Q
& A with Patrick Wirfel - Be proud of your career path 
 Material
managers should be proud of the career path they have chosen, says Patrick
Wirfel, the new president of the Association for Healthcare Resource
and Materials Management. Wirfel recently spoke with Healthcare Purchasing
News about the future of material managers, noting that too many are
settling for the status quo. Wirfel is director of material management
at Simi Valley Hospital and Health Care Services, Simi Valley, CA.
HPN: What is the biggest
challenge facing your members/the profession?
Wirfel:
We are all trying to possess sufficient knowledge and have adequate
skills to address the ever-changing requirements of our profession.
Our responsibilities are probably the most diverse within the healthcare
field, without taking credit away from our administrators. The qualifications
for quality resource and material managers have risen quickly, while
the job expectations placed upon us have also increased. These factors
allow us little time and force us to be very selective in finding quality
education programs to enhance our professional skills.
HPN: We've heard a lot
about pessimism and challenges. What do material managers actually have
to be positive about?
Wirfel:
We should be proud that the career paths we've selected to follow are
now becoming both highly respected and are gaining prestige in the healthcare
marketplace. A few years ago, I remember many material management peers
feared job elimination or a downgraded job position, but instead there
is now demand for quality resource and material managers. Administrators
are looking for these quality individuals to find the solutions and
drive cost out of their facilities' supply chains.
HPN:
What's one of the most intriguing cost-cutting innovations you have
heard about recently?
Wirfel:
I would say reprocessing of single-use devices may become a predominant
method that has been intriguing me recently. I've spent some time researching
the potential of this program and found it may have much more financial
impact than I had originally anticipated.
HPN:
You work in California, where the first needlestick safety law was passed
two years ago. What's your advice to colleagues and purchasers around
the rest of the country who now must follow in your footsteps?
Wirfel:
A multidiscipline team approach to look at the entire array of products
covered by the legislation seems to be a successful method. One can't
look at this matter from a financial cost perspective since regulatory
agencies look to see that end-user comfort levels are met and that they
had involvement during the selection of the safety products. Be sure
to look for all areas within the business to assure their safety needs
are met, for example, with phlebotomy products. And finally, work closely
with your business partners to review all options of safety products
available since some vendors have various safety-product options.
HPN:
What's the best wrinkle you've heard about or done for forging useful
relationships with doctors and other clinicians?
Wirfel: Since service is a key component of my responsibility,
I'm proud to serve as a "key resource person" for my organization. When
clinicians or physicians bring their requirements to me, I'm proud to
know that I have many resources available to help resolve the situation.
Our professional responsibilities are so diverse, we naturally have
appropriate answers for our customers' questions. But the key to gaining
these individuals' loyalty is to be visible, trustworthy and dependable
to them. Only then will these individuals be willing to work together
on mutually beneficial projects.
HPN:
What's the most common purchasing mistake you're seeing?
Wirfel:
Many individuals follow the status-quo approach, instead of researching
opportunities for improvement. By proactively improving our processes
and providing alternatives to our customers, we can avoid the age-old
situation of being reactive to our customers' needs. When we proactively
approach all matters, we will be perceived by our customers to be leaders
and innovators.
HPN:
What do you think is the most often overlooked area for achieving savings?
Wirfel:
Many administrators are unaware of their material manager's knowledge
and ability to address utilization issues. Many organizations would
achieve additional results if they recognized their material manager's
proficiencies. By looking at product consumption trends, dissecting
usage data and empowering their material managers to provide cost-effective
product alternatives to current item standards, organizations could
realize substantial expense reductions.
HPN:
What do you consider the turning point in your career advancement?
Wirfel:
When I attended my first Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials
Management's annual conference and exhibition. Attending this event
opened my eyes to the profession that I wanted to pursue and the abundant
resources - networks of professionals, education, certification programs
- were available to assist me with my career development.
HPN:
What new projects or ideas do you want the association membership, or
material managers in general, to start in 2001?
Wirfel:
Since we are at the dawn of e-commerce, I believe it will be important
for our profession to be closely involved with development of communication
protocols and language associated with it. There are many companies
and ideas moving forward with development of their business platforms/products.
With this happening, I feel strongly that resource and material managers
need to be proactively involved in setting the standards for these e-commerce
communication protocols. If we allow the development of various protocols,
we will find ourselves bound to one of these in the future and frustrated
if we need to change our business practices. I am looking to the AHRMM
Technology Committee to become an integral participant in the development
of standardized e-commerce communication protocols.
HPN
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