Blog Description Copyright @AnthonyDotNet https://www.bluepointscs.com Wed, 11 March 2026 13:36:09 Wed, 11 March 2026 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/11/meet-the-data-slayers/ Data Slayer Podcast Through the Data Slayer podcast, our subject matter experts will cover in-depth conversations on healthcare data, clinical research, industry trends, real-world stories, and more. Subscribe now !       Jennifer Doty SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Jennifer is our podcast host and Blue.Point’s business development specialist. By day, she’s out building partnerships, developing strategies, and helping organizations turn smart data into even smarter business decisions. Before entering the world of value analysis, Jennifer was creating YouTube content about her home state of New Hampshire, successfully closing real estate deals as a relocation expert—honing the art of building trust and turning conversations into opportunities. When she’s not networking at events and making new connections, Jennifer trades the business world for the spotlight: teaching ballroom dancing, playing clarinet in an orchestra, or delivering a karaoke performance like she’s headlining a world tour. Basically, if there’s a stage—or a podcast—Jennifer’s ready for it!   Anne Marie Orlando RN, CVAHP, CMRP, FAHVAP Anne Marie is a critical care nurse turned healthcare value analysis leader, bringing clinical insight to the decisions that shape hospital products, practice, and cost. With more than 20 years as a nurse in a variety of leadership roles, she’s seen firsthand how clinical decisions, contracts, and outcomes collide. Now, as Vice President of Clinical Services at Yankee Alliance and BluePoint Supply Chain Solutions, she works to turn clinical evidence and data into real hospital impact. When she’s not talking value analysis, you’ll likely find her gardening, baking sourdough, hiking New England trails, or negotiating couch space with her very loyal American Bully, who doubles as her full-time head of security.   Sarah Hobbs MSN, RN, CCRN, CVAHP, LSSGB Sarah Hobbs, MSN, RN, CCRN, CVAHP, LSSGB, a clinical and operational leader with over 20 years of healthcare experience. A critical care nurse at heart, Sarah excels at transforming complex clinical and operational data into clear, actionable insights. Now, as the Clinical Program Director at Blue.Point, Sarah has a unique talent for breaking down complicated information so effectively that teams walk away thinking, “Oh, now that makes sense.” Beyond her professional expertise, Sarah is her 3 children’s biggest cheerleader, and she is also a two-time marathon finisher, proof that she willingly takes on the hard things and keeps going long after the point most people would have stopped.    Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/11/meet-the-data-slayers/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/11/meet-the-data-slayers/ Wed, 11 March 2026 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/03/sturdy-memorial-leadership-drive-utilization-success-in-patient-slippers/ Sturdy Memorial Hospital, a 142-bed full-service health system, is committed to balancing high-quality patient care with operational efficiency. By leveraging Blue.Point’s product utilization tool in partnership with Yankee Alliance, the hospital recently uncovered an unexpected savings opportunity within a common commodity: patient slippers. The analytics from Blue.Point revealed that Sturdy Memorial’s slipper usage was more than four times higher than any other Yankee Alliance member. This outlier prompted the Sturdy Value Analysis (VA) team, spearheaded by the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), to conduct random audits of their departments to observe patient slippers and see exactly how and where they were being used. Blue.Point solutions revealed: • Sturdy was placing 1-2 pairs of patient slippers in their “welcome bins”. • Every patient receiving any MRI, CT Scan, or Ultrasound was given a pair of slippers to use to walk from the changing area to the radiology suite. Guided by these insights, Sturdy shifted away from “welcome bins”, replacing them with a more concierge service approach. Additionally, patient receiving any MRI, CT Scan, or Ultrasound were given a pair of slippers to use to walk from the changing area to the radiology suite. By implementing utilization changes, Sturdy Memorial Hospital achieved $19,500 in savings without compromising the patient experience. By combining Blue.Point’s product utilization tool with strong clinical leadership, Sturdy Memorial has set a new standard for how small commodities can make a big impact on their bottom line.   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/03/sturdy-memorial-leadership-drive-utilization-success-in-patient-slippers/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/march/03/sturdy-memorial-leadership-drive-utilization-success-in-patient-slippers/ Tue, 03 March 2026 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/february/26/no-more-surprises-the-path-to-improved-utilization-best-practices/ In the world of Hospital Value Analysis, the word "Surprise" usually signals a challenge. To a clinician, "surprises" can mean one or two things: a breakthrough innovation that could change patients’ lives or a product that does not deliver the quality outcomes desired. Actionable Insights, Not Just Analytics At Blue.Point, we believe the best surprises aren't spontaneous, they’re data-driven and evidence-based. Our mission isn't to say "no" to innovation. It's to guide customers to find the path to "yes" through evidence, standardization, and fiscal responsibility. We turn raw data into actionable information and ensure you are appropriately using the right products for the right patients by benchmarking your usage against best practices from hospitals across the country. Our Action Plan will highlight: • Your biggest opportunities. • Specific steps to take. • Where you’re already a “Top Performer”. By turning utilization "Surprises" into sustainable clinical solutions, we help facilities separate innovation from imitation and move towards products that support evidence-based practice that are proven and aligned with quality outcomes.   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/february/26/no-more-surprises-the-path-to-improved-utilization-best-practices/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/february/26/no-more-surprises-the-path-to-improved-utilization-best-practices/ Thu, 26 February 2026 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/january/13/health-system-saves-340k-by-addressing-external-catheter-overuse/ Southcoast Health, an 815-bed health system, leverages Blue.Point’s product utilization tool, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yankee Alliance, to uncover savings opportunities, support clinical initiatives, and enhance patient care. When Southcoast’s Value Analysis team observed a notable rise in both cost and overutilization of external catheters, they turned to Yankee Alliance and Blue.Point’s External Catheter Utilization Study and Action Plan for support. To begin, the Value Analysis team partnered with a Yankee Alliance clinical expert to assess their external catheter usage and identify opportunities for improvement. Kicking off the project with Blue.Point’s comprehensive utilization study and a custom action plan provided the team critical insights that enabled them to evaluate their external catheter usage practices in depth. Through this collaboration, Southcoast’s Value Analysis team was able to pinpoint key areas for improvement and implement targeted strategies to increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary use. The tailored action plan proved to be a highly cost-effective solution, ultimately helping the health system realize savings of $340,000 over the course of one year. Blue.Point solutions revealed: • The opportunity to establish and educate staff on standardized criteria for use • Evidence-based changes supported by unbiased clinical research • Significant savings when streamlining inventory Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/january/13/health-system-saves-340k-by-addressing-external-catheter-overuse/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2026/january/13/health-system-saves-340k-by-addressing-external-catheter-overuse/ Tue, 13 January 2026 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/november/18/are-rainbow-blood-draws-still-necessary/ Written by: Claire Knaplund, RN, BSN Collecting multiple extra blood tubes—often referred to as “rainbow draws”—has traditionally been used in emergency departments to anticipate potential add-on testing. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that this practice often results in unnecessary blood collection, increased waste, and additional supply costs. Blue.Point customers spent approximately $2.5 M on Vacuum Collection Tubes in the most current date range.   What the Evidence Shows   Recent research consistently demonstrates that most extra tubes collected during rainbow draws are not used for patient testing: - A 2024 cross-sectional survey of 138 laboratories found that **57%** of laboratories routinely performed rainbow draws in the ED, but only **16%** had a formal policy guiding this practice (Potter et al., 2024). - A retrospective analysis of 370,601 extra tubes showed that **only 7%** were used for add-on testing, with usage particularly low in emergency departments (Knauer et al., 2023). - Another ED-based study reported that only **8.3%** of rainbow collections resulted in all tubes being used, contributing to more than **240 liters of wasted blood annually** at a single site (Snozek et al., 2019).   Guideline Perspective   - No U.S. guidelines currently recommend rainbow draws, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) venipuncture standards **do not address** the collection of extra tubes. - European emergency medicine and laboratory societies explicitly **recommend against** collecting a standard set of tubes for all adult ED patients (EUSEM/EUSEN/EFLM Guidelines, 2024).   Why This Matters - Reducing unnecessary blood loss supports patient safety—especially in vulnerable populations. - During supply-chain constraints, unnecessary tube usage magnifies shortages of key tube types (light green, light blue, lavender, etc.). - Eliminating unused extra tubes directly reduces both waste and clinical supply expense. - Evidence suggests rainbow draws are a habit rather than a standard of care.   Opportunities for Improvement Quality improvement initiatives have successfully reduced rainbow draws by: - Developing clear criteria for when extra tubes are clinically appropriate - Updating phlebotomy workflows - Educating staff on evidence-based practices - Monitoring add-on test utilization trends   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529.     References   Potter, S., Rudolf, J. W., & Pearson, L. N. (2024). *Rainbow phlebotomy collection and urine aliquots for emergency department add-on testing in the era of pandemic-driven supply shortages*. **Laboratory Medicine, 55**(5), 585–589.   Knauer, M., Stevic, I., MacDonald, C., Bhayana, V., Bolsover, J., Smith, L., & Chin-Yee, I. (2023). *Every Tube Counts: reducing extra tubes drawn in the emergency department*. **BMJ Open Quality, 12**(4).   Snozek, C. L., Hernandez, J. S., & Traub, S. J. (2019). *“Rainbow draws” in the emergency department: clinical utility and staff perceptions*. **Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 4**(2), 229–234.   Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). *Procedures for the Collection of Diagnostic Blood Specimens by Venipuncture (GP41)*.   European Society for Emergency Medicine, European Society for Emergency Nursing, & European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group. (2024). *Recommendations for blood sampling in emergency departments*. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/november/18/are-rainbow-blood-draws-still-necessary/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/november/18/are-rainbow-blood-draws-still-necessary/ Tue, 18 November 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/september/18/from-evidence-to-action-where-to-begin/ Written by: Claire Knaplund, RN, BSN In a sea of healthcare products and processes, a structured approach to selection and implementation is necessary. This cannot be done without a literature review of the available evidence. During the review, products that have not been rigorously evaluated may be identified and flagged as exclusionary from consideration. Clinical practices evolve as new research emerges and demand up-to-date attention to ensure safety for patients and healthcare providers. Real-world practice and preferences provide valuable insights into clinical realities but may not reflect best practices or current guidelines.   Examples: A wound care formulary that may be outdated or redundant A gloving practice that is not rooted in evidence   These practices can be firmly embedded in an organization's culture, but they should be reviewed routinely to ensure alignment with current clinical evidence. Establish a balance of practical and validated findings to ensure the feasibility and adoption of high-quality products and processes.    Quick Reference for Evidence Appraisal Request a Copy   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/september/18/from-evidence-to-action-where-to-begin/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/september/18/from-evidence-to-action-where-to-begin/ Thu, 18 September 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/august/19/implementing-a-bluepoint-utilization-project/ Blue.Point is diving into strategies for effectively approaching any of our 91 utilization studies. Our unique advantage is that we go beyond simply identifying opportunities to standardize a product — we also evaluate opportunities based on clinical features and functionalities.   We’ve broken this process into five clear phases: - Discovery Phase - Information Gathering Phase - Development Phase - Execution Phase - Monitoring Phase Each phase includes clear milestones and defined tasks that are critical to the success of any project. To make this resource as practical as possible, we’ve made it available for download, allowing you to share it with your team easily. And while the guide is designed to be self-sufficient, our team is always available to walk you through a comprehensive review, answer questions, and help you apply it effectively to your specific initiatives. Download a Copy   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/august/19/implementing-a-bluepoint-utilization-project/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/august/19/implementing-a-bluepoint-utilization-project/ Tue, 19 August 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/june/26/impact-story-disposable-patient-transfer-devices/ By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP Impact Story: Disposable Patient Transfer Devices Blue.Point’s Target Savings Report highlighted a utilization opportunity for a 1400-bed health system. Usage data revealed a high number of disposable patient transfer devices compared to benchmark data. A closer examination of the usage identified one department as the primary driver of the variance. Initial conversations with clinical leaders identified staff and patient safety as the primary reasons for high utilization rates. Given that usage was significantly higher than benchmark data—and recognizing that hospitals have an inherent responsibility to ensure the safety of both patients and staff—the variance warranted further investigation before attributing it solely to safety concerns. This included a site visit to the department(s) in question. Observations were made of patients having more than one device and these devices were placed on ambulatory patients’ beds. Discussions with frontline staff revealed that every bed set up included these devices as a standard protocol.   Blue.Point’s clinical research guided conversations on developing evidence-based criteria for product use that uphold staff and patient safety while reducing overall utilization. Education for clinical staff was a key component of this project and was reinforced through ongoing communication and support. Twelve month tracking data showed an achieved savings of $938,210 which is a 48% spend reduction.   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/june/26/impact-story-disposable-patient-transfer-devices/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/june/26/impact-story-disposable-patient-transfer-devices/ Thu, 26 June 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/april/bluepoints-approach-to-non-labor-expense-reduction/ By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP - Non-Labor Costs Are a Major Expense – In most healthcare organizations, non-labor expenses (e.g., supplies, equipment, pharmaceuticals) can account for as much as 30-40%of the total budget. Reducing waste and optimizing utilization can significantly impact financial health without affecting staffing levels. - Cost Savings Without Compromising Care – Thoughtful product utilization ensures that reductions in expenses do not come at the cost of quality or patient outcomes. Evidence-based selection and standardization of products can improve efficiency while maintaining or enhancing care quality. - Data-Driven Decisions Matter – Leveraging utilization data helps identify variation in product use across departments, uncovering opportunities for standardization, bulk purchasing, and reducing redundant or clinically unnecessary items. - Engaging Clinicians is Essential – Cost-saving initiatives gain traction when frontline staff understand the "why" behind product selection and have a say in decision-making. Collaborative value analysis teams drive sustainable change. - The Hidden Costs of Waste & Preference Items – Unused, expired, or low-value items can quietly drain budgets. Reviewing preference items and aligning them with clinical effectiveness can lead to significant savings. - Supply Chain Efficiency Leads to Financial Stability – Efficient procurement and inventory management prevent overstocking and emergency purchases, which often come with premium pricing. - Small Changes, Big Impact – Even incremental shifts in product selection, standardization, and waste reduction can compound into substantial cost savings over time.   Below, you will see the Top 10 projects currently realizing savings for Blue.Point customers.     Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/april/bluepoints-approach-to-non-labor-expense-reduction/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/april/bluepoints-approach-to-non-labor-expense-reduction/ Wed, 09 April 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/march/18/peripheral-iv-access-study-reveals-a-703k-savings-for-a-health-system/ Impact Story: Peripheral IV Access Study Reveals a $703K Savings for a Health System Utilization opportunities identified by Blue.Point: Blue.Point's Target Report identified the savings opportunity. Action Plans revealed a high usage rate of ‘closed’ IV systems and overall IV catheters when compared to the benchmark. Additionally, significant product variations were found throughout the system contributing to practice variation. Based on the Blue.Point categorizations, the VA team uncovered many product variations throughout the organization. The team streamlined IVs based on the clinical features required for their patients and selected a single manufacture and product line. This eliminated variability in product and in clinical practice. Actions taken by facility: Value Analysis (VA) teams used BluePoint’s Clinical research to guide clinical conversations around identifying necessary IV features and establishing a peripheral IV formulary. Additionally, a gap assessment was performed for all IV protocols and training. The Blue.Point Clinical Overview included tools to identify patients who may have difficult IV access. Based on this, protocols were established to better identify these patients so that first stick successes increased. Following Blue.Point recommendations, the health system achieved a total savings of $703,813.   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/march/18/peripheral-iv-access-study-reveals-a-703k-savings-for-a-health-system/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/march/18/peripheral-iv-access-study-reveals-a-703k-savings-for-a-health-system/ Tue, 18 March 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/february/14/the-subtle-or-not-so-subtle-meaning-behind-i-can-t/ By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP I recently had a conversation with a colleague about the high cost of a certain category of medical devices purchased in their system.  Like many facilities, their spend is split between two rival manufacturers.  One manufacturer had market pricing, and the other manufacturer was 4 times that cost.  With both product lines being similar in form and function, I asked my colleague if products could be consolidated which would yield not only better pricing (with either of the manufacturers) but more importantly consistent patient care across the organization.  My colleague stated that the project was not pursued because surgeons on both sides stated that they couldn’t change.  They used the “I can’t” phrase that plagues many a value analysis (VA) committee into indecisiveness and stagnation.  While my colleague didn’t think too much about it, I needed to take a pause.  You see, the distinction between "I can't" and "I won't" is subtle but powerful, especially in healthcare, where language can reveal barriers to change. Understanding the difference between these phrases and their implications can help facilitate more productive VA discussions and drive meaningful improvements in clinical practice. In general, "I can't" is a statement of inability. The speaker perceives—or claims—that external constraints, resources, or skills prevent them from doing something. This phrase often implies a lack of control or helplessness, shifting responsibility away from the individual to external factors. For example, a surgeon might say, "I can't change the way I perform this procedure because the system doesn’t support it." This statement could stem from fear of failure, lack of confidence or training, or institutional and systemic barriers—whether real or perceived. On the other hand, "I won't" is a statement of unwillingness. It signifies a choice not to act, often based on personal beliefs, values, or priorities. This phrase implies ownership of the decision, even if not openly articulated. For instance, a surgeon might say, "I won’t change how I perform this procedure because I don’t believe the evidence supports it." The underlying factors in this case may include resistance to change, skepticism or distrust of new practices, or personal and professional preferences. In day-to-day practice, providers and other healthcare professionals may use "I can't" as a way to soften "I won't" because "I can't" is less confrontational and avoids direct accountability. Framing resistance as an external barrier can be less emotionally or professionally risky than admitting unwillingness. Additionally, some may subconsciously mean "I won't" but phrase it as "I can't" to avoid guilt or criticism. So, what do we, as VA and supply chain professionals, do to overcome this phrase? First, we must clarify the barrier, whether real or perceived.  To do this, ask open-ended questions to explore whether the obstacle is external ("I can't") or internal ("I won't"). You may ask "What makes this change difficult for you?".  You can also ask "What support or information would help make this feasible?".  Second, we must reframe the language.  By this, I mean we must encourage self-awareness and ownership of decisions.  Yes, this involves more questions such as "It sounds like this isn’t something you’re comfortable with right now. Can you share why?" or "Are there aspects of this change you feel ready to try?".  Third, you must provide evidence and support for the change.  You know I would work data into this discussion somehow.  This may be the foundation for change.  Share data or case studies, offer peer support or training, and address fears and misconceptions.  You also have to acknowledge that any change can be challenging but it is possible.  It is achievable.  Once you've identified the "why," this helps you address it with accuracy and removes any assumptions like the surgeon or provider is just “being difficult.”  They need to be heard and validated, as we all should.  Below are a few ways to address some specific concerns you may encounter:   -  If they lack trust in the evidence :   -  Share specific studies or real-world outcomes.   -  Connect them to peers who have successfully adopted the practice. -   If they fear negative outcomes :   -    Provide a safety net or pilot approach: "What if we try this on a small scale first and evaluate the results together?"   -    Is there advanced training and support offered for the provider and staff? -  If they’re concerned about autonomy :   -  Emphasize their role in tailoring the change to fit their practice.   -   “How could we adapt this (fill in the blank), so it works for you?" -  If time or resources are barriers :   -   Offer practical solutions: "What tools or support would make this easier for you?" By distinguishing between "I can't" and "I won't," and addressing the underlying motivations behind these statements, you can facilitate more meaningful conversations and drive change in a way that respects individual autonomy while ensuring the best outcomes for patients and healthcare systems alike. Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/february/14/the-subtle-or-not-so-subtle-meaning-behind-i-can-t/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/february/14/the-subtle-or-not-so-subtle-meaning-behind-i-can-t/ Fri, 14 February 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/january/13/addressing-sustainability-in-acute-care-transforming-clinical-practices-for-a-greener-future/ By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP   Acute care hospitals play a critical role in healthcare delivery, but their operations can leave a significant environmental footprint. From energy consumption to waste generation, the daily activities of hospitals can challenge sustainability efforts. According to the October 2019 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), waste in the US Healthcare System is estimated to be 25% of healthcare spending.  This equates from a low of $760 billion to a high of $935 billion.  Despite these challenges, focusing on clinical product utilization, reprocessing initiatives, and waste reduction, hospitals can align their practices with a greener future.  Hospitals can no longer rely only on price at the pump conversations to make an impact on their organization.  We must rethink product usage.  The selection and use of clinical products directly impacts both operational efficiencies and sustainability efforts. Acute care hospitals can achieve significant environmental benefits by standardizing product selection.  Streamlining the number of products used reduces redundancy and improves inventory efficiency. Evaluate and move to sustainable alternatives when it makes clinical sense.  Select products with biodegradable or reduced packaging, reusable materials, or a reduced carbon footprint offer eco-friendly solutions without compromising quality. Hospitals should strengthen their efforts by implementing and expanding programs to reprocess single-use devices (SUDs).  This is a powerful way to reduce costs and environmental impact. These programs allow hospitals or vetted third parties to safely sterilize for reuse certain devices, thereby extending their lifecycle and preventing them from being prematurely discarded. The benefits include cost savings by lowering the need for new product purchases, reduced raw material consumption, and promoting environmental stewardship at all levels of the organization. Making changes to clinical product utilization as a sustainability practice can also decrease regulated medical waste.  Regulated medical waste (RMW), including sharps and infectious materials, requires costly and environmentally harmful disposal methods like incineration. By minimizing the generation of RMW, hospitals can save money and reduce their ecological impact. Some key strategies include proper training of systems to ensure that only actual RMW is disposed of in designated containers.  Optimizing clinical practices generates less waste overall and can have a meaningful impact. Tracking sustainability efforts requires hospitals to leverage data and technology in order to ensure their efforts are impactful.  Data analytics and benchmarking tools, such as Blue.Point, empower hospitals to make informed decisions about clinical product utilization and how it affects waste management. By tracking usage patterns and identifying opportunities for improvement, hospitals can avoid overordering and subsequent product expiration, increase recycling rates, and monitor their success. A hospital-wide commitment to sustainability requires education and engagement at every level. Clinicians and staff can play a pivotal role in these efforts by participating in training on sustainable product usage and waste segregation, identifying and reporting inefficiencies in clinical product utilization, and championing sustainability initiatives across departments. Sustainability in acute care is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a necessity. Hospitals that prioritize clinical product utilization, invest in reprocessing programs, and reduce regulated medical waste are leading the way in creating a healthcare system that cares for both patients and the planet.  By embracing these strategies, acute care hospitals can achieve significant cost savings, reduce their environmental impact, and position themselves as leaders in sustainability. Together, we can ensure that the healthcare we deliver today doesn't compromise the health of future generations. Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/january/13/addressing-sustainability-in-acute-care-transforming-clinical-practices-for-a-greener-future/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2025/january/13/addressing-sustainability-in-acute-care-transforming-clinical-practices-for-a-greener-future/ Mon, 13 January 2025 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/november/real-world-validation-integrity-in-clinical-product-evaluations/ By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP A key function of an effective value analysis or supply chain process is conducting clinical product trials, whether for new product implementation or manufacturer product conversions. These principles also extend to staff education and competency development. One critical aspect of successful trials is ensuring that products are tested in the actual environment where they will be used. This step is essential for several important reasons, which are outlined below. Evaluating products in their intended environment ensures an accurate assessment of their usability and performance. In a clinical setting, staff need to work efficiently and quickly, often under pressure. Testing products like disinfecting agents, exam gloves, defibrillator pads, and other supplies within the hospital setting allows us to evaluate whether these products perform reliably under the specific conditions they’ll face in day-to-day hospital use. A product that performs well in a controlled environment, such as trialing a cleaning agent or gloves at a conference or your home, may fail to meet the demands of a high-stress, high-frequency hospital environment. Healthcare facilities must comply with strict standards regarding safety and compliance. By testing products in the actual environment they will be used, we can identify any potential compliance issues before full implementation. This ensures they meet safety standards, reducing the risk of regulatory non-compliance. Certain products like disinfecting agents, require the hospital’s unique environmental factors—such as ventilation and hospital-grade surfaces. These disinfecting agents must be EPA registered and require validation for use by many equipment manufacturers. Any variation in product testing can affect their performance. Testing in the intended environment provides insights into how these products respond to such variables, ensuring they’re effective and compatible with hospital operations. Engaging healthcare professionals in the actual environment allows them to provide real-time feedback on ease of use, efficacy, and practicality. Staff may find that certain products do not meet the needs of their specific workflows, or they may identify ergonomic or functional issues that aren’t apparent outside the hospital. This input is invaluable for determining which products are most effective and practical for actual use. Ensure this feedback is collected in a way it can be analyzed and reviewed with specifics, not anecdotally stated. Products tested and selected without hospital-specific trials may lead to increased waste if they’re ultimately found unsuitable. Reallocating resources to purchase and test products in the hospital reduces the risk of adopting items that incur unexpected costs due to waste, inefficiency, or lack of compatibility. Since the end goal is to improve patient outcomes, testing products in the environment where they will be used ensures they contribute effectively to patient care. For instance, the application of a certain dressing or the effectiveness of a disinfecting agent can impact infection control measures, which are critical in hospitals. Overall, hospital-based testing aligns product selection with real-world usage, helps control costs, improves staff efficiency, and enhances patient outcomes—factors that are crucial for any healthcare value analysis team or supply chain operation focused on delivering quality patient care.   Want to learn more about Blue.Point?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/november/real-world-validation-integrity-in-clinical-product-evaluations/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/november/real-world-validation-integrity-in-clinical-product-evaluations/ Tue, 19 November 2024 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/new-and-improved-platform-is-now-live/ Blue.Point is constantly working behind the scenes to improve user experience. Our team has worked diligently over the last year building a NEW platform from the ground up. This platform will enhance your navigation experience and bring additional value to our customers with a cleaner look, new features, and fast project management. Its new look maintains our core concepts and functionality while allowing more flexibility for future improvements in providing client support.   Want to learn more about our platform?   Contact us today for a free product demo or for more information contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/new-and-improved-platform-is-now-live/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/new-and-improved-platform-is-now-live/ Thu, 14 November 2024 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/october/11/saline-conservation-strategies/ Conservation strategies in the healthcare supply chain are essential for reducing costs, minimizing waste, and ensuring resource availability. They also enhance clinical quality, sustainability, and support crisis preparedness by optimizing supply utilization and standardization. If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com .   Learn More https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/october/11/saline-conservation-strategies/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/october/11/saline-conservation-strategies/ Fri, 11 October 2024 08:58:16 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/a-dive-into-iv-primary-tubing-utilization-saves-hospital-system-over-499k/ Southcoast Health a 815-bed health system, uses Blue.Point’s product utilization tool to identify opportunities that support the hospital’s initiatives, capture utilization savings, and improve the quality of care for their patients. Blue.Point's utilization study and custom action plan proved instrumental in aiding the hospital's value analysis team to conduct a thorough review of their IV primary tubing product process. By closely examining the utilization of IV primary tubing, the hospital’s value analysis team was able to identify areas for improvement and implement a customized action plan to enhance efficiency and reduce waste. The action plan recommendations for IV primary tubing, proved to be a highly cost-effective strategy for the hospital. Over the course of a year, the hospital achieved significant savings totaling $499,863 .   Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Eliminating pre-spiking of IV bags - Properly labeling IV tubing with expiration dates - Decrease the need to discard tubing and open a new set - Identified changes supported by unbiased clinical research - Significant savings when streamlining inventory management   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/a-dive-into-iv-primary-tubing-utilization-saves-hospital-system-over-499k/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/a-dive-into-iv-primary-tubing-utilization-saves-hospital-system-over-499k/ Fri, 26 July 2024 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/bluepoint-is-evolving/ In 2021, we first brought platform development in house so that we could better serve our customers. Now, three years later, we are ready to begin the next phase. We will soon unveil a new look and feel to our platform. This new look maintains our core concepts and functionality but will allow more flexibility with future improvements in client support and improved data graphics.   Is Blue.Point changing their methodology or functionality? No. Blue.Point’s methodologies and overall functionality viewing clinical product utilization data will remain the same. The new Blue.Point platform will, however, present a more user-friendly experience.   Will there be new features? Yes. While the overall functionality of dashboards remains the same, we have worked to streamline navigation, improve data graphics, and refresh user experience. The most notable changes occur in our Project Management dashboard. This will provide a much more robust experience with additional features geared towards helping customers achieve their savings goals.   Will there be a demo to the platform? Absolutely! Don't hesitate to request a free 30 minute demo to experience the platform firsthand and see how we can make a positive impact to your health care organization.   Stay tuned for the unveiling of our platform's new look and advanced functionalities, and get ready to take utilization to the next level.   Questions? Contact Jennifer Doty by email jdoty@bluepointscs.com or call 978-747-1529. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/bluepoint-is-evolving/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/bluepoint-is-evolving/ Thu, 02 May 2024 13:36:09 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/march/20/value-analysis-driving-improvements-in-clinical-and-financial-outcomes/ Blue.Point strives to enhance our customers' experience by finding new ways to add value. While we typically provide customers with savings opportunities and clinical research, we know that Value Analysis teams need the right tools and education to succeed in managing clinical improvement projects.  Therefore, we’ve added the following contact hour, professional development presentations to our service offerings, including:   - Value Analysis: Driving Improvements in Clinical and Financial Outcomes This contact hour program will provide valuable information and best practices to implement in your Value Analysis process. Blue.Point customers who participate in our FREE contact hour presentation, can earn 1.0 contact hour at completion.  - Utilization Mindset: What is it and how it can help your organization This contact hour program will review clinical product utilization and how it relates to evidence-based practice to support improved clinical outcomes and sustainable cost savings.  Blue.Point customers can earn 1.0 contact hour at completion.   These presentations delve into the fundamental concepts of value analysis within healthcare, exploring its origin and implications on healthcare systems. Furthermore, this continuing professional development activity in nursing was approved by the Northeast Multistate Division Education Unit , an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.          We encourage all Blue.Point customers to take advantage of this program, free of charge . New customers, interested in learning more about Blue.Point solutions, contact Anne Marie Orlando by email at  amorlando@bluepointscs.com or call 978-775-7950. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/march/20/value-analysis-driving-improvements-in-clinical-and-financial-outcomes/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/march/20/value-analysis-driving-improvements-in-clinical-and-financial-outcomes/ Wed, 20 March 2024 13:33:20 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/february/bluepoint-forms-new-partnership-with-magnet-group-gpo/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – FEBRUARY 2024, Andover, MA, –  MAGNET GROUP GPO, a group purchasing organization, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Blue.Point. Through Blue.Point’s data management tools, MAGNET GROUP GPO members can save by analyzing product utilization, identifying savings opportunities, maintaining clinical product quality, and progress tracking.   This partnership aims to bring product utilization with clinical best practices to uncover achievable savings for members that integrate Blue.Point into their facility. Blue.Point’s detailed analytics allow health systems to compare their usage and practice across their system to other IDNs. The  average savings per staffed bed is $6,000  for facilities that team up with Blue.Point.   “Blue.Point partners with health systems to identify utilization opportunities and align to clinical best practice – the result is consistent patient outcomes and generated savings. This is achieved through our robust comparator analytics and benchmarking tools that provide visibility into practices and products across departments and within a network. Furthermore, Blue.Point provides an achievable action plan, based on unbiased clinical research, as well as reporting capabilities to implement change and sustain savings,” said Vice President, Business Development, Laura Cieplik. As a recent example, our customized action plan helped to identify a higher than benchmark utilization rate of IV Primary Tubing. This saved a 200+ bed trauma center over $385K and better aligned the facility to their patients’ clinical needs.   MAGNET GROUP GPO members interested in uncovering achievable savings, or would like more information about Blue.Point can visit bluepointscs.com and request a free demo .   About Blue.Point Blue.Point partners with health system supply chain and value analysis teams to identify, implement, and sustain product utilization savings. We have built advanced data management capabilities that enable a health system to have unprecedented visibility into the products they are using on their patients to identify clinical practice variation. Blue.Point’s solutions support hospitals and healthcare providers by identifying, implementing, and sustaining changes to product selection and clinical practice variances that may affect the overall cost and quality of care. For more information visit  www.bluepointscs.com  or contact Anne Marie Orlando, Senior Director, Clinical Programs, at  amorlando@bluepointscs.com .   About MAGNET GROUP GPO Founded in 1979, MAGNET GROUP GPO is one of the oldest and most experienced group purchasing organizations in the country. MAGNET GROUP GPO is a specialty GPO with a portfolio focused on capital and small medical equipment, non-medical equipment, facilities related products, select medical products, technology products, and services. MAGNET GROUP GPO is “Your Other GPO” for simple secondary sourcing of quality products and services. Participants include all varieties of healthcare providers and non-healthcare entities, such as schools and small businesses. Participation is strictly voluntary. MAGNET GROUP GPO member facilities choose from a variety of no-hassle, national GPO contracts and never pay membership dues or fees. For more information, contact Diane Mase, President, at dmase@magnetgroup.com or visit www.magnetgroup.com/. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/february/bluepoint-forms-new-partnership-with-magnet-group-gpo/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2024/february/bluepoint-forms-new-partnership-with-magnet-group-gpo/ Wed, 14 February 2024 10:10:10 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/december/hospital-focuses-on-iv-start-kit-optimization-to-save-over-221k/ For a 271-bed hospital, optimizing their IV Start Kit was the main objective to decrease waste, maintain patient quality, and capture utilization cost savings. By turning to Blue.Point and leveraging the IV Start Kit study, it became apparent to the hospital their custom IV Start Kits contained several components with clinical features not used for most patients and came with a higher price point than comparative products. Internal discussions revealed the intention of the identified product was to ensure longer duration IVs were maintained until clinically indicated for removal; specifically for inpatient use. Blue.Point data showed that the feature-rich kit demonstrated product creep and was used throughout the outpatient areas. The hospital’s Vascular Access Nurse Leader identified departments that did not fully benefit from using the feature-rich IV Start Kit. To initiate change, Supply chain facilitated conversations between the preferred manufacturer and subject matter experts (SME) which included Supply chain, Nursing Leaders, Performance Improvement, Quality Specialist, and Vascular Specialist to determine an appropriate standard IV Start Kit. The team established a timeline to begin the product transition for identified departments. Once the transition to standard IV Start Kits was complete for selected departments, savings began to track, and post-conversion staff survey were scheduled. Following Blue.Point’s action plan, in one year, the hospital realized savings of $221,047. Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Product creep of feature-rich IV Start kit to the outpatient areas - Project must be spear-headed by facility SME - Identified changes supported by unbiased clinical research If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/december/hospital-focuses-on-iv-start-kit-optimization-to-save-over-221k/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/december/hospital-focuses-on-iv-start-kit-optimization-to-save-over-221k/ Wed, 27 December 2023 10:10:10 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/30/hospital-system-saves-over-87k-using-our-evacuated-containers-study/ Over a 12 month period, Blue.Point worked closely with a 1,400 bed hospital system to assess their usage of evacuated containers. Blue.Point’s action plan helped identify that the hospital system purchased high cost evacuated containers in comparison to top performing hospitals. Research showed the evacuated container was for sterile field use. Hospital clinicians verified containers were not being used on a sterile field and only needed a sterile fluid path. Based on Blue.Point’s action plan recommendations, the hospital moved to an evacuated container with sterile fluid paths to drive efficiency and generate savings of $87,772. Blue.Point solutions revealed: - System variance in comparison to top performing hospitals. - The system was paying double the cost for a clinical feature (completely sterile bottle) not needed to care for their patients. - Strategy to maintain clinical quality and obtain savings by eliminating costly features.   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/30/hospital-system-saves-over-87k-using-our-evacuated-containers-study/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/30/hospital-system-saves-over-87k-using-our-evacuated-containers-study/ Thu, 30 November 2023 14:36:32 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/13/importance-of-executive-support-to-drive-utilization/ I have spoken to many customers and potential customers about clinical product utilization and how it can be the key to sustainable savings and increased quality of care. While many teams charged with implementing utilization savings have support from their Executive Sponsor, I speak to just as many who lack this support. This creates a problematic savings journey to generate savings beyond the contract. The role of the Executive Sponsor is to support the efforts of the Value Analysis or Supply Chain team. Specifically, they should navigate complex decisions, establish effective communications, engage all stakeholders, and lower or remove barriers to implementation. The Executive Sponsor must understand the importance of their role and how it can impact their organization. A successful product utilization savings program's short-term benefits encompass several vital factors, such as improved clinical outcomes, heightened patient safety, and increased patient and clinician satisfaction. Along with these, we must also include enhanced operational efficiencies. Long-term benefits include a culture of quality and safety within the health system as evidence-based practices take precedence in strategic discussions. Clinical product utilization programs reinforce the sustainability of cost savings due to the optimization of supplies and waste reduction. In turn, this leads to better financial stability for the organization. Ultimately, none of the above can occur without strong Executive sponsorship, and as Value Analysis or Supply Chain professionals, we must ensure our Leaders understand the importance of their participation. Here are a few tips to help bring this awareness to your executive leadership: 1. Explain your role within the organization. The Executive Sponsor may know your title but may not understand all the aspects of the role and how it supports organizational goals. 2. Let them know the expectations of an Executive Sponsor (listed above) and that they are not needed daily. However, when called upon, it is because you have reached an impasse, and they will be the key to success. 3. Be judicious with requests. You do not need to employ their assistance with every obstacle.Choose projects that align with the goals of the organization. 4. When you do request assistance, be clear and concise. What is your ask? You must verbalize this clearly and explain why it is vital to the organization. 5. Build trust with your Executive Sponsor. You can do this by mitigating risks to the organization, proactively showing ROI and value to the organization, and providing positive feedback when they help bring success to a project. If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please contact Anne Marie Orlando, Senior Director, Clinical Programs, at  amorlando@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/13/importance-of-executive-support-to-drive-utilization/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/november/13/importance-of-executive-support-to-drive-utilization/ Mon, 13 November 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/october/hospital-focuses-on-negative-pressure-wound-therapy-products-to-save-over-125k/ Tufts Medical Center a 415-bed academic medical center, uses Blue.Point’s product utilization tool to identify opportunities that support the hospital’s initiatives, as well as improve the quality of care for their patients. Blue.Point’s utilization study and custom action plan helped the hospital’s value analysis team perform an extensive review of their negative pressure wound therapy product inventory. The utilization study and action plan provided Tufts Medical Center a better understanding of how their current negative pressure wound therapy product was being used at the hospital. That information also revealed an opportunity for the hospital to decrease product SKUs by standardizing with their incumbent supplier. Following Blue.Point’s action plan recommendations to decrease product SKUs while maintaining clinical quality, in one year, the hospital realized savings of $125,324. Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Opportunity in SKU reduction - Identified changes supported by unbiased clinical research - Enhanced tier pricing with better contract alignment - Significant savings when streamlining product offerings If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/october/hospital-focuses-on-negative-pressure-wound-therapy-products-to-save-over-125k/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/october/hospital-focuses-on-negative-pressure-wound-therapy-products-to-save-over-125k/ Wed, 25 October 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/september/29/south-county-hospital-focuses-on-incontinence-products-to-achieve-savings-of-5-000/ South County Hospital, a 100-bed acute care hospital, strives to provide top performing practices that offer improved quality of care for their patients. This is perfectly illustrated by aligning with Blue.Point’s utilization tools that focus on eliminating unnecessary variation in practice and product usage. South County Hospital worked with Blue.Point to evaluate their incontinence product usage. The evaluation revealed the hospital was using both incontinence pads and briefs on patients. This action resulted in excessive use of products, increased inventory cost, redundancy in clinical practice, and placed the patient at risk for skin injury. Blue.Point’s action plan recommended the hospital decrease their usage of high-cost briefs. This recommendation prompted the hospital to implement the suggested changes which included decreasing use of briefs on patients and inventory. Beyond achieved savings of $5,000 , in one year, this change in process not only helped the hospital reduce spend on products but improved outcomes by decreasing risks of infection and hospital acquired pressure injuries.   Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Opportunity to reduce product usage and inventory - Identified changes supported by unbiased clinical research - Significant savings and improved outcomes   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/september/29/south-county-hospital-focuses-on-incontinence-products-to-achieve-savings-of-5-000/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/september/29/south-county-hospital-focuses-on-incontinence-products-to-achieve-savings-of-5-000/ Fri, 29 September 2023 07:53:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/teaching-hospital-saves-126k-implementing-our-biosurgical-hemostasis-utilization-study/ Tufts Medical Center is a 415-bed academic medical center, serving patients from Boston communities and throughout New England. As a teaching hospital, Tufts Medical Center has a strong focus on process improvements that enhance patient care. They actively use Blue.Point’s product utilization tool to identify opportunities that support the hospital’s initiatives, as well as improve the quality of care for their patients. Blue.Point’s utilization study and custom action plan helped the hospital’s value analysis team and surgical subject matter expert perform an extensive review of their biosurgical hemostasis product inventory. The utilization study and action plan provided Tufts Medical Center a better understanding of how their current biosurgical hemostasis product was being used at the hospital. That information revealed an opportunity for the hospital to decrease product SKUs and maintain compliance with vendor contract requirements. Following Blue.Point’s action plan recommendations to decrease product SKUs while maintaining clinical quality, in one year, the hospital realized savings of $126,000 . Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Opportunity in SKU reduction - Identified changes supported by unbiased clinical research - Enhanced tier pricing with better contract alignment - Significant savings when streamlining product offerings If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/teaching-hospital-saves-126k-implementing-our-biosurgical-hemostasis-utilization-study/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/teaching-hospital-saves-126k-implementing-our-biosurgical-hemostasis-utilization-study/ Tue, 01 August 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/may/10/may-is-national-nurses-month/ May is National Nurses Month and an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of nurses and their role in promoting health and wellness.  Nurses are integral to the healthcare team, working alongside doctors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to provide patient-centered care.  They are often patients' first and last point of contact, providing a continuity of care critical to positive health outcomes.  The celebration began in 1993, when the American Nurses Association (ANA) designated May 6 th  as National Nurses Day to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.  In 1994, the ANA expanded the celebration to a week-long event; in 2003, it was extended to a month-long recognition. National Nurses Month is an opportunity to highlight the challenges that nurses face, including the increasing healthcare system demands, nursing shortages, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, providing essential care, comfort, and support to patients and their families.  Here, at Blue.Point, we are proud to work alongside our nurses and support nurses who care for patients at the facilities we serve.  Thank you for your contribution to healthcare, and Happy Nurses Month.  #ANANursesMonth #YouMakeADifference https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/may/10/may-is-national-nurses-month/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/may/10/may-is-national-nurses-month/ Wed, 10 May 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/march/27/hospital-system-saves-over-112k-using-our-external-patient-warming-study/ From a utilization and cost savings perspective, a 1,300 bed hospital system worked with Blue.Point to evaluate their usage of gown kits. Guided by Blue.Point’s External Patient Warming Utilization Study, the hospital analyzed product cost, waste, and clinical outcomes.   Blue.Point data revealed the hospital use of gown kits resulted in higher supply cost, showed increase in product waste, and had no significant impact to clinical outcomes. Using a custom action plan, the hospital eliminated the use of gown kit products in applicable departments, saving $112 , 081 in one year.   Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Blue.Point tools identified specific clinical features that contributed to higher supply cost. - Blue.Point’s proprietary data categorizations allowed for easy SKU identification. - Blue.Point’s unbiased clinical research supported identified changes.   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/march/27/hospital-system-saves-over-112k-using-our-external-patient-warming-study/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/march/27/hospital-system-saves-over-112k-using-our-external-patient-warming-study/ Mon, 27 March 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/sharesource-teams-up-with-bluepoint-scs-to-drive-utilization-efficiencies-and-savings-to-members/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March, 2023, Andover, MA, – ShareSource, a group purchasing organization, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Blue.Point. Through Blue.Point’s data management tools, ShareSource members can save by analyzing product utilization, identifying savings opportunities, maintaining clinical product quality, and progress tracking. This partnership aims to bring product utilization with clinical best practices to uncover achievable savings for members that integrate Blue.Point into their facility. Blue.Point’s detailed analytics allow health systems to compare their usage and practice across their system to other IDNs. The average savings per staffed bed is $6,000 for facilities that team up with Blue.Point. “Blue.Point partners with health systems to identify utilization opportunities and align to clinical best practice – the result is consistent patient outcomes and generated savings. This is achieved through our robust comparator analytics and benchmarking tools that provide visibility into practices and products across departments and within a network. Furthermore, Blue.Point provides an achievable action plan, based on unbiased clinical research, as well as reporting capabilities to implement change and sustain savings,” said Vice President, Business Development, Laura Cieplik. As a recent example, our customized action plan helped to identify a higher than benchmark utilization rate of triple lumen peripherally inserted central catheters. This practice did not add value to the care of the specified patient population. This saved a 200+ bed hospital system over $69K and better aligned the hospital to their patients’ clinical needs.   About Blue.Point Blue.Point partners with health system supply chain and value analysis teams to identify, implement, and sustain product utilization savings. We have built advanced data management capabilities that enable a health system to have unprecedented visibility into the products they are using on their patients to identify clinical practice variation. Blue.Point’s solutions support hospitals and healthcare providers by identifying, implementing, and sustaining changes to product selection and clinical practice variances that may affect the overall cost and quality of care. For more information visit www.bluepointscs.com .   About ShareSource ShareSource is a Group Purchasing Organization focused on reducing costs, improving efficiency, and creating effective purchasing solutions for its members. ShareSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Healthcare Council, a 501(C)3 non- profit organization founded in 1946 as the Hospital Council. The Healthcare Council is an association of healthcare providers, schools and health-related institutions assisting members by promoting intelligent planning, facilitating discussion of common problems, and acting as a clearinghouse for the exchange of information. The program through ShareSource sponsorship is available to all U.S. healthcare providers, non-profit organizations, charities, churches, schools/colleges (public and private) and all businesses. To learn more visit www.share-source.org . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/sharesource-teams-up-with-bluepoint-scs-to-drive-utilization-efficiencies-and-savings-to-members/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/sharesource-teams-up-with-bluepoint-scs-to-drive-utilization-efficiencies-and-savings-to-members/ Fri, 03 March 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/february/14/does-your-healthcare-system-focus-on-how-clinical-products-are-used/ Many healthcare systems remain unaware of how "product utilization" can help improve the best practices around product review, selection, and implementation. Product utilization strategies in a healthcare setting, through advanced analytics, compares actual product usage among a single healthcare system and other, non-related healthcare systems to reveal practice variation. In a sense, product utilization can be viewed as a strategy through data-led analytics and overall best practices.   As health systems face operational challenges, it is important to employ innovative tactics that identify product process improvements. Developing a system-wide view of product utilization is key. To gain visibility on how products are used, value analysis teams can rely on Blue.Point’s detailed product utilization studies. These studies offer insight into product usage at the system level and outline actionable strategies for process improvement. By tapping into Blue.Point solutions, health systems will not only improve clinical practices but also garner significant cost savings. Join business partners, AdventHealth, Central Maine Healthcare, and other Blue.Point committed customers on the ongoing focus to reduce the cost of best practice.   To learn more about utilization savings, read our other blog: Top 3 Reasons Utilization Savings are Sustainable .   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/february/14/does-your-healthcare-system-focus-on-how-clinical-products-are-used/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2023/february/14/does-your-healthcare-system-focus-on-how-clinical-products-are-used/ Tue, 14 February 2023 08:00:00 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/hospital-system-relies-on-iv-access-central-bluepoint-category-to-save-over-69k/ A 200+ bed hospital system evaluated the utilization of triple lumen peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC).  These devices are placed peripherally but are similar to a central line in that PICC lines deliver medications centrally.  The hospital found 27% of PICC lines had triple lumens.  Through discussions with nursing, infection prevention (IP), and interventional radiology (IR), it was realized that triple lumens were not adding value to the care of their patients.  Many times, not all lumens were used or needed to provide treatment. With insights from Blue.Point reports, the facility agreed to remove triple lumen PICCs from formulary.  Working with IP and IR, they began using single lumen PICCs for most patients and reserved dual lumen PICCs for critical patients. Beyond the achieved savings of $69,542, additional benefits include streamlined inventory, lumen numbers now aligned to patient acuity, and fewer lumens contribute to the avoidance of misconnection, disconnection, and infection. Blue.Point solutions revealed: - Data and action plans highlighted high triple lumen utilization rate - Data identified costs for hospital departments - Our clinical overview provided necessary clinical information to hold discussions with stakeholders   If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify savings opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/hospital-system-relies-on-iv-access-central-bluepoint-category-to-save-over-69k/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/hospital-system-relies-on-iv-access-central-bluepoint-category-to-save-over-69k/ Thu, 29 December 2022 11:16:23 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/surgeon-glove-utilization-and-conversion-project-reveals-significant-savings-for-southcoast-hospital-group/ Published in:  Yankee Alliance Yankee Alliance works with members to standardize product utilization, implement clinical best practices and drive costs out of supply chain. In 2020, Yankee Alliance worked with S2S Global and Ansell Technologies to initiate a surgeon glove utilization and conversion project for Southcoast Hospital Group. To get started, Yankee Alliance together with Ansell’s surgeon glove representative went through a utilization assessment of Southcoast Hospital Group surgeon glove usage to determine and address redundancy, decrease SKU’s, review expired and rarely used glove products.  With the results of the utilization assessment and in conjunction with Blue.Point’s Action Plan recommendations we revealed a $94,665 savings to Southcoast Hospital Group. Key factors to savings include: -  Initiated a surgeon glove utilization assessment to gain visibility of product usage. -  Offered Blue.Point’s Action Plan recommendations to Southcoast Hospital Group to provide direction and next steps for product conversion. -  Southcoast’s OR staff determined replacement surgical gloves with Ansell for the product conversion to be of excellent quality. -  Utilization and conversion project put into motion revealed a savings of $94,665 for Southcoast Hospital Group. About Yankee Alliance Yankee Alliance is a member-driven healthcare group purchasing organization founded in 1984 on a belief in collaboration, that working together can achieve more than working alone. Our mission is twofold: to work with members to reduce supply and operating expenses through aggregation of data, purchasing, ideas and knowledge and to excel in strategic innovations that continually assist members in reducing their cost while recognizing their individual needs. Today, Yankee Alliance remains true to the foundational belief in collaboration and has grown to over 18,000 members in all classes of trades across all 50 states. For more information visit  WWW.YANKEEALLIANCE.COM. For more information please contact; Amy Campbell, Chief Administrative Officer, Yankee Alliance, (978) 470-2000 or at  ACAMPBELL@YANKEEALLIANCE.COM . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/surgeon-glove-utilization-and-conversion-project-reveals-significant-savings-for-southcoast-hospital-group/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/surgeon-glove-utilization-and-conversion-project-reveals-significant-savings-for-southcoast-hospital-group/ Wed, 24 August 2022 12:39:23 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/4-discovery-questions-to-address-clinical-product-utilization/ Scope out the four discovery questions that can help hospitals and health systems identify clinical product usage variation and align it with established best practices. Using our tools hospitals can identify, implement, and sustain savings.   Download Infograph https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/4-discovery-questions-to-address-clinical-product-utilization/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/4-discovery-questions-to-address-clinical-product-utilization/ Tue, 16 August 2022 12:02:06 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/3-simple-ways-we-turn-your-hospital-data-into-savings/ Scope out the three ways we help hospitals uncover achievable savings. Using our tools, hospitals can: -  Improve Clinical Care -  Supply Chain And Clinicians Working As One -  Change Management Made Manageable   Download Infograph https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/3-simple-ways-we-turn-your-hospital-data-into-savings/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/3-simple-ways-we-turn-your-hospital-data-into-savings/ Thu, 04 August 2022 12:02:06 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/top-3-reasons-utilization-savings-are-sustainable/ Utilization projects in healthcare value analysis strive to answer several essential questions.  How are the specific products used? How should these products be used? What might cause misuse? Is there variation in product, practice, or both? Ultimately, utilization specifically addresses the practice and not necessarily the product. When an organization looks more closely at utilization, the savings that result can be sustainable.  Here are the top 3 reasons Blue.Point utilization savings are sustainable over conventional savings strategies. 1. Utilization savings are not contract-dependent. As contracts and tier levels change or organization obligations shift, savings garnered by utilization projects are unaffected. The tenant of utilization centers around the clinical effectiveness of a product type and not necessarily a specific product. 2. Utilization savings become part of an organization’s clinical practice. When reviewing utilization opportunities, best practice is to establish and educate staff on ‘criteria for use.’ This is especially important for high-dollar supplies and/or supplies with specific indications for use set forth by manufacturers. As these criteria become part of the organization’s practice and protocol, utilization is sustained. 3. Utilization savings are centered around clinical quality and guidelines. As Value Analysis teams execute on their strategic plans, changes made to clinical practice are based on solid clinical evidence. Only when this evidence changes through research or the guidance of organizations, such as Infusion Nurses Society (INS) or Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), should utilization change. If you want to learn more about utilization and how Blue.Point can identify these opportunities, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com . https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/top-3-reasons-utilization-savings-are-sustainable/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/top-3-reasons-utilization-savings-are-sustainable/ Wed, 01 June 2022 12:39:23 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/a-fresh-approach-to-addressing-waste-in-your-healthcare-organization/ According to the October 2019 issue of JAMA, waste in the US Healthcare System is estimated to be 25% of healthcare spending, equally up to as high as $935 billion. Six areas contributing to this waste include the failures of care delivery, care coordination, pricing, overtreatment/low-value care, fraud and abuse, and administrative complexity.   How does your healthcare system address these six areas of waste? Do you have a partner that can identify opportunities, benchmark for clinical best practices, and track and trend changes to ensure compliance and sustainability? Do you have the data readily available to help navigate supply utilization while aligning clinical quality?                    If the answer to any of the above is “no”, then now is the time to reevaluate the systems and processes for eliminating waste within your organization. If not already implemented, consider a clinically integrated supply chain. This collaboration between supply chain and clinicians can be what your organization needs to spearhead the conversations.  Among many strategies, inviting clinicians to a seat at the proverbial supply chain table can elevate outcomes by providing clinical expertise to tackle most of the waste areas mentioned above. With a mission of “patients first”, supply chain and clinicians can work together to standardize patient care, address product utilization, prevent waste and ultimately provide high-value care to those they serve. As a tool, Blue.Point can help align utilization with best practice and can be easily implemented. Email info@bluepointscs.com and let us show you how to navigate your supply utilization costs using our suite of tools, clinical experts, and experienced analysts to zero in on waste reduction opportunities.   By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/a-fresh-approach-to-addressing-waste-in-your-healthcare-organization/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/a-fresh-approach-to-addressing-waste-in-your-healthcare-organization/ Mon, 21 March 2022 12:02:06 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/31/boldly-take-value-analysis-beyond-all-or-nothing/ Occasionally, there will be times when a Value Analysis (VA) team and stakeholders disagree on a particular aspect of a project. It could be a product conversion, a practice change, or a complete elimination. It doesn’t necessarily mean one is right or wrong - there is just no common ground. The Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals refers to the term BATNA, which stands for Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement. Not exclusive to the VA realm, this occurs when there is an impasse and parties agree to the most favorable option acceptable to both.             When working with Blue.Point customers, we review their Utilization Studies. Utilization Studies are evidence based summaries that compare a facility’s product usage, supplier, and cost to other similar health systems and provide best practice recommendations for product utilization. There are times, when we evaluate a particular study, that hesitations arise due to negative past experiences. This stalemate is why having a Blue.Point Action Plan is beneficial. Our proprietary Action Plans offer a multitude of ways to review your facility's data and take action. The comparators Blue.Point offers, such as utilization rates, product mix, pricing, manufacturer count, and others, helps facilities prioritize activities to address their savings goals.             We, at Blue.Point, compare Action Plans to a roadmap. The end goal is Utilization Savings, and each of the action items represents one piece of the map. While not every piece needs to be in place to achieve the goal, you can choose to address each one of the action items or have the flexibility to select the items that will work best for your facility at that time. For example, a facility may review product mix in the Exam Glove Utilization Study but not address the high number of manufacturers used, due to supply issues. It is okay to approach utilization savings this way, as the VA goals could be challenging to achieve and projects might not move forward if it presents as an all-or-nothing scenario. Having a tool that can be flexible and provide options is essential for our customers and enables facilities to successfully implement utilization savings.  Contact us at info@bluepointscs.com for a demo of our tool.   By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/31/boldly-take-value-analysis-beyond-all-or-nothing/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/31/boldly-take-value-analysis-beyond-all-or-nothing/ Mon, 31 January 2022 15:36:07 Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/10/how-to-add-value-to-your-value-analysis-process/ Value Analysis (VA) is a process that is complex, includes many moving parts, and can be daunting even for the most seasoned VA professional. When choosing a VA software, one must research and evaluate how well the tool assists their VA process. Blue.Point supports each step of the VA process. Using the Target Savings Report, facilities can identify and build a pipeline of savings. Each of the Blue.Point categories can be combined with existing projects, such as new product requests or product conversions. Projects can also be selected based upon the Target Savings or even category spend. This flexibility allows VA teams to find a savings strategy that will align with their current focus. Once a project is identified, it is important for VA teams to determine the scope of the project through included SKUs. This is achievable with Blue.Point’s proprietary data categorization and available for customers to easily download. Blue.Point groups products according to a hierarchy. Purchase order (PO) data is received and classified into our utilization studies and then grouped into additional levels by functional equivalents. When combined with Action Plan Reports, VA teams can better evaluate where their opportunities lie. The additional visualizations powered by Blue.Point categorizations can help VA teams identify clinical variations across facilities and departments. Additionally, facilities can identify how they are different from Top Performers outside of their organization. Being GPO autonomous, Blue.Point provides blinded comparators and insight ensuring that VA teams can focus their efforts accordingly. Regardless of the chosen study, implementing a utilization savings project must be based upon clinical best practice. It is important for VA teams to understand the products, clinical features available, and current guidelines. With Blue.Point, this information is readily available in presentation form, complete with references. The task of researching is removed from the VA team’s responsibilities so they can focus on the important clinical conversations needed to address utilization. The last important functionality of Blue.Point is tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) for selected VA projects. Blue.Point’s project tracking will provide the ability for VA teams to review project statuses, ensure expected changes occurred, and verify those changes are sustained and track savings accordingly. If you want to learn more about how Blue.Point can support your Value Analysis process, please reach out to info@bluepointscs.com to schedule a demo.   By: Anne Marie Orlando, RN, RCIS, CVAHP https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/10/how-to-add-value-to-your-value-analysis-process/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2022/january/10/how-to-add-value-to-your-value-analysis-process/ Mon, 10 January 2022 15:20:15 Stefanie Sorrentino https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2018/think-outside-the-trash-aiming-for-a-zero-waste-surgical-suite/ As an OR nurse I had incredible opportunities to be a part of amazing modern-day medical advancements occurring in most OR suites.  When the Stryker Makoplasty Total Knee/Hip System was first introduced at my facility I quickly learned and trained staff members how to use it and was able to take part in the ground-breaking procedures.  As a byproduct to the new procedure, I observed an incredible amount of waste.  Each procedure required the opening of new disposables.  If these high cost disposables were unused or accidentally contaminated they would be discarded.  Experiencing this sort of waste was frustrating, but this became the everyday norm for the OR.  Each time additional technology was introduced, surgeons preferred the latest and greatest products, which led to more variation and ultimately more waste.  I noticed the same kind of waste in major spine procedures as well.  Pedicle screw implants that were too short or too long were discarded.  Unused cancellous chips were found in the trash if the surgeon decided he didn’t need it.  Spine bits/burrs were discarded after a single use when they could have been reprocessed and reused. Now as the Clinical Resource Specialist at Blue.Point, I have visibility into facilities across the country and better understand the financial impact of these practices.  These medical devices all come with a high price and these are just a few examples of waste I have witnessed in the Joint and Spine services.  With Blue.Point I can see how multiple health systems are able to “Go Green” by controlling waste and share those practices with other health systems.  The stipulation that single use items never be reused or reprocessed places the entire healthcare system in a position of financial hostage to manufacturers (Collier, 2011).  Our analytics allows me to see if health systems are actually reprocessing and reusing medical devices and to share the practice and financial impact to facilities resisting the change.  How many disposables on your OR shelf are available in an equivalent, reusable option?  How often are items opened and unused in your OR?  Health care leaders, providers, nurses, and surgeons need to be mindful of medical waste, the environmental impacts, and how it is contributing to the high cost of health care.  According to Practice Green health, U.S hospitals create 5.9 million tons of waste annually of which between 20-30% is generated by the OR (Jablow, 2016).  How does a forward-moving health system control the amount of waste generated in their OR while also incorporating the cutting-edge technology to provide the best care?  One strategy is to promote price transparency.  If surgeons are aware of the cost of their products, the overall spend per procedure, and its relationship to reimbursement, they will be more inclined to help participate in cost-saving initiatives (Castellucci, 2016).  A second strategy is to consider “Going Green.”  Although “Going Green” initiatives began in hospitals in the 1970’s by recycling bottles and cans (Jablow, 2016), today we see many facilities opting to “Go Green,” recycling things far larger and much more expensive than soda cans.   Medical Centers are “Going Green” by using energy more efficiently, reprocessing medical equipment, and reducing waste.  Slowing the environmental impact of medical waste has saved thousands of dollars and has a positive effect on population health.  It is time to stop excusing the wasteful practices of the OR as “that’s just the way it is.”  Today, many hospitals have already taken steps to implement waste initiatives; however, despite the acceptance of “Go Green” practices, there are still many hospitals that do not monitor waste management.  Blue.Point tools and analytics provide visibility into product management and implementation practices for hospitals and health systems.  Healthcare clinicians and leaders can take charge and control waste by prioritizing “Go Green” practices to create a more sustainable healthcare environment, improve efficiency, and realize tangible savings.      References Collier, R. (2011). The ethics of reusing single-use devices. CMAJ 183(11):1245. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.109-3907 Castellucci, M. (2016). Hospital ORs may waste millions a year in disposable medical supplies. Retrieved from http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160907/NEWS/160909935 Jablow, M. (2016). Teaching Hospitals Go Green. AAMC News. Retrieved from https://news.aamc.org/patient-care/article/teaching-hospitals-go-green/ McWhorter, B. (2016). 5 Key Benefits of MAKOplasty Knee Surgery. Retrieved from       http://www.hedleyortho.com/5-key-benefits-of-makoplasty-knee-surgery/ Practice Greenhealth. (2017). Material and Waste Streams. Retrieved from https://practicegreenhealth.org/topics/waste/waste-categories-types   By: Stefanie Sorrentino https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2018/think-outside-the-trash-aiming-for-a-zero-waste-surgical-suite/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2018/think-outside-the-trash-aiming-for-a-zero-waste-surgical-suite/ Tue, 20 November 2018 11:48:07 Elizabeth Morgan https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2017/dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/ “Don’t sweat the small stuff” or so the saying goes. Well, I’m here to tell you that sometimes you should. In these tumultuous times in healthcare, hospitals are tasked with spending less, while providing more. This is a big undertaking, so it’s no wonder why Value Analysis and Supply Chain teams typically want to focus on the big projects, such as implants and CRM devices first.  However, you need heavy clinical involvement and buy-in to really have success with these projects. How do you get that? How do you start that conversation with clinicians? How do you help them see you are not only concerned with the bottom line (a common mis-conception), but that you also understand that excellent patient care is the top priority? I work with many hospitals and IDN’s trying to answer these questions and I have found that this is where the “small stuff” can really help. At Blue.Point we bring a completely new perspective to Supply Chain and Value Analysis. Our goal is to help start that conversation with clinicians on not only the big items, but the small ones as well. Think about this… If you had to embark on a savings project for your hospital and your options were Internal Staplers or Disinfecting Wipes, which would you choose? If you were like most hospitals, you’d probably choose the first for the obvious reason that internal staplers cost about $250 each while disinfecting wipes cost about $0.03 each. However, you’d be missing a huge opportunity because a lot of hospitals spend the same amount of money a year in those two categories. And there’s huge variability opportunity in disinfectant wipes – so even if you’re spending less per year than in internal staplers, your savings could be greater (and easier to get at). In addition, disinfectant wipe practices affect EVERYONE that comes into your facility – not just those getting a specific surgery. This means the conversation includes more people. That is a good thing. Working on an initial project about something that seems so non-threatening (unlike an internal stapler) gives all those involved exposure to the process. New relationships are formed that create a foundation for bigger projects in the future. This is why these “small”, quick projects can’t be ignored. They not only add up in savings but they also provide a catalyst to create change. These projects can he used to kick start the bigger ones. Change the conversation from “what is the best price point and conversion opportunity” to “what is best practice”?  From there, “how can we align our products to support that” and “how do we know if best practice is being followed everywhere”? In addition to high cost product categories, Blue.Point analyzes commonly overlooked items such as instant hot packs, nasal cannulas, cohesive bandages, and more because our clients can use these small wins to begin bridging the gap between supply chain professionals and clinicians more easily. We’ve had hospitals save $53,000 on adhesive remover, $54,000 on nasal cannulas, and $100,000 on disinfectant wipes! These are great wins, but it was more than the savings that made them great. They actually helped evolve processes within those health systems. The clinicians are now talking to each other and Value Analysis teams about which nasal cannulas they need to prevent Healthcare Acquired Pressure Ulcers. The lab is discussing which patients need a cohesive dressing after a lab draw and which ones really don’t. Committees are reviewing hot pack usage for pain relief, who should get them, what are the outcomes, and what size hot pack is necessary. As a nurse myself, I believe these conversations are more important than the savings dollars, and so powerful . They are transforming the focus of value analysis team! Assuming that best practice is being followed because it is written in a Policy and Procedures manual will get us nowhere in the fight to provide more value in healthcare. We need to be constantly aware of what is happening, and we need tools to help us identify where we can improve. So I say – “sweat the small stuff” . Use it as your opportunity to change the conversation. Allow those small items to help build momentum and open doors to big projects and improvements. The savings will come. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2017/dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2017/dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/ Mon, 13 March 2017 00:00:00 Elizabeth Morgan https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/checking-the-blind-spot/ My recent experience looking for a new car has me thinking about the supply chain tools we use today.  I really like my SUV, but I want to see what’s out there while I can still get a good trade-in price.   I have 2 requirements for my car:  leather seats and Bluetooth capability – pretty basic.  I went to the dealer to check out the 2016 version of car I drive today.  It was REALLY nice.  It had my basic requirements, PLUS all these other really cool features – remote starter, built-in navigation, USB ports everywhere, built in DVD player, panoramic moonroof, and more.  The front seats were Zero Gravity with warming and cooling capability.  I was sold.  Forget about the basic requirements, I wanted the whole package.  I absolutely hate going to the car dealer, so I started doing my research to make the trip as fast and painless as possible.  I used a few of those online price comparison tools.  They all showed me pretty much the same information - the price ranges in my geographic area for the car I want, and dealers near me that have it in stock.  Great information.  This new car is roughly $20,000 more than what we paid for our current car. $12,000 of that is due to the optional upgrades in the Platinum model.  My husband astutely pointed this out, and got me thinking about those extras I now “had to have”.   Since I love the car I have now, why do I need all those extra features?  A remote starter is now on my list of requirements (I live in New England for goodness sake!).  Other than that, do I really care if I have a panoramic moonroof?  I hardly use the double sunroof I have now.  My kids have their own devices now, so would we us the DVD players in the backseat?  What does “Zero Gravity seats” even mean?  Do they need to be cold?  Are all these features really worth the extra $12,000 I would have to pay?  I hate to admit it, but my husband was right.  I was blinded by the bells and whistles!  In order to make the best decision, I have to remember which the features I need and which features are just fluff.  Then one day my friend pulls up in her new car.  It was a completely different car than the one I wanted, but it was very nice.  Her car had the features I need, AND it had a 3rd row .  I never really felt a 3 rd row was necessary for our family, so I didn’t consider it for a new car either.  Now that my kids have more activities, carpooling would actually be a nice option.  When she told me how much she paid, I was floored – it was $10,000 less than the car I wanted.  $10,000 less for a car with everything I need and more room!  Why didn’t I consider this car before? This made me think about the tools I was using.  They’re just like traditional price-benchmarking tools in healthcare.  They are very useful, but don’t give me the big picture.  I was only looking for the best price for that specific product – my Platinum SUV.  I did not understand total cost of that decision or other available options on the market that would provide the same functionality at lower cost.  While I was trying to do everything right I was missing so much!  I didn’t check my blind spot to make sure there wasn’t something there that I didn’t expect to see.  This kind of visibility would be helpful in car-buying, and in healthcare.  Once the end-user or clinician (me) identifies the required features, supply chain (my husband) can review the impact on overall cost (Platinum vs. SL model) and make sure all features are actually necessary.  We also need to know other products on the market with those same features – even outside the current manufacturer (my friend’s car).  Knowing what others use gives us more insight into what is possible, and potentially very useful (the 3 rd row).  We need our analytics tools to help us check the blind spot and see the big picture outside of price alone.  They need to encourage us to look over our shoulder and make sure we’re not missing anything.  When we consider ALL options, even ones we’re not expecting, we are better able to make smarter choices.  In today’s healthcare environment, simply checking the mirrors is not enough. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/checking-the-blind-spot/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/checking-the-blind-spot/ Wed, 16 November 2016 17:19:16 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/your-water-bill-for-november-is-16k-now-what/ Last week, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a couple received a water bill totaling $16,222. This bill was outrageously higher than their previous water bills, but they were forced to pay it, regardless, for fear their water would be shut off. The couple had plumbers come to the house to check for leaks and the town validated the accuracy of the water meter. Yet, neither was found to be the culprit of the high water bill. While the couple says there must be an error, the town is standing by the couple’s use of 900,000 gallons of water for the month.* Twenty miles away, in my Blue.Point office, I can’t help but relate this problem to the work we do. If we equate our supply utilization program to water usage, we’d be able to tell this couple far more than the obvious fact that their water bill is higher than normal. We’d be able to tell them how much water came into their house from the street versus how much water came out of their faucets. Even deeper, we could pinpoint which faucet the 900,000 gallons came out of (or didn’t). More than just plotting their water bill month over month, we could compare each faucets usage month over month… in real time. Think of the type of information this couple would be equipped with if the Blue.Point program existed outside of healthcare supply chain! So what does Blue.Point do? We reduce the cost of best practice in healthcare by turning supply chain data into answers and actions. We can tell you where and when your products are being used, and moreover, compare that to other hospitals and established best practices. You’ll know who to talk to, what to do next, and how to achieve best practices at a lower cost.   *Source: http://www.whdh.com/story/31094689/marblehead-couple-says-16k-water-bill-is-inaccurate https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/your-water-bill-for-november-is-16k-now-what/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2016/your-water-bill-for-november-is-16k-now-what/ Thu, 04 February 2016 14:25:36 Sara Foster https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/school-lunch-utilization-balancing-kids-cost-nutrition-quality/ For my kids, ages 5 & 7, the most exciting thing about going off to school was riding the bus… until they discovered the school cafeteria. Being able to make their own choices and independently buy their own food was amazing to them. Now, each month when the lunch menu is published, they carefully peruse all the offerings weighing the pros and cons of breakfast for lunch, stuffed crust pizza and build-a-burger day. Then the negotiating begins… Typically, we allow them to buy lunch once or twice per week, but every month they push for more. My youngest and most practical points out that it would be so much easier on Mom and Dad if we could relax at night instead of making them lunch. While he makes a good point, this is where utilization steps in. At $2.75 a school lunch is a great deal and it definitely saves us some time and money. For less than $30 per week, they are offered a well-balanced meal and must choose at least one fruit or vegetable with their lunch. Based on straight cost comparison, the decision should be obvious. However, choosing and actually eating are not the same thing. For instance, on build-a-burger day, my daughter throws out the burger and the veggie toppings and just eats the bacon and cheese on the bun. Sure, she won’t go hungry but the nutritional value is certainly not optimal. This also creates a lot of waste, which does not sit well with our recycling, composting, farm-to-table family values. School lunches have definitely come a long way since our elementary school days, but as parents, we want to be sure our kids are getting good nutrition from quality ingredients. School lunches meet the ‘requirements’, but what does that really mean, especially if some of the food goes straight to the trash? According to the School Nutrition Association, school lunches have to be low in sodium, rich in whole grains, contain less than 10% saturated fat, and be 550 to 650 calories. While that’s a great start, it doesn’t address some of the other things parents may worry about like GMOs, preservatives and processed foods. My husband and I know we can’t control everything our kids eat, so to balance out those bacon sandwiches and tater tots, we also make them lunch at home. Our kids know to choose a protein, fruit or veggie and starch each day and we throw in the occasional bag of organic gummy snacks for a treat. To keep costs low, the kids read the sale flyers from the newspaper to see what looks good. This practice has worked for us as it gets the kids involved in healthy eating habits, allows us to purchase lunch bag ingredients that are on sale and keeps lunchtime exciting, as the contents are always changing. When added up, a homemade lunch costs about $3.50, not too far off from a school lunch after all. By establishing this routine as best-practice now, we hope to set the stage for a healthy and affordable lifestyle.  Healthy eating habits and good nutrition as kids will help them grow properly, support a strong immune system and carry over to adulthood. Knowing that my kids will actually eat their fruits and veggies because it was their choice is worth the extra cost and time spent making lunch. Reaching this compromise between the excitement of school lunch and nutritional best practice is utilization in action and a win-win for our family. So how does this translate to the healthcare environment? Consider central line dressing kits. Many manufacturers make central line dressing kits costing as little as $2 but when the ingredients don’t line up to the needs of the end user (nurses), items are wasted and standards of care may not be met. As the process becomes less efficient, the value of the kit is lost. Since each manufacturer makes multiple options, it may be possible to find a kit that does align with clinical need and streamlines the process but has little or no waste. A good way to choose the best option is to include the end user in the selection process. By involving the clinician, a kit can be selected that provides all the items needed to change a central line dressing according to hospital policy without waste. Even if the ideal kit isn’t the lowest cost product, having the right ingredients will increase end user satisfaction, make the dressing change more efficient and improve care to the patient by providing the best possible tools thus making the kit more valuable than its monetary cost. Read Week 9:  The Case for Nutcrackers https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/school-lunch-utilization-balancing-kids-cost-nutrition-quality/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/school-lunch-utilization-balancing-kids-cost-nutrition-quality/ Mon, 28 December 2015 07:18:55 Eric Scheib https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/the-case-for-nutcrackers/ The holiday season has long been established as a time of celebrated excess. As I sat down to write this entry, I thought to myself, “who am I to swoop in like a Scrooge (or a Grinch or a Heat Miser) and try to convince you to scale it back this year”. Because the truth is that while, yes, we probably use too much wrapping paper and switching to reusable gift bags would save us all a lot of money in the long run, I’m not going to sit here and lecture you on best practices that I would never implement in my own life (and I would never make the switch to gift bags). With this in mind, I set out to determine the best way to save money this holiday season while simultaneously enhancing general holiday cheer. My search took me right in the giant lap of Nutcrackers. At some point, Nutcrackers became more decorative than useful, slowly losing their functionality to the point that, despite the very literal name, most people never use a Nutcracker for their intended purpose (cracking nuts). It certainly doesn’t help that the Nutcracker is a wildly popular ballet, reaffirming connotations of delicacy and gentleness into what can only be called “the Nutcracker brand”. What was once a proud nut-masher, now finds itself dusty on the shelf, never to be properly used again. You are probably thinking to yourself, “well, that makes sense to me; nuts still in a shell are generally more of a hassle than pre-shelled nuts, why would I bother using a Nutcracker when I can just buy these nuts without a shell” and that’s fine, but I think the amount of savings that one can realize simply from changing their nut type is something that will significantly change our perspective on Nutcrackers. For starters, one pound of unshelled nuts is NOT the same as one pound of shelled nuts. In fact, according to the helpful research at MegaHeart.com, shelled nuts actually yield more nutmeat with:   1 lb   Almonds Hazelnuts Pecans Walnuts With Shell 1.75 cups 1.5 cups 2.25 cups 1.66 cups No Shell 3.5 cups 3.25 cups 4 cups 4 cups   You are probably thinking to yourself, “well this complicates things!” and boy does it. Instead of focusing on the cost per pound, I decided to look at the cost per cup (all prices from Nuts.com).   Almonds Hazelnuts Pecans Walnuts   With Shell No Shell With Shell No Shell With Shell No Shell With Shell No Shell Per lb Price $4.99 $10.99 $4.99 $12.99 $6.99 $13.99 $4.99 $11.99 Per cup Price $2.85 $3.14 $3.33 $4.00 $3.11 $3.50 $3.01 $3.00   Displaying the price in a table, we see that nuts in a shell (with the exception of walnuts) are generally cheaper than already shelled nuts when compared on a cup level. Thus, Nutcracker usage for mixed nuts does lead to overall savings (and an overall holiday cheer increase) during the holiday season. What’s this have to do with healthcare utilization? There’s more than one way to look at the issue of usage, specifically how are you using a product. In this instance, if you are using nuts to cook with, you shouldn’t be looking at the price per pound, but should instead be focused on the price per cup. Convenience is also a factor, if you’re cooking with a pound of nuts, you probably don’t want to spend the added time and effort cracking shells. However, if you’re looking to snack or leave a bowl of nuts on the table for the holidays, cracking nuts may actually be a better option. Knowing how and when you use a product allows you to make informed decisions, whether it is an IV Start Kit or an antique Nutcracker. At the end of the day, I’m not telling you to meticulously measure out how much wrapping paper you use or to replace your yuletide log with a YouTube video of a fireplace, I’m simply asking you to utilize your Nutcrackers in the way they were always intended. This holiday season, be like me and use a Nutcracker. Heck, put on Tchaikovsky and dance around like the Mouse King while you crack your nuts, whatever brings you holiday joy. Read Week 8:  Snow https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/the-case-for-nutcrackers/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/the-case-for-nutcrackers/ Mon, 21 December 2015 07:16:53 Meaghan Doggett https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/snow/ We bought our house eight years ago this October. It was not quite a “fixer upper”, but we initially put a lot of effort into updating the inside, not even thinking about what was happening outside. It was winter, and it was snowing – a lot. Our driveway is long and more importantly steep. After multiple snow storms using the snow blower that was generously handed down to us by my parents, my husband suggested we needed a better solution. My father purchased that snow blower brand new in 1975, and it literally weighed more than my husband. We decided to make an investment before the next winter and were faced with a handful of product options. There is the obvious choice to just buy a new snow blower, but how big and how much horsepower would we need? My husband used this as an opportunity to suggest purchasing a used vehicle with a plow (the conversation started as a new truck with plow). He also proposed a piece of heavy equipment such as a Kubota or front end loader, but I immediately put an end to those ideas as both are cost prohibitive and totally unnecessary. Cost is the first factor we considered, but we quickly identified time and which product would work the best as being equally important. We needed to evaluate a few factors to determine which product would be the best fit. First, the type of snow is important– and it varies. There is the light & fluffy snow, heavy wet snow, snow that turns to rain, rain that turns to snow or a “mix” – that gross icy slush that generally freezes over if not removed promptly. We learned our lesson the hard way that first winter, and incurred a significant additional cost purchasing large volumes of sand & salt mix to treat our driveway turned ice skating rink. There is the storm duration to consider. Sometimes, it is a quick blast and there are 6 inches of snow on the ground, or it can literally snow for days and the result can either be a few inches or a few FEET of snow. Timing of when the storm actually occurs is also a factor. If the storm occurs overnight or while at work, which product will allow for the most efficient clean up to avoid spending half the morning or night clearing snow? A snow blower is best with the light fluffy snow which we most often do not get. The heavy and wet snow is okay for a snow blower, but would require a larger and more powerful one. That being said, a snow blower is essentially useless when there is a “mix” and a long duration storm would require multiple passes. The time spent clearing snow starts to get ridiculous compounded with the fact that there are decks, walkways, and roof raking to also be done. While a used plow truck can be four times the expense of a snow blower, it can better handle the above criteria of various snow types and storm duration. The key factor for us was the reduced time actually spent removing snow. Also, there is heat inside a truck as opposed to the cold wind whipping across my husband’s face while snow blowing. We ended up purchasing a reasonably priced used vehicle with a plow and looking back, it was definitely the correct decision. The hours of time saved to complete this task was well worth the extra expense. I am glad we made this decision by evaluating not just cost, but overall value including time and the most appropriate product. An unanticipated benefit of this decision was a revenue opportunity as my husband also regularly plows a handful of neighbors’ driveways. An additional bonus, our yellow lab is very happy riding alongside my husband while he plows! Considering all the variables is an important principle when making product choices in healthcare. While there is an initial cost savings when purchasing a less expensive product, if price is the only variable considered, you may discover later on that the product is not appropriate for your patient mix, it increases nursing or operating room time, or it negatively impacts satisfaction. Sometimes, choosing the more expensively priced product may result in a lower cost per patient or procedure when you factor in time, quality, satisfaction and potential revenue. When decisions are made giving all these variables equal importance, the shift from focusing on price to focusing on total cost is being achieved! Read Week 7: A Taste of Change https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/snow/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/snow/ Tue, 15 December 2015 07:14:44 Cody Charbonneau https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/a-taste-of-change/ For as long as I can remember, I have always been someone who has had disposable water bottles at my convenience. Whether it was grabbing water on my way to exercise, class, or to work, I have always made sure to take a bottle of water with me before heading out the door and I always seemed to accumulate a pile of half empty bottles in my car. This process became a routine for me and I thought nothing of it, until a few months ago. Over the years I had become so accustomed to buying 24 packs of water bottles that I became stuck in my ways. At work, most of my coworkers had reusable water bottles that they simply refilled in the company kitchen each day while I was bringing two or three water bottles with me each day. It became part of my morning routine to grab a few waters that I would drink throughout the day while heading out the door on my way to work. Then one day, a great day at that, the office decided to provide a water cooler service. During the first few weeks of the water cooler’s residency, I dabbled in cups of water here and there when I had drunk all of my water bottles that I had brought for the day. With each cup I thought to myself, this is some damn good, ice cold water and I found myself slowly gravitating towards the water cooler more often. Then one day I decided that I would make the switch from bringing disposable water bottles each day to bringing in a reusable water bottle that I could refill as frequently as I wanted. I calculated out what I would save by making the conversion from disposable to reusable. I was purchasing a 24 pack of waters a week at $4/pack which equates to $208/year. When I decided to switch, my only cost was a new reusable water bottle which I purchased for $14. The switch from disposable to reusable results in $194 savings per year. This may not seem like a large amount in savings but when you’re a couple years out of school and still paying off those student loans, this money could go a long way. Not only did I gain a monetary benefit by switching, but I also found a physical benefit. I felt as though I was drinking more water per day so I decided to calculate it. I calculated that I drank 3 water bottles (16.9oz) per day which equates to 51oz per day. I then calculated that I now refill my reusable water bottle (24oz) 3 times a day which equates to 72oz per day. By making a simple conversion I had increased my daily water consumption by 30%! This achievement, to me, is more rewarding then the monetary savings because by switching my practice I had gained a health benefit without even realizing it! This example of making a simple conversion from a disposable product to a reusable product is one that can be applied in even larger scales within healthcare organizations. Whether it is converting disposable blood pressure cuffs to reusable or disposable pneumatic tourniquets to reusable, there are plenty of opportunities all around us. Healthcare is in a period of time where hospitals need to find ways to save money in areas they may have not considered. I was stuck in my ways in purchasing disposable water bottles but once I had a taste of change, I was sold. Utilization is that taste of change for hospitals, but it’s those who identify the opportunities that realize the benefits.   Read Week 6: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth? Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/a-taste-of-change/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/a-taste-of-change/ Tue, 08 December 2015 07:13:35 Jeff McLaughlin https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/are-you-getting-your-money-s-worth/ Skiing has been a part of my life since I have been able to walk. People think I’m crazy when I tell them I’m excited for winter, especially after the record snow that New England received last year. Now that I am working and in “the real world”, as many people in their early 20’s like to say, skiing is a little different because of the price tag attached. A single day ticket at my favorite mountain costs $80 (this is cheap for most mountains in New England) and a meal at a mountain costs the same as at professional sporting venue, usually totaling around $20. Adding other expenses like gas and lodging, I find myself counting how many times I plan to ski this year on one hand. This means that every time I book a ski trip, I want to get the most skiing in as physically possible. I recently read an article that tracked how skiers spend their time while at the mountain. The numbers are pretty shocking; the average skier spends only 25% of the time skiing! 35% of time is spent in line or on the chairlift, while 40% is spent doing other things like resting, eating or getting warm in the lodge. If a mountain is open for 8 hours a day, this means that the average skier is only spending 2 hours of the day actually skiing! Through experience I would say the average time for a ski run is about 10 minutes, which totals out to only 12 runs for one whole day of skiing. Divide the price of the ticket and food and that 1 run costs $8.33! This of course does not sit well with me; I want to spend the majority of my time on the slopes …not in the lodge. Luckily, I have found ways to utilize my time better while at the mountain so that I am maximizing the amount of time spent skiing and getting in the most amount of runs possible. By doing so, I am getting more value out of my money and more enjoyment out of my trip! One thing I do is bring my own food and not buy the expensive food at the lodge; which saves me both time and money. I save about $10 in food costs and about an hours’ worth of time by avoiding the lunchtime lodge lines and tables waits, opting to eat mountainside instead. To cut down time at the beginning of the day I get suited up by the car, again eliminating the process of going to the lodge and finding a spot to get ready and a place to leave personal belongings and ski equipment. This way I can buy a ticket and hop right on the chairlift wasting no time. The last, and probably the best, way that can save time when skiing with other people is to use the singles line for the chairlift. Chairlift lines can be brutal during the busiest times of the day and as noted above, skiers are spending 35% (or 2.8 hours) of their time waiting for rides! I’ve found that the one way to get around the huge lines is to hop in the singles line, which moves at a much faster rate, landing you to the top of the mountain faster. Doing these small things I have been able to cut my chairlift wait times by 20% and nearly double the number of runs I take, spending only 5% of my time resting in the lodge or eating. Recalculating my costs, I am only spending $4.29 per run (compared to the average skiers $8.33 per run)! Like my skiing example, it is important in healthcare to get the most value out of products. Every time we throw away a disposable blood pressure cuff instead of keeping it with the patient for their length of stay, or open multiple styles of internal staplers when only one style is needed, or use an 8 pack bath-in-a-bag to wash a patient’s hands, we aren’t getting the most value out of those products. Utilization is not only about saving money, but getting better value out of every dollar spent. Read Week 5: “Select a Size” It Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/are-you-getting-your-money-s-worth/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/are-you-getting-your-money-s-worth/ Tue, 01 December 2015 07:10:33 Elizabeth Morgan https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/select-a-size-it/ The other day, my husband came home with the wrong paper towels. A lot of people may not care about this –not as important as something like toilet paper – but I find paper towels so wasteful that I want to spend the least amount of money on them as possible. I have made multiple attempts to limit their use altogether, but their mere presence changes people’s cleaning habits. No matter how much I “remind” (I never nag) them a sponge or washcloth would work for most messes, wasteful paper towels are still chosen first. Having given in to the fact that they are a necessary evil, I have discovered the best paper towel practice for my house is to purchase paper towels in a 12-pack store brand, heavy weight select-a-size version, and there are a number of reasons why. First of all I have kids, mostly boys, running in and out of my house all the time so you can imagine why I need a certain level of absorbency and strength for messes that occur. This alone makes the super-economy paper towel just plain impractical. When I use those, one spill uses up half a roll and I end up more annoyed. So we stick to the heavier weight towel to account for “clinical” need. After lots of user acceptance testing and household trials I found that my grocery store brand has a heavy weight version that has an acceptable absorbency and strength and is a suitable alternative to the other higher cost “quicker-picker-uppers”. Next I determined that buying paper towels in a large 12 pack is much more cost-effective than buying them in smaller packs. I have 3 options for purchasing: 2/$3.00 ($1.50/roll), a 6 pack for $7.99 ($1.33/roll) or a 12-pack for $14.99 ($1.25/roll). I do not buy the 24 pack or larger because of the storage requirements. I buy a 12 pack every 2 weeks. Since I use 24 rolls of paper towels/month, saving $0.25 per roll equals $6/month or $72 per year saved. Now that doesn’t seem like a lot, even I’m a bit disappointed in that number. But there is opportunity I haven’t mentioned yet – select-a-size. Utilization! The select-a-size paper towel is the wonderful invention that gives you 2 towels per each large traditional paper towel. Because I can tailor the size of the paper towel to the size of the job, I can make the roll last much longer. When I use the traditional large towel rolls, I go through those rolls at least twice as fast if not faster.  Taking a large paper towel and ripping it in half is possible, but where would I save the other half? Would I actually save it if I had a place to put it? Would I even take the time to rip it in half? Considering I’m writing about paper towels, I might actually do it, but my family definitely will not. So I would end up buying a 15 dollar 12-pack every week instead of every 2 weeks, causing me to spend $30 more each month. I would be spending $360 extra per year if I didn’t insist on select-a-size paper towels!   What a perfect example of looking beyond price points. I got the best price available and saved myself $72 per year. By choosing the size of the paper towel according to the mess I am cleaning, I saved $360 per year – a 5-fold increase! Utilization encompasses all of these elements – finding the best product to fit your needs, obtaining the best price, and most importantly figuring out how to use it efficiently and appropriately. This is why store brand, heavy weight, select-a-size paper towels in a 12 pack is the most cost-effective option for my unpredictable household. Not only because it is the best priced product, but because I still have little faces to clean in which a large paper towel would be far too big, and bigger spills to sop up for which 5 select-a-size would be sufficient, but 3 large towels would be too much. Fortunately those unwanted large towels will soon be gone and life can go back to normal. Now on to the next challenge: Would buying napkins decrease the number of paper towels used? Why am I the only one that uses reusable dish towels?!? Read Week 4: Divide and Conquer Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. Elizabeth is the Director in Clinical Utilization at Blue.Point. Elizabeth uses her nursing background to provide insight into how clinical products are used and their effect on clinical practice. She is passionate about keeping hospitals thriving so everyone has access to the best quality of care when they need it. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/select-a-size-it/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/select-a-size-it/ Mon, 23 November 2015 07:09:09 Joel Breton https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/divide-and-conquer/ There are many parents today who can closely relate to the term “Divide and Conquer”. This moment in time (most likely on the weekends) typically happens when two parents, who are often outnumbered by their own children, are forced into going separate ways to deliver their children to all of their weekly sporting events, activities, birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. With regards to sports, we live in a time when we encourage our children to be active, healthy, competitive, and learn to play well with others. Parents also realize that beyond the countless benefits of being an athlete, it minimizes downtime and keeps our children away from the all too common “electronics”. We as parents do whatever needs to be done to accommodate their often crazy, conflicting schedules….why?   Because we love them and want to see them succeed, grow, develop, and be the best that they can be. My wife and I have four children, two boys and two girls, who are all participating in many sports, such as dance, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and ski team. As much as we enjoy the endless travel time taking our children to and from games and practices each week, we quickly realized how much all of the travel was costing us in fuel, tolls, time, and wear and tear on our vehicles. It was not uncommon to jump in the car and run them back and forth each day of the week for all of their practices, and then drive an average of two to three hours to get them to their games on the weekends. After many years, and with our family growing, the number of activities began to multiply. My wife and I sat down and decided we needed to manage our time and travel more efficiently. First, we arranged a family calendar so that amongst all of the chaos, we would not miss anything along the way. This significantly reduced stress and helps to keep everything in an organized manor. Second, to assist in the overall expense of these activities, we needed to create a carpooling schedule for both practices and games. This appears to be common sense and we were already carpooling with other players and families for long distance away games on the weekends, but what about mid-week practices that are only 15-20 minutes away from home? Here is an example of how these practices were adding up: We calculated that between all four of our children’s activities, they had an average of 3 practices/activities each per week (some weeks more). With some events closer to home and some further away, we decided that the average round-trip distance was 20 miles. Currently, as I write this article, the IRS calculates the overall expense of operating a motor vehicle to be $0.58 per mile. We calculated the cost this way: 3 (activities per week) x 20 (miles round trip) = 60 (miles per week/child) x 4 (children) = $139.20 (per week) x 52 (weeks in the year) = $7,238.40 per year in mid-week travel expenses. My wife and I were excited to see an immediate opportunity to save both time and money not only for our family, but for other families as well.   In true “utilization” terms, minimizing waste (time, wear and tear, fuel, expense, etc.) and doing more for less! With a little planning, we created a mid-week carpool schedule on a separate calendar. To organize the calendar, we first had to reach out to 3-4 other families that live in close proximity to where we live to see if they would have an interest in carpooling each week. Once we discussed the plan with each family and identified which days and times would work best for all, we created a monthly hardcopy calendar for each family. We decided on a hard copy calendar vs an electronic calendar because they could be hung in each home and be visible to the parents as well as the children. Simply by dividing up the number of trips each week, we easily cut our annual expense at least in half ($3,619.20), thus allowing us to save for vacations, holidays, unexpected expenses, and yes, college for four children! In healthcare today, everyone is focused on improving the quality of care for their patients at a much lower cost. As in my example, we focused on the “practice” of getting our children to their individual events, not the price of gas, tolls, tires, and brakes. I like to refer to this as “utilization standardization” or simply, driving down the cost of best practice. Due to the change in practice, we uncovered much greater savings than what could ever be realized by trying to find the cheapest gas station in town. Healthcare systems are no different. By examining where there is variance in both product and practice across each hospital, much greater savings can be both identified and realized beyond just looking at the price of individual items. The time has come to focus on “utilization standardization” NOT “product standardization”. Read Week 3: Breakfast with a Two Year Old . Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/divide-and-conquer/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/divide-and-conquer/ Tue, 17 November 2015 07:07:00 Mike Rubel https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/breakfast-with-a-two-year-old/ Over the past Halloween weekend, I was asked by a neighbor what I did for work, so I rattled off my pre-packaged: “Our group has produced a tool that combines data analytics and clinical best practices to analyze supply utilization trends in specific categories within healthcare organizations in an effort to identify areas for savings.” He looked at me puzzled, so I searched for a real-life example of my job, but I found it difficult to produce a metaphor to better explain what I do each day. Fortunately for me, we were interrupted by a storm of six year olds running through the group excited because the Chinese food had just arrived. Phew! I considered the question again the next morning as I was pouring dried raspberries into a bowl for my two-year old daughter to have with her yogurt for breakfast. As I did this, I thought about how we had arrived at the fact that she loves dried raspberries.   It started when my mother-in-law introduced us to Nature’s Path Flax Plus Red Berry Crunch Cereal a few months back. “Mimi’s Cereal”, as it was named by our two children, was soon in high demand by all members of our family, and I found myself at the grocery store buying multiple boxes per week. At $5.29 a box, the organic and admittedly very yummy cereal is not inexpensive—especially at two plus boxes per week. After a few months of buying the cereal, I noticed an interesting trend; every day we were tossing a pile of uneaten wheat flakes into the trash because our daughter was picking through her bowl and eating only the dried red berries. I realized that she had been doing this for weeks, but given the chaos each morning in our house to get out the door to school and work, I hadn’t really given it a second thought. I mentioned this to my wife and while the behavior fits the personality profile of our daughter, the cost was adding up. However, as families with two-year olds will recognize, it is not so easy to just stop buying a favorite cereal. What to do? My wife found the solution at Trader Joe’s that weekend.   Come to find out, they had bags of freeze-dried raspberries and strawberries for $3.99 each. Problem solved! We still have a happy daughter every morning because she is able to have a bowl full of berries (and now does not have to hunt and work to get them amongst wheat flakes). And the flake eating portion of our family is happy because the overall bowl ratio per box was back up to an acceptable level. Additionally, I am happy because overall cereal consumption is down, and I only need to buy one or maybe two boxes on occasion, every week at the store. More importantly for work though, I now have an everyday example to use to explain how utilization works. Excellent! Next time I’m asked what I do, I can use the cereal example to explain utilization—we were buying the wrong product and overspending to meet the needs of all the members of our family. The correction in our purchases allowed us to reduce our overall breakfast costs by increasing the number of bowls of cereal we could get from a box because the total number of bowls poured per day was reduced. We are now buying fewer boxes of cereal per week and since the bags of dried fruit last for approximately two weeks, they are much less expensive than the cereal. These same exact principles apply to healthcare. We pick the dried berries out of our healthcare products all the time; think of how many kit components we toss in the trash, unwanted and unused. Hospitals can reduce their total costs by looking at products that add no value (wheat flakes) and ultimately decrease waste. You can buy a lot of dried berries with that type of savings!   Read Week 2: Better Coffee – No Sacrifices . Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/breakfast-with-a-two-year-old/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/breakfast-with-a-two-year-old/ Tue, 10 November 2015 06:49:34 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/better-coffee-no-sacrifices/ My husband and I have decided to contribute more of our earnings to our savings account. Now that we have a son, we quickly realized that we have only 18 short years before that first tuition bill arrives in the mail. And I imagine it will be much larger than the tuition bills I’m used to! We started by looking at our historical recreational spending. We copied our monthly statements off our banking website and used Excel to categorize our purchases and chart our spending. We found a lot of ways to save money, but the one I want to share with you is regarding our daily coffee purchases. Lindsey’s Order: Extra Large Hot Hazelnut Coffee, Black = $2.76 Rick’s Order: Extra Large Iced French Vanilla Coffee, Black = $3.40 Both of us were stopping on our way to work every single day to get a coffee. Neither of us was willing to simply give up coffee and we weren’t willing to budge much from the size – both of us spaced our coffee consumption out throughout the day, so the larger size was necessary. Going to a different coffee shop with cheaper prices wasn’t a good option, as it would result in extra driving (the coffee shop we both used was on our route to work), plus we really enjoyed the flavor of the coffee we got and preferred to stick with that brand. Some quick math and you can see what these coffee breaks cost us: (Lindsey’s Coffee $13.80 weekly) + (Rick’s Coffee $17.00 weekly) = $30.80 weekly We’d also grab coffee on the weekends: Weekend Coffee = $12.32 Our coffee consumption tallied up to a whopping $2,242.24 a year! That’s a lot of money for a family that has a Keurig and a Breville coffee maker sitting on the counter. We did a little bit of research and found that the place we bought our coffee from brewed a popular brand of bean that I could buy in my grocery store… for $6.75 a bag. Unbelievable! We calculated that we’d each use 2/3 of a bag per week based on our current consumption. Our new totals would look like this: Lindsey’s Brew = $4.52 weekly Rick’s Brew = $4.52 weekly Coffee Filters = $1.99 annually ($0.04 weekly) At that rate, we’d be on track to save $1,770.17 a year! We decided to change our coffee practices. We invested in some Yeti tumblers that guaranteed to keep our coffee scorching hot or ice cold for hours, which would allow us to nurse the coffee throughout the day like we were used to. We spent a collective $69.98 on the tumblers (an amazing investment, as it turns out – these tumblers honor their guarantee). My husband brews a large batch of coffee each week and stores it in the refrigerator. I brew my coffee every morning while I’m prepping my lunch for the day. We both pour our brew into our Yeti’s and we’re out the door – coffee in hand with no stops and no delays. This year alone we will push an additional $1,700.19 into our savings account. A savings completely generated from coffee without sacrificing brand, size, or time. These types of situations present themselves in healthcare all too frequently. Saving money doesn’t mean you need to change brand or product – it’s about taking a good, hard look at the practice. We need to constantly be asking ourselves, “Would performing this process differently lead to the same, or better results, but also reduce the cost of care?” My coffee tastes better when I brew it myself and it stays hot throughout the morning in my new tumbler. If I hadn’t looked at my data, I’d still be stuck in my old ways, drinking coffee that I didn’t even know was sub-par. I don’t know about you, but it makes me wonder what else I’m overspending on… Read Week 1: Celebrating What Is Most Important . Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn. Lindsey is the Director of Utilization for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions, an avid angler, hydrangea fanatic, and self-confessed chocolate nut. Above all, she is obsessed with the objective of clinical product utilization. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/better-coffee-no-sacrifices/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/better-coffee-no-sacrifices/ Tue, 03 November 2015 17:33:13 Mark Scagliarini https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/celebrating-what-is-most-important/ While I enjoy the game, I do not get out golfing as much as I would like these days. When I do it is usually with my father who is an avid golfer. We enjoy the time together and certainly the friendly competition! I have finally realized though why he continually beats me; we are focused on two very different strategies. My dad steps up to hit his first shot and drives it straight down the middle for 150-175 yards. I step up in the tee box, swing hard, crush my drive and (when it stays in bounds) my ball flies way past where his ball has landed. It is a great feeling driving the cart to his ball first and giving him a hard time about how much further my ball went past his. My dad always takes it in stride, giving me big high fives and excessive compliments on the hit. He never seems stressed or worried about losing the hole despite the advantage it appears I have. I now realize why! The drive is only one shot, and while important, it might not even be the most important hit on the hole. In fact, what usually happens is he quietly walks off the green, celebrating a par on the hole, while I am walking off frustrated that despite my early advantage I somehow got a double bogey! My dad gets what is really important; while I was having fun talking about my big drive, he focused his strategy on the total score and did not need to have the farthest drive to achieve that. I believe our hospital supply chain strategies need to evolve like my Dad’s golf game. I have had the privilege to negotiate many contracts over the years and sit on national supply chain committees with many of our industry’s supply chain leaders. What I have realized from my experiences and conversations with these other leaders is that too often we are focused on the “long drive” and not the total score. Our “long drive” is our strategy to continually focus on the lowest price and not the lowest total cost. Some become very protective and unwilling to share their pricing while others can be heard bragging about having the lowest contract price, when maybe the price, like my long drive, is not even what’s most important. What my Dad’s golf game can teach us is that negotiating to have the lowest price alone does not automatically mean we will achieve our end goal of lowering total supply chain costs for our health system. I have worked with a hospital who had converted trocar manufactures based on price savings only to have their total cost per procedure increase every month thereafter because their product mix was changed. I have seen hospitals have the lowest price on commodity items per unit, but at the same time have one of the highest total spends per patient day in the same category. I go to the driving range to practice my drives but my average score does not change. The reality is I spend very little time practicing my putting and chipping, which is why I owe my Dad drinks after each round. In healthcare supply chain, product price is important, but is it the most important? I would argue that if you have the best price on a device, but you are overusing it, misusing it, or even wasting it then no matter how good your contracted price is, you are spending too much for it. Now think about where we spend most of our time and our resources, on negotiations and renegotiations of the price of commodity products. Maybe it is time to focus on the total score, and help our hospital systems not only save on price, but also sustain their savings by lowering their total cost of use. If you enjoyed reading this, check out more stories in this series .   Mark is the President for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions. For the past six years Mark and the Blue.Point team have focused on helping hospitals and their value analysis committees identify variance in product usage through utilization benchmarking, driving significant savings for their customers. Mark is passionate about collaborating with clinicians to focus on total cost and best practices, versus price points alone. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/celebrating-what-is-most-important/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/celebrating-what-is-most-important/ Tue, 27 October 2015 17:27:47 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/utilization-everyone-is-doing-it/ We are on a mission. We’re setting out to clear the air and build an understanding. We’re determined to put an end to the madness and stop the confusion. Once and for all, we’re going to set the record straight and help everyone, everywhere, understand what we really mean when we say… UTILIZATION. But we’re going to try something different and take a unique approach. Every week, for the next 10 weeks, you’re going to hear from different Blue.Point employees as they share short, honest stories about how they take their work home with them. We hope that by showing how utilization easily translates into real-life, every-day happenings, that we can strip down the misconceptions and make utilization in healthcare a little easier to come by. Oh, and we plan to have some fun along the way! So, even if you are already well-versed in utilization, feel free to use our stories to help your teams and valued supply partners approach utilization differently. And please, share your stories back with us! Read Week 1: Celebrating What Is Most Important Read Week 2: Better Coffee – No Sacrifices Read Week 3: Breakfast With A Two Year Old Read Week 4: Divide and Conquer Read Week 5: “Select a Size” It Read Week 6: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth? Read Week 7:  A Taste of Change Read Week 8: Snow Read Week 9: The Case for Nutcrackers Read Week 10: School Lunch Utilization – Balancing Kids, Cost & Nutrition Quality Join us on our 10 week journey by following us on LinkedIn.   Lindsey is the Director of Utilization for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions, an avid angler, hydrangea fanatic, and self-confessed chocolate nut. Above all, she is obsessed with the objective of clinical product utilization. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/utilization-everyone-is-doing-it/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2015/utilization-everyone-is-doing-it/ Tue, 27 October 2015 17:24:19 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/value-analysis-lessons-from-condiment-kits/ WHAT VALUE ANALYSIS LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM A CONDIMENT KIT? Last week, I ordered take-out lunch with a colleague of mine, Danielle, from a popular restaurant north of Boston. My Greek salad was prepared correctly and contained just the right amount of feta and olives. Danielle’s turkey club was perfect, spread with just the right amount of remoulade and topped with fresh veggies. Obviously, the restaurant cares about customer satisfaction and quality outcomes, similarly to a patient-focused, well-run hospital Supply Chain department that is steeped in product utilization and value analysis philosophy. So, then, what is my condiment conundrum? Well, our take-out bag also contained six packets of ketchup, two packets of mustard, three packets of relish, a 1.2-ounce jar of mayonnaise, and a tiny bottle of tabasco sauce. Ask yourself: How often have you dressed your salad with condiments or doubled up the spreads on your turkey sandwich? The average person probably wouldn’t get upset about this. They would simply overlook the additional condiments and throw them away. I, however, make my living working on product utilization, so these excess condiments put a sour taste in my mouth. Read the full article on Healthcare Purchasing News. Lindsey is the Director of Utilization for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions, an avid angler, hydrangea fanatic, and self-confessed chocolate nut. Above all, she is obsessed with the objective of clinical product utilization. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/value-analysis-lessons-from-condiment-kits/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/value-analysis-lessons-from-condiment-kits/ Wed, 15 October 2014 12:19:51 https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/reducing-the-cost-of-best-practice/ BLUE.POINT AND SOUTHCOAST HOSPITALS GROUP SELECTED AS A LEADING PRACTICE FOR CAUTI REDUCTION I am happy to share some exciting news from this year’s Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) annual conference in Orlando, FL. There, AHRMM announced that BLUE.POINT and Southcoast Hospitals Group were selected as a leading practice for their work on reducing the number of Catheter Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI). We applaud AHRMM and what they are doing with the Cost, Quality and Outcomes (CQO) movement. They are developing a public repository for leading and proven supply chain practices, case studies, and toolkits that are developed from a cost, quality and outcomes perspective. They are providing education on the importance of clinicians and supply chain working collaboratively for the benefit of their patient and their hospital. The CQO movement aligns with what we do at BLUE.POINT every day by helping hospitals reduce the cost of best practice. BLUE.POINT is proud to be selected as a leading practice and of the collaboration with Southcoast Hospitals Group that lead to the selection. We also congratulate Southcoast Hospitals Group in their success in decreasing CAUTI incidents as well as realizing savings of over $250,000. The process we followed is summarized very simply in the chart below. I encourage you to review the Executive Summary available at the bottom of this post and hope that you can use these items to reduce costs, while improving quality, in your facility! Read Executive Summary https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/reducing-the-cost-of-best-practice/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/reducing-the-cost-of-best-practice/ Mon, 11 August 2014 12:22:43 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/how-detergent-pods-can-save-healthcare/ Each year, 600 loads of laundry are performed by the average American household. There aren’t many steps to performing a well-washed load of laundry, yet more than half of households inaccurately perform the most critical task by over-pouring laundry detergent. For almost a decade now, laundry detergent manufacturers have been decreasing the amount of detergent needed per load by increasing concentrations. Yet despite the need to use less, Americans keep pouring more. It’s easy to see how detergent can be over-poured. For one, the cap holds far more liquid than is necessary to perform a load of laundry, even for the maximum size load. Second, the measurement lines on the inside of the cap are typically the same color as the cap itself, so obtaining a precise measurement can be challenging. Third, performing laundry becomes a task of muscle memory, causing Americans to skip the directions and pour the amount they’re used to pouring, even if the detergent is super-concentrated. Read the full article on Becker’s Hospital Review . Lindsey is the Director of Utilization for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions, an avid angler, hydrangea fanatic, and self-confessed chocolate nut. Above all, she is obsessed with the objective of clinical product utilization. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/how-detergent-pods-can-save-healthcare/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/how-detergent-pods-can-save-healthcare/ Wed, 11 June 2014 00:00:00 Lindsey Crea https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/supply-chain-expenses-a-never-ending-diet/ It seems like everyone I know is on a diet nowadays.  All my friends have crawled their way out from under winter got on their soap box and decided to get back in shape by embarking on some new, ridiculous way to lose the extra pounds.  I’ve heard how the Atkins diet shrinks fat cells, how the South Beach Diet increases energy, and how the grapefruit diet not only helps lose weight, but also improves skin tone. I’m just waiting for the day that the tapeworm diet makes it to the soap box, wouldn’t that just take the cake (no pun intended). Twenty-eight ridiculous diets later and the soap box is still waiting for its well-earned retirement. When it comes to cutting supply chain expenses, we are constantly looking for the next diet.  We find quick ways to trim down the price of materials, convert commodities to lower-cost manufacturers, and laboriously standardize physician preference items to obtain better pricing.  Just like that, our costs instantly appear slimmer!  Yet, four weeks later, despite changing ordering practices and physically reducing the cost of goods, expenses increase and the belt starts to tighten again. So, here lies the point: No matter how many diets we embark on, nothing will be as effective as embedding healthy habits into all aspects of our life. Short term chaos does not equal long term sustainability.  Not many people can live their whole lives carbohydrate-free or eating large amounts of grapefruit for every meal.  These expectations are unrealistic.  Diets are meant for short-term resolutions; not long-term solutions.  We need to look at supply chain expense in the same way.  We can’t keep relying on the lowest price product to trim the fat from supply chain expenses and we can’t expect clinicians to do their jobs when we remove necessities from the formulary. There needs to be a better way to save money – and there is. Success comes when you peer past the diets and take a good hard look at your lifestyle, or in the healthcare world, the way we deploy commodities.  It doesn’t matter how many calories you remove from that brownie if you eat five of them.  The same applies to commodities; it doesn’t matter how many cents you trim off that exam glove if you drop three on the floor every time you pull one out of the box. There are thousands of applications of this principle every day on hospitals’ value analysis teams.  Value analysis can play a huge role in correcting this paradigm by prioritizing clinical commodity cost reduction initiatives and involving all stakeholders from procurement to practice.  Most hospitals turn to data, but data is not the answer, it’s just the start. Here’s a list of things every value analysis team needs: 1. Data.  One hospital’s data isn’t going to reveal anything – you need at least 30 hospitals to establish a viable benchmark.  The more, the better. 2. Granularity. Category benchmarking is fine, but granularity is gold.  If you lost your wedding ring at the beach, would you stand at the snack bar and scan the sand?   I didn’t think so. 3. Clarity. Your clinicians aren’t statisticians, so stop expecting them to be!  Use their time wisely and provide clear, succinct interpretations that they can act on. 4. Action. You don’t need a 36 page report to tell you that you use more catheters than the hospital next door, especially if you’re only reading the last page.  Remember that more isn’t always better. 5. Execution. Use your own staff to implement projects – no one knows your process and products better than your own employees.  Find a tool to do the background work so you can have “all hands on deck” to implement. Initiatives that focus on the clinical side of commodity items find target savings of $6,000/bed.  This type of cost reduction requires lifestyle changes, so instead of gaining back the weight in three years, we can ensure that the lighter expenses are here to stay.  So, go ahead and structure your value analysis team for success, change your hospital’s lifestyle into one of sustainable savings, and splurge on a brownie every now and then. Lindsey is the Director of Utilization for Blue.Point Supply Chain Solutions, an avid angler, hydrangea fanatic, and self-confessed chocolate nut.  Above all, she is obsessed with the objective of clinical product utilization. https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/supply-chain-expenses-a-never-ending-diet/ https://www.bluepointscs.com/blog/2014/supply-chain-expenses-a-never-ending-diet/ Tue, 29 April 2014 21:08:18