You are either improving or you are not, there are no in-betweens when it comes to value analysis. Given the complexity of value analysis and the healthcare supply chain world, you are more than likely going to be pushing the limits on your capabilities now and in the future. Why not evaluate your proficiencies and other areas and in turn make your organization’s VA program better? I like to operate on the motto, “The more you know about value analysis, the more you realize you don’t know about value analysis.”
Can You Take a Hard Look in the Mirror?
Never assume that you or your value analysis program is the best it can be because the moment you do, areas you think you are great in will more than likely be left to stagnate or fall behind. Get that “we are the best” thinking out of your mentality altogether! There is always something you can add to the mix that you think you are doing but really aren’t. No one wants to be blindsided with a new aspect to be added to your VA program, like clinical supply utilization for example. Many will use the word “utilization,” but haven’t really delved into it and the patient volume centric aspects that come with it. I cannot tell you how many times I show a CSUM report to VA Managers on a cost per patient day by commodity of a major category and someone says, “$2.10 per patient day is not what we pay for a pulse oxisensor.” That response tells me the VA Manager may not fully understand how utilization is being measured. It often becomes clear that while they believe they understand utilization, there are still important aspects and nuances they haven’t yet considered. It is better to be proactive than reactive with all things new and advanced for you and your VA program.
Time to Evaluate, Have Fun with This and Use It as a Growth Tool Now and Into the Future
1. Can You Self Evaluate? This is simple, yet it is difficult for those that don’t want to truly rate themselves and their capabilities as they may think that they know more than they really do. I remember a brand-new VA Surgical Nurse who was talking on the phone to a colleague while we both waited for our flights home after attending AHVAP’s annual conference. She was bragging that she thought she knew so much about Surgical VA that she was considering running for AHVAP President at some point. She did not last long in VA. Nothing against her, she only knew what she knew at that time.
My point is that you really must know all the aspects of value analysis to truly evaluate yourself and your VA program, but you need to have the right mindset to do this right, or it is just fluff.
2. What Type of Learner are You? This may sound like a mundane question, but I think you need to evaluate how you learn in today’s fast-paced world. Are you a self-taught learner or do you require formal education? Do you prefer live or on-demand education? Do you prefer mentoring over the school of hard knocks? Why is this important? Because you need to hone in on your best educational avenue and hold true to it as you will then get the most out of your education versus learning and forgetting. For instance, 85% of my learning is from audiobooks. One of my clients was going through some Kaizen exercises, so I re-listened to an audiobook on Kaizen I owned just to make sure that I don’t miss an attribute of something I read years ago.
3. What Do You Think You Know Well but Are Not Proficient at Yet? This is a valid question; remember, you may know a process or methodology but being proficient is whole different ball game. Sometimes you have just not had enough repetitions of the modality to really be proficient or perhaps you just never wanted to be proficient in a certain area. That could be a green light to start exploring ways to be more proficient in an area you would like to be.
4. Why Not Rate Your Technology Skills? Let’s face it, we live in the growing age of technology, and we all need to stay up to date and become more proficient at the software and tools we use every day. If your job is all about spreadsheets and you are very proficient at those, that is great, but perhaps you need to expand your knowledge in working with spreadsheets and see what AI can do for you. Everyone is upping their game, why shouldn’t you?
5. What New and Advanced Methods or Strategies Do You Want to Make Yours? This is a great question to ask as there is more being asked of value analysis than ever before which is good as value analysis cruises towards being a mission-critical process for health systems. How can you improve yourself and your program by adding new modalities and methods? For instance, clinical supply utilization, or as I call it, savings beyond price, may be the next major step in savings optimization that your health system leads. Could you imagine leading the way?
What other advanced modalities do you want to add to your value analysis program? Keep in mind, you also have to look at the downstream value you can bring for yourself and your organization when you select a new advanced modality.
It’s easy to say that you are proficient at a particular aspect of your job or with your VA program, but saying that and being able to prove and realize that is something different. Rarely do VA and Supply Chain professionals take a step back and truly look objectively at their skills and responsibilities and map out where they can get better. I hope you take some time to take a good look in the mirror and find the next level of value analysis cost optimization and quality improvement that you and your health system have been looking for. You have the power!
Below are some similar articles that you may find interesting.
Now Is the Time to Build a Clinical Supply Utilization Management Program
Unexpected Impact That Clinical Supply Utilization Management Does for Health Systems