MedAssets conference tackles spend, clinical resource and revenue cycle management
MedAssets’ Healthcare Business Summit, held this spring in Las Vegas, enjoyed record attendance from Spend and Clinical Resource Management and Revenue Cycle Management customers, in addition to a record number of suppliers, according to the company.
“The main news we shared with our Spend and Clinical Resource Management customers was around what we can do for them from a total cost management perspective,” says Rand Ballard, senior executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief customer officer, MedAssets. “We shared our greatly expanded portfolio of solutions that can help reduce supply costs from 5 to 15 percent.”
The Summit featured 14 learning tracks focusing on everything from leadership principles to revenue cycle to finance, to food and nutrition, to supply chain.
“Transitioning to ICD-10 will be one of the primary challenges our customers are facing on the revenue cycle side,” says Ballard. “For its part, MedAssets is actively engaged in its role to upgrade and modify its impacted solutions well ahead of the deadlines.
“We also believe some of the greatest challenges facing our customers are continued rising healthcare costs, increased regulatory pressures and the uncertainty around healthcare reform implications on the marketplace. Due to these challenges, MedAssets is more committed than ever to providing sustainable performance solutions to our customers, helping them overcome these challenges and persevere in fulfilling their healthcare missions.”
Education
Supply chain general session topics and speakers included:
- “Helping others help you: An honest look at how to build successful IDN partnerships,” by Thomas Archer, system manager, capital planning and acquisition, Wellmont Health System; and Drew Lindsey, director corporate accounts, STERIS Corp.
- “Using e-procurement to drive contract compliance and user adoption,” by supply chain executives from The Ohio State University Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center.
- “When a little change isn’t enough: Westchester Medical Center’s total supply chain transformation,” by Roger Weems, senior vice president, performance management; and Jim Connor, vice president, supply chain operations, Westchester Medical Center.
- “The new supply chain agenda,” by Reuben Slone, executive vice president, supply chain, OfficeMax.
- “Five best practices for inventory management,” by David Hermann, vice president, Aspen Healthcare Metrics, MedAssets; and David Munch, M.D., senior vice president, Healthcare Performance Partners, a MedAssets company.
- “Orthopedic surgeons in the hot seat: Full access to ask your burning questions,” featuring surgeons from Holston Valley Medical Center, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center and Baylor University Medical Center.
Humanitarian awards
“The Healthcare Business Summit also is about remembering that we’re in the role of supporting the care of people,” says Ballard. This year MedAssets recognized Maggie Doyle as its Norman Borlaug Humanitarian Award winner. She has built and is running an orphanage and school in Nepal at only 23 years old, he says. Also recognized was Louis Zamperini for his “continued dedication to our country.” Zamperini – a World War II prisoner of war who later forgave the captors who tortured him – received the inaugural George Herbert Walker Bush Pacesetter Award.
2010 customer awards
Pittsburgh, Pa.-based UPMC received the President’s Award, which recognizes the healthcare provider that achieved and signed off on the greatest financial savings in 2010. Financial savings include cumulative customer financial impact, as well as 2010 customer financial impact based on percentage of savings. UMPC’s relationship with MedAssets includes Spend Management and Revenue Cycle Management programs. The provider also serves as an industry steward, and demonstrates leadership in promoting transparency, according to the company.
President’s Circle award winners, which recognize previous President’s Award winners that have continued to achieve significant quantifiable results through the use of MedAssets Spend Management and Revenue Cycle Management programs were:
- Atlantic Health.
- Baylor Health Care System.
- Inova Health System.
- St. Joseph Health System, Orange, Calif.
Texas Purchasing Coalition received the Spend Management Innovation Award, which recognizes the healthcare provider that led the way in 2010 using MedAssets Spend Management solutions to significantly improve its financial performance.
North Kansas City Hospital received the Spend Management Community Hospital Customer of the Year Award, while Promise Healthcare was recognized as the Spend Management Non-Acute-Care Customer of the Year.
Inova Health System was recognized as the Revenue Cycle Management Technology Customer of the Year, while Greenville Hospital System won the Revenue Cycle Services Customer of the Year Award.
The Supplier Diversity Excellence Award went to University Health System, San Antonio, Texas; and the Decision Support Customer of the Year Award went to Scott & White Healthcare.
Enterprise Best Practice Customer Awards, which recognize healthcare providers that achieved significant financial savings in 2010 using multiple MedAssets Spend Management and Revenue Cycle Management programs, were:
- Platinum winners: Baptist Health System (Birmingham, Ala.), Broward Health, Inova Health System, Ochsner Health System, Rush System for Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and Wellmont Health System.
- Gold winners: Baylor Health Care System, Maury Regional Hospital, MemorialCare Health System, Scripps Health and UNC Health Care.
- Silver winners: Christiana Care Health Services, Clarendon Health System, Downey Regional Medical Center, Erlanger Health System, Main Line Health, Meridian Health System and The Methodist Hospital System (Houston, Texas).
- Bronze winners: Augusta Health, Grady Health System, Oklahoma Heart Hospital, SoutheastHEALTH and University Medical Center of El Paso.
Non-Acute-Care Best Practice Customer Awards, based on documented savings by using MedAssets Spend Management programs, were:
- 21st Century Healthcare.
- CIGNA.
- Cook Children’s Physician Network.
- Ethica.
- Fresenius Medical Care.
- MedCost Inc.
- Silverado Senior Living.
- Simon Medical Imaging.
- Southern HealthCare Management.
- US Oncology.
- Watermark Retirement Communities.
Revenue Cycles Services award-winners included:
- Merit Mountainside Hospital (Best Practice Award Platinum).
- Robert Wood Johnson Health System (Best Practice Award Managed Care Services).
- Downey Regional Medical Center (Best Practice Award Rapid Implementation).
Supplier awards
Tom Caldwell, Baxter Healthcare, received the President’s Award for a supplier. The award is given to the national accounts leader who: delivers the greatest value to MedAssets’ customers; presents a “market-leading agreement that is consistent with MedAssets’ business model”; keeps MedAssets informed of all information that may impact the business relationship; and “consistently demonstrates knowledge, responsiveness, flexibility, diplomacy and excellent communication skills.”
Supply Chain Savings Awards, which recognize suppliers delivering the highest amount of member savings as measured by cumulative dollars and total percent of savings tracked by MedAssets, were given to:
- Philips Healthcare (total dollar savings).
- Bergelectric Corp. (total percent savings).
The Diverse Supplier Award, which recognizes the diverse supplier that demonstrates a corporate commitment to diversity and encouragement of diversity in the supply chain by supporting customers’ supplier diversity initiatives, went to:
- R D Plastics.
- Tronex Healthcare.
The Pre-Commitment Program Award, which recognizes suppliers that immediately extended their pre-commitment pricing to MedAssets members, was given to:
- Abbott Nutrition.
- ArjoHuntleigh.
- Attends Healthcare Products.
- Cardinal Health.
- Compression Therapy Concepts.
- Hill-Rom.
- Kimberly-Clark Corp.
- Medline.
- Professional Hospital Supply.
- Teleflex Medical.
- Trinity Sterile.
- Universal Hospital Services.
- Welch Allyn.
Group Buy Excellence Awards went to:
- GE Healthcare.
- Philips Healthcare.
- Siemens Medical Solutions.