October 2023- The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
Non-acute healthcare is an integral part of our daily lives. In an interview for this issue’s cover story, Lori Daukas, PharmD, Director – Pharmacy/Non-Acute Sourcing, Universal Health Services, explained that the category encompasses a wide range of practice settings, including:
- Behavioral health services (including residential and outpatient treatment centers),
- Multi-specialty physician clinics
- Urgent care centers
- Ambulatory surgery centers
- Even telemedicine services.
“These sites are often more convenient and less expensive for patients, meaning that a larger, more diverse patient population can access healthcare,” she said. “Finally, use of these sites frees up our hospitals and emergency rooms for those patients who require a more acute level of care.”
In this issue we talked to several leading non-acute supply chain leaders. We wanted to know about the unique aspects of servicing non-acute facilities, what kinds of initiatives they are coordinating, what skills are needed to lead a non-acute supply chain team, and what they believe the future holds for this sector of the industry.
It’s timely information as healthcare is moving beyond the traditional four walls of a hospital. Another non-acute supply chain leader, Bill Born, Director, Goshen Physicians, described how his organization is partnering with local employers for onsite clinics that offer traditional care and wellness services to patients that in some cases haven’t gone to see a physician in years.
“It is about access and preventive care. Our onsite model has and will continue to reach community members who have not made wellness a priority,” he said.
Indeed, alternate care sites often succeed in delivering more efficient and cost-effective care for optimal patient care, said another non-acute supply chain leader Alan R. Ready Jr., Sr. Manager, Advancement & Operations, Corporate Supply Chain, Yale New Haven Health.
“Decongesting our nation’s acute locations allows hospitals to do what they do best: treat higher acuity patients,” he said. “
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.
John Pritchard