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HealthTrust’s ‘Making History’ Conference Saddles Up in San Antonio
HealthTrust President and CEO Ed Jones
More than 2,000 HealthTrust members, staff and speakers, and 1,600 suppliers converged in San Antonio for the 2016 HealthTrust University (HTU) Conference and Vendor Fair. The event, held Aug. 29-31 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, was hosted by HealthTrust President and CEO Ed Jones and featured subject matter experts, keynote speakers, education sessions eligible for continuing education (CE) credits, a vendor fair with over 350 exhibitors and entertainment including a rodeo and music by the Eli Young Band, “Kingfish” Ingram and Jeffrey Steele.
The conference theme, “Making History,” was a celebration of the membership’s growth, the company’s physician-aligned approach to creating value, expansion of the inSight Advisory consulting service line, innovative solutions around clinical integration involving analytics and patient registries, and the value generated by a portfolio refresh made possible through the company’s committed model and scale.
Jones shared his perspective on the state of the industry and updated attendees on progress around key initiatives and milestones including growth, total spend management and physician engagement. “It has been a tremendous year and I’m particularly proud of our advancements in clinical integration, the depth of our client and member relationships, and the caliber of our team,” Jones remarked to attendees. “Our model has withstood the test of time and we are delivering on cost, quality and outcomes.”
Keynote speakers were General Stan McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, who spoke about leadership, building teams and achieving results. Frank Luntz, author and polling expert, shared his perspective about the political landscape for 2016 and how he believes it will impact healthcare. Luntz has been featured on numerous media outlets and has worked with Fortune 100 companies using his “Instant Response” focus group technique.
Vendor Fair
The three-day conference included more than 50 education and information sessions. Most sessions provided CE credits from one or more accrediting bodies such as AHRMM for supply chain professionals, ACHE for healthcare executives, ACPE for pharmacy and ANCC for nursing. Topics included best practices for implantable device management, engaging physician leaders, managing drug shortages, CJR and bundled payments, and the importance of supply chain in rural and independent hospitals.
Member Recognition Awards
Each year, HealthTrust uses the conference as a platform to recognize distinguished accomplishments across its membership. Honorees have demonstrated innovation, energy and passion to drive excellence in their respective categories. “They’ve had to think big, challenge the status quo, build trust and consensus with key stakeholders, and together develop innovative solutions, incentives, and accountability,” said Barbara Carlson, vice president of member services.
2016 Outstanding Member Award
Community Hospital Corporation’s – CHC Supply Trust Team. Receiving the award were Tony Ybarra, Nick Burgess, Shontá Hunt, Jim Wall and Robert Michel. Also recognized was Mike Williams, CHC founding president and CEO, who recently announced his retirement. “I don’t know of anyone with greater personal integrity and ability to inspire others,” Doug Swanson, senior vice president of sales and marketing, told attendees. “Mike is a champion for community hospitals and will be missed.”
Social Stewardship Award
Hospital Sisters Health System. Rick Beckler, director of development, accepted the award on behalf of the “Reverence for the Earth” sustainability team.
Clinical Excellence Award
Jeffrey Bush and Betty Davis of the HCA West Florida Division Nutrition Support Team were recognized for their team’s focus on quality patient care and driving supply cost savings.
Operational Excellence Award
The Supply Chain Performance Improvement Team at Ardent Health Services. Receiving awards were Tom Chickerella, Dawn Matthews, Bob Koch, Phil Hampton and Roland Plude for revamping their supply chain structure to improve efficiencies, control compliance and drive savings.
Gita Wasan Patel Pharmacy Excellence Award
Dr. Gerard Gawrys of Methodist Hospital, San Antonio was recognized for implementing a stewardship program that lowered the use of broad spectrum agents throughout the Methodist Healthcare System.
Outstanding Supplier of the Year
Medline Industries, Inc. was named Outstanding Supplier of the Year. Accepting the award for Medline were Dan Johnson, Jeff Fair, Joe Riggio and Dan Johns. Medline was recognized by members for excellence in both the med/surg category and distribution and for constructing contracts that are easy for members to use.
Innovation Grant
For establishing its “Life Skills Gym,” to help total joint replacement patients practice typical activities in preparation for discharge to home, University of Miami Health Care and its Comprehensive Joint Replacement Team was named recipient of the 2016 Innovation Grant. Victor Hernandez, Michaela Schneiderbauer, Ray Robinson, Sandra Myint and Cathy Rosenberg accepted the grant. The award, which includes a $25,000 grant plus $25,000 in HealthTrust service line support, is given each year to sponsor and reward new, scalable ideas for advancing healthcare by improving care delivery, health outcomes, cost savings, operational efficiency or population health.
Operational Excellence Award Supply Chain Performance Team at Ardent Health Services (L to R: Doug Swanson, HealthTrust; Tom Chickerella, VP of Supply Chain; Dawn Matthews, Clinical Resource Director; Bob Koch, VP of Supply Chain – Tulsa; Phil Hampton, VP of Supply Chain – Albuquerque; Roland Plude, VP of Supply Chain – Amarillo; Rich Philbrick and Ed Jones, HealthTrust)
Making history
In closing the conference, CEO Jones thanked attendees for a productive three days and reflected on the power of the collective and the history being made by members. “HealthTrust and our unique membership model are successful because we all share a common denominator of serving others. The alignment of purpose and our commitment to your operating agendas are why we are making history.”
HTU will move its conference and vendor fair to Las Vegas in 2017. Next year’s event will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino July 17-19.