One thing no one has on their wish list for this gift-giving season is the flu. Getting the flu vaccine is the starting point for reducing the number of flu cases. With the unpredictability in the severity of the flu season from year to year, hospitals are increasingly enforcing a “zero tolerance” policy for flu vaccination for vendor representatives in addition to employees as part of an overall patient safety strategy. GHX is aware of more than 300 health system networks enforcing the influenza vaccine, and we have processed over 86,600 flu documents this season. As such, this is a good reminder that credentialing, and vaccine requirements, are all about protecting patients and hospital staff.

Collaboration between supply chain and other functional areas of healthcare will be critical in driving the next level of innovation in healthcare. It's no wonder that supply chain teams are called upon to facilitate the collaboration necessary to tackle cost, quality, and outcomes given the immense value found in supply chain data and expertise. The importance of both the data and expertise will continue to grow in a value-based healthcare environment.

In 2013, around the same time that value-based purchasing and alternate payment models hit the healthcare scene, the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) launched its Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) Movement, which frames the new role that supply chain professionals play in today’s value-based healthcare environment.

The outlook for the 2019 healthcare supply chain is an ebb and flow of constantly responding to changing direction and approach to process improvement, new technologies and changing industry trends. The landscape is becoming more and more complex for our leaders to navigate, and keep pace, while continuing to demonstrate financial improvements across the organization.

Healthcare organizations today are taking a step back to evaluate the approach to patient care environments while improving standards for Cost, Quality, and Outcomes (CQO). We are beginning to see many new partnerships in the provider space for innovative strategies to address rising supply costs, clinical demands and financial responsibility.

Why can’t we agree upon standardized product identifiers within healthcare organizations?  

During the 2018 GHX Healthcare Supply Chain Summit, Terrie L. Reed, M.S. Industrial Engineering, FDA senior advisor for UDI Adoption, and Susan A. Morris, healthcare executive at Cerner, facilitated a discussion around the challenges that are holding healthcare providers back from implementing unique device identifiers (UDI) for products used in patient care. While many leading health systems and hospitals have begun using UDIs within their supply chain operations, there is still much work to do and obstacles to overcome in order to bridge the UDI over to the clinical side of care.

Day Sales Outstanding (DSO). It's on the minds of a lot of healthcare suppliers as of late. That's because the timeliness of your accounts receivables directly correlates to cash flow, which reflects the health of your business and ability to invest in more inventory, parts and people. Essentially, the number of days it takes to receive payments from customers can impact your ability to grow and invest in your business.

Adding complexity to the matter is that oftentimes healthcare providers would like to hang onto their cash as long as possible in order to improve their own cash position. Not to mention, the healthcare industry is navigating significant changes that can be felt in a number of ways. Many suppliers are feeling the pressure in cost containment, payment automation, credit card fees, provider demands and expectations, and the need for more efficient processes.