood Stewardship Team at Continental Division HCA/HealthONE, Denver, Colo. Team members include: Rob Campbell, PharmD, vice president, resource management; Amy Cate Lisenby, PE, MBA, ASQ, CSSBB, senior director of clinical excellence; and Gary Winfield, MD, chief medical officer.
- The Operational Excellence Award (recognizing a member that has implemented and demonstrated a best practice in streamlining and maximizing supply chain operations and/or cost-savings initiatives) went to the Supply Expense Workout Team at Cooper University Health Care, Camden, N.J. Team members include: Cory Angelina, Lean Six Sigma champion, operational excellence department; Ma’Cita Saunders, director of logistics and distribution; and Linda Valenti, Lean Six Sigma process improvement specialist.
- The Outstanding Member Award (recognizing the member that has demonstrated the greatest financial improvement using HealthTrust cost-savings initiatives, contract compliance and adoption of new contract categories) went to the Corporate and Regional FIS Team at Community Health Systems, Franklin, Tenn. Team members include: Gordon Carlisle, vice president of facilities, design and construction; Paul Hillenbrand, manager of engineering services; and John Wooten, senior director of engineering services.
- Gita Wasan Patel Pharmacy Excellence Award (recognizing a member that has implemented and demonstrated a best practice in supply chain pharmaceutical initiatives, including improvements in patient care outcomes, operational efficiency and/or financial savings) went to Karla Miller, PharmD, BCPP, vice president of pharmacy services and clinical therapeutics, HCA, Nashville, Tenn.
- The 2015 HealthTrust Innovation Grant went to Boston Medical Center. Project team members include: Kevin M. Monahan, MD, FACC, director of the BMC Electrophysiology Laboratory and Arrhythmia Service; and Robert H. Helm, MD, FHRS, director of the BMC Cardiac Device Clinic.
In addition, nine Supplier Excellence Award winners were named:
- Medtronic
- Medline Industries, Inc.
- Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
- Hill-Rom (Supplier of the Year)
- American Express
- Airgas USA, LLC
- Owens & Minor
- Fisher Healthcare
- Kerma Medical Products, Inc.