The Healthcare Hub
Today kicks off the first full day* of the 2013 Healthcare Supply Chain Summit in Las Vegas. This morning saw keynotes from our CEO Bruce Johnson and CCO Derek Smith that addressed the theme of the Summit – “We are Change” – and set the tone for what will be an informative and fruitful few days.
The healthcare industry is in the midst of great change, yet it is also a time of great opportunity for providers and suppliers to embrace those changes and work collaboratively to create the future state of healthcare. The theme of “We are Change” reflects the urgent need for healthcare organizations to challenge the status quo, collaborate with supply chain trading partners and work to be the change agents for the new age of healthcare.
Our fearless leader, Bruce Johnson, kicked off the Summit by challenging attendees to create a sense of urgency, think differently and embrace risk when it comes to the new healthcare industry. Bruce used the book, “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” by Garth Stein as a metaphor for managing change and embracing risk. The racetrack is healthcare, the car is the supply chain and the driver is a healthcare professional. The rain represents healthcare’s change. And today, it’s like driving a high-powered machine on a rain-slicked track.
Bruce told the audience of 600 attendees to, “Be that change leader for healthcare who masters the track, rain and all; be the one who has your eyes fixed down the course, undistracted by the wall; be the one who acts with urgency to maintain the pole position not only in your organization but for all of healthcare.”
Derek Smith, our chief commercial officer, followed Bruce’s keynote and talked about the significant industry opportunity in the implantable device supply chain (IDSC). Today’s IDSC is broken; in fact, it costs the industry an estimated $5 billion a year due to gross inefficiencies. Derek discussed how GHX is taking on the role as a change agent by delivering the industry’s first IDSC solution – just like it was a change agent 13 years ago with the formation of the largest trading community in healthcare.
According to Derek, “Our [GHX] mantra is to be a change leader for healthcare. Our mission is better patient care and billions in savings for the healthcare community by maximizing automation, efficiency and accuracy of business processes. This is about our core. This is about who GHX is. You’ve heard us talk about this year after year. It’s why GHX, unlike all the other companies knocking on your door, has focused on the healthcare community – excluding none – because it’s the only way we can all win. Not just providers; not just suppliers. All of us. Together.”
Keep checking back to the Healthcare Hub for more Summit information and recaps; and follow the event in real time on Twitter with #ghx13.
*Yesterday we had some great pre-conference sessions that we will recap in the coming weeks on the Healthcare Hub.