|
Mountain States MM team leader highlights
motivations behind their growth
by Rick Dana Barlow
C ultivating a multistate
integrated delivery network in a more rural region can be
challenging enough but constructing an effective and efficient
corporate-level materials management operation uniting the disparate
facilities can be an even greater hurdle.
But that didn’t sway the team at Johnson City,
TN-based Mountain States Health Alliance, led by Dale Claytore, vice
president. Four years ago, MSHA launched an initiative to centralize
its supply chain operations, an effort that earned the organization
the 2009 Materials Management Department of the Year award from
Healthcare Purchasing News.
Claytore shared with HPN Senior Editor Rick
Dana Barlow his team’s attitudes and motivations behind what, how
and why they do what they do as a glimpse into what makes them so
successful.
HPN: What’s the secret formula that makes a leader
in supply chain management and how does your department implement
that secret formula?
 |
|
Dale Claytore |
CLAYTORE: There is no
secret formula. It’s all about hard work and great people. It’s a
combination of hiring the right people who genuinely embrace the
mission, vision and values of the organization. Folks who truly
believe they are part of the healthcare delivery process. We are
referring to people with an exceptional work ethic, who are focused,
possess common sense and are unafraid of change.
The next big trend in healthcare supply chain
management will be… what? Why?
The ‘next big trend’ in healthcare supply chain
management is technology that is commonly used by the commercial
retailing giants; e.g., RFID, inventory management, mandatory
delivery schedules, wireless infrastructure, etc. Since capital
dollars are scarce in the healthcare industry, it is challenging to
get a supply chain enhancement approved. Understandably, healthcare
leaders opt for projects with the most significant return on
investment. As a result, supply chain leaders must present a
compelling case for needed supply chain management upgrades and
continue to find ways to get the job done with outdated systems.
Some in the "C-suite" have criticized materials
managers for being too technical and not strategic enough to "join
their club." Do you agree? Why?
MSHA has developed an effective strategic planning
process. Strategic goals cascade down from the corporate level to
the hospitals to the departments and subsequently to the various
front line work units. Concurrently, the organization’s key business
units and its key support entities create viable strategic work
plans that are consistent with the organization’s goals. To this
end, a Supply Chain Strategic Plan is created each year and serves
as the compass for benefit added initiatives. While MSHA’s supply
chain leaders are passionate about being part of daily healthcare
delivery, they are sufficiently strategic in vision and purpose.
What specific project did materials management
complete where you felt they didn’t lived up to your expectations?
There have only been a few projects that did not pan
out as planned. The common denominator was unanticipated changes in
the external environment.
What specific project did your department complete
where you felt they exceeded your expectations?
The Vendor Certification Program, The Recall, Alert,
and Advisory Center (TRAAC) and the establishment of the Corporate
Contracting department have all exceeded our expectations.
If you could change one thing about your facility’s
materials management department, what would it be and why?
We need more space in order to be more effective.
Our flagship hospital was built 30 years ago. As a result of the
addition of new programs and clinical functionality, the hospital’s
footprint was increased significantly over the years, while the
materials space has decreased.
In your opinion, what is your department’s toughest
administrative challenge? How might you solve it?
We need to be grooming tomorrow’s supply chain
leaders today. To this end, Materials Management should develop (in
concert with the organization’s HR team) internships for college
juniors and subsequently provide attractive jobs for the most
promising talent.
What is your department’s toughest operational
challenge? How might you solve it?
An everyday challenge is coping with individual
interests in order to maximize the contribution to the whole.
What are your top three priorities for the remainder
of 2009 and for 2010?
1. Maximize deep discount purchasing of equipment
for newest hospital being constructed.
2. Maximize the value of a recently acquired spend
analytic tool that will enable us to benchmark our entire
corporation’s spend.
3. Establish a supply distribution center that
includes facilities for preparing sterile custom and minor surgical
packs.
What do you believe are some barriers to growth for
your department in the future and how do you plan to overcome them?
Scarce capital dollars for supply management tools
is a barrier to becoming all that we can be. The remedy is to
continue to demonstrate daily value and only request capital for
those things that are truly beneficial.
What’s the most enjoyable part of your department’s
function?
It is gratifying to be part of an organization that
professionally and compassionately meets the healthcare needs of the
community.
What’s the one project or task you’ve always wanted
materials management to tackle but the department has yet to pick up
the ball?
Establish a supply distribution center that includes
facilities for preparing sterile custom and minor surgical packs.
What are some practical, common sense ways that
materials managers can keep patient satisfaction in mind as they’re
performing their duties?
Everyone in the supply chain should realize that
they are indirect healthcare deliverers — an important part of the
overall healthcare delivery process.
If you could change one public perception of your
department, what would it be and why?
With the advent of increased education and
electronic data management, the former image of being just ‘box
handlers’ has largely dissipated. The image of Materials Management
team members has vastly improved in recent years.
What’s the one job/assignment your department
probably should have turned down?
Materials Management attempted to ‘police’ non-safe
supplies. The current system is working much better in that others
have the responsibility for federal OSHA, Tennessee OSHA, and/or
State of Tennessee compliance. Materials Management supports or
implements the final decision of those responsible.
What’s the most creative thing your department has
ever done?
The Recall, Alert, and Advisory Center (TRAAC).
How can materials managers collaborate with other
departments and professionals and convince them that their decisions
are based on the financial health of the organization and not in
denying them quality products or dictating patient care as the
clinicians might tell the CEOs?
With regard to supply selection and acquisition, the
supply selection process used by each Value Analysis Team minimizes
barriers between the clinical end-users and Materials Management.
The selection process asks the following questions: (1) Is the new
item efficacious? (2) If this item is purchased, what can be removed
from the supply chain master item file? (3) What is the patient and
team member safety record of this item? (4) Is the price fair? (5)
Is it ‘green?’
What advice do you have for professionals outside of
healthcare wanting to enter into the field of healthcare materials
management?
Seek first-hand information about the industry
before you make the job change. Healthcare is a very unique
industry. It the only industry in which the consumer rarely pays the
bill – the bill is usually paid by a third party payer or the
government. It’s the only industry that is capitalism on the supply
side and socialism is on the revenue side. A person interested in
working in the healthcare industry is encouraged to do his/her
homework. |
