Most healthcare organizations have some form of value analysis program with at least one team in place. Others, due to their size and complexity, have more teams with more specific focuses. This is outstanding, but as most of you know, these teams can get into a rut very quickly and it is our job as value analysis and supply chain leaders to plot the course for improving our teams. As the old adage goes, “You are either moving forward or moving backward. There is no in-between.” This is just a quick reminder of the things that modern value analysis programs are doing around the country that are making a big difference in their outcomes, savings, and overall efficacy for every study/project that goes through a VA team.
1. Meeting More Than Monthly – Waiting 30 days to have another meeting seems so unproductive in this day and age when we can move so quickly. I recommend meeting twice a month or biweekly which many of our clients are doing already. Once you make the switch, it will only take a few meetings for you and your team to fall into sync and then your results will be moving along much faster. This will also make your requesters of new products happy because they know that their needs and requirements are being addressed much faster now.
When you work on cost, quality, and outcomes related value analysis studies they seem to have a better focus and synergy when you move monthly to bi-weekly meetings. After 30 days, you start to lose momentum, and people forget what was already done or where they are at and who should be following up with who. Losing momentum is never good in areas that we need so much focus on like cost and quality.
2. Engaging All Team Members – This may sound like a no brainer, but many organizations still follow the committee style of team management and that means that one, two, or three team facilitators and leaders do the majority of the work, and the team members just show up to give feedback or vote at decision points. A true team is when everyone engages in projects and shares the workload. This does not have to replace what is being done for your prep for a meeting. It could be as simple as the department head working directly on a cost management initiative, for example, that is directly related to their clinical or non-clinical area. A perfect example is a Director of Nursing who sits on a VA team and takes on being the value analysis leader in a pulse oxisensor reprocessing initiative. VA studies move along so much better when there is a clinical lead/champion working on the project.
3. Recognizing Your Team Members for Their Good Work– Value analysis team duties are above and beyond the normal duties of all of the department heads and managers who sit on these teams. These team members need to be recognized from time to time for their good results. With many organizations coming up on the end of their fiscal year in June or October, this is a perfect time to do good things for the results your teams bring.
Now, we are in tougher cost pinching times so there might not be much in the budget for recognition, but doing something is better than nothing. If your team(s) meets or exceeds their savings goal for the year, you can work with your C-Suite to have lunch brought into a meeting for the team or cafeteria gift cards (which cost less). There could also be special parking spaces for VA Team Member of the Month/Quarter which could then be rotated for superior performance on an ongoing basis.
There are lots of strategies you can employ to make your value analysis program better. These are just a few examples that cost little to nothing to implement but can go a long way. Plus, they will make your Value Analysis Teaming thrive right when your teams are being asked to do much more beyond the normal call of duty. Try implementing a few of these or even brainstorm with your supply chain and value analysis leaders on other ways you can make your VA program move ahead in a modern way.
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