“Due to the number of projects, recalls, and new product requests, it is easy to get caught up in the grind of the healthcare supply chain.”
Here we are again in the Spring season of baseball with all the highly talented players at all levels of the game. I always find it interesting that no matter how talented or high paid these professionals are, they still go back to basics once a year to get ready for their season. How does this apply to the supply chain and value analysis world?
You really must view healthcare supply chain and value analysis professionals as highly talented in their respective job duties but there is no break between one season or another, it is constant. But that does not mean that it would not be a good idea to take a step back and make yourself and/or your team better every year. With all the changes that occur in our departments and the turnover in VA team members year after year, you can clearly say that not everybody is on the same page, nor do they have the same skill level. So how do we improve our teams?
3 Simple Strategies for Healthcare Supply Chain and Value Analysis Professionals
1. Create a Simple Survey (Anonymous) for Your Supply Chain and VA Team Members – No one wants to admit that they are not keeping up or they don’t know something at all or quite as well as others, but the fact is that you don’t want to ignore education issues that could cost you quality or savings results. It is better to survey your members and then build an improvement plan for your supply chain and/or VA team around the survey. Make sure you focus in on key elements like:
- Advanced VA Training and Strategies
- Cost Analysis
- Evidence Evaluation
- Team Project Management
- VA Software
2. Step Back and Take a Look at Your Bottlenecks – Your VA program will always have bottlenecks that cause the program to slow down or not get the results from the VA studies you are working on. This could be using a tired old Excel Spreadsheet for everything or that your VA team workflow is 10 years old and needs updating. Whatever bottlenecks you are experiencing, I recommend listing them out and then prioritizing the ones that need fixing first and building a simple plan to streamline these.
3. Update Your Goals & Objectives – Do you have goals and objectives for yourself and your teams? You should always be working towards making new and better goals, as well as assessing your old goals. We are what we focus on in VA and Supply Chain, and to have clear well-defined goals for initiatives you want to achieve in the upcoming months, do just that, focus.
Make Major Strides with Your Healthcare Supply Chain/Value Analysis Programs
Because of the sheer number of projects, conversions, recalls, and new product requests that flow through our supply/VA teams, it is easy to get caught up in the grind of the healthcare supply chain. The best way to break out of this rut is to go back to basics to make major strides forward. This will guarantee that you are doing all you can do to make improvements that will power your supply/VA programs in 2024 and beyond.
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