REP-April.25 by BOC design Inc

Legends of Lab

This year’s inductees into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame have left their mark on the med/surg community.

Jonathan Overbey

Lisa Wikstrom

Brad Thompson

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70 Supply Chain Leader Spotlight

all 55 clinics located inside Walgreens stores in Illinois and Wisconsin; WBA to be acquired by private equity.

 POST-ACUTE CARE

58 Mental Health Within Post-Acute Care Settings

Post-acute care patients’ physical and mental wellness are critical to their healing journey.

 INFECTION PREVENTION

62 Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions

New resources for providers aimed at increasing knowledge and decreasing infections in long-term care facilities.

 TRENDS

68 Keeping Health Information Human

How Health Information

Professionals work with and protect the traditional and digital medical information that is a vital part of providing patient care.

Susan Schrupp, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Chief Purchasing Officer for Community Health Systems.

74 Virtua Health Recognized for Warehouse Operation Changes

The New Jersey health system is minimizing redundancies, reducing inventory and standardizing product lines.

 HEALTH NEWS

78 Foot Health: A Lifelong Journey

Foot Health Awareness Month in April promotes foot health and highlights the critical role of podiatrists in treating the feet and ankles.

 HIDA

80 Talking Transportation: Shipping Outlook For 2025

 PEOPLE

82 Where Are They Now?

Catching up with Midmark’s Chris Huppert, Excellence in Sales Award winner from 2016.

 NEWS

84 Industry News

The Legends of Lab

In this industry, success isn’t just about numbers, logistics, or product portfolios – it’s about people. The best in medical distribution understand that relationships drive everything. They know that trust isn’t built in a day, that a handshake still means something, and that business is best done with a little bit of fun along the way.

This year, we celebrate three professionals who embody that, and I’m fortunate to call all three my friends: Brad Thompson of NDC, Lisa Wikstrom of Abbott Diagnostics, and Jonathan Overbey of Sekisui Diagnostics – our newest inductees into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame.

If you’ve had the pleasure of working with Brad, you know his passion for lab sales and the independent dealers across the U.S. He understands that distribution is a team sport and that collaboration between manufacturers and distributors wins the game every time.

Lisa, with her unwavering commitment to distribution, has not only driven business forward but has done so through numerous acquisitions and challenges along the way. No matter what situation she finds herself in, she consistently shines.

And Jonathan, who has never met a stranger and may be the best relationship salesman / leader in our industry. Ask anyone that has worked with J.O. and you’ll hear the same thing, the guy works hard and plays hard, but he never misses the bell. All three of these individuals have made me better and I am eternally grateful to each of them.

What makes this Hall of Fame class special isn’t just their achievements, it’s the way they’ve gone about them. They’ve shown us that great work and good times aren’t mutually exclusive – that, in fact, the best work happens when you genuinely enjoy the people you do it with.

So here’s to Brad, Lisa, and Jonathan. To the deals done over dinner, the late-night strategy sessions that somehow turned into lifelong friendships, and the belief that what we do matters – not just in business, but in the way we show up for each other.

Congratulations to this year’s inductees. You’ve made the industry better, and you’ve made it fun. That’s a legacy worth celebrating. We can’t wait to honor each of you in Fort Worth this April.

Dedicated to the Industry, R. Scott Adams

editorial staff

editor Graham Garrison ggarrison@sharemovingmedia.com

editor-in-chief, Dail-eNews Jenna Hughes jhughes@sharemovingmedia.com

content creator Pete Mercer pmercer@sharemovingmedia.com

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circulation Laura Gantert lgantert@sharemovingmedia.com

sales executive Aili Casey acasey@sharemovingmedia.com (404) 625-9156

publisher Scott Adams sadams@sharemovingmedia.com (800) 536.5312 x5256

founder Brian Taylor btaylor@sharemovingmedia.com

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GI Did Not Know That

A look at GI disorders and their associated tests.

Â The advice of the experts is becoming ever clearer: “take care of your core for better health.” Whether they are referring to exercises to improve the strength of your core, the emerging evidence that 70% of our immune system resides in our gastrointestinal tract (our core), or simply making sure we know the core diseases that comprise the majority of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, this advice applies to our everyday lives and those of our customers.

By Jim Poggi, Principal, Tested Insights

This column will focus on gastrointestinal diseases and the tests we offer to our customers. As this information unfolds, I plan to remind you of the diseases and tests we commonly consult about, and I believe I have some new information to share as well. So, trust your gut and follow along.

What we are learning about GI disease and incidence trends

There is an emerging body of evidence that GI health is an important factor in overall health, and

that the GI system contains and maintains the largest amount of immune tissue in the human body. What does this mean to us and our customers? Fundamentally a healthy gut promotes overall immune health and helps protect us from a variety of infections. At the same time, GI disorders including irritable bowel, diverticulitis, GI reflux and GI infections all reduce GI health, reducing immune strength and putting us at risk for other infections and a decline in general health.

Did you know that “nonfoodborne GI infections” occurred over 135 million times annually in recent years? Coupled with 76 million “foodborne GI infections,” they caused over 2.4 million physician office visits in recent years. What we often refer to as “stomach flu” is usually self-limiting and typically can be resolved with a prescription or simply palliative care, but these infections render short-term and sometimes long-term disruption of the patient’s immune system.

As we learn more about the importance of GI health in the overall scheme of things, it brings up some interesting conversation starters, such as:

 “How often do you encounter patients exhibiting ‘stomach flu’ in your practice?”

 “How do you typically treat the patient?”

 “Do you see any linkage between acute GI disorders and longer-term health issues?”

If they ask why you are posing these questions, I recommend you discuss the data on immune health and seek their opinion regarding how and whether they

engage in specific follow up for patients with these symptoms. It is likely to be patient specific and related to age and other comorbidities, but it takes opening a discussion on lab testing in a new direction.

CDC is an excellent resource for information confirming the importance of GI health. Any good internet search will uncover a number of other sources from leading universities and research institutions. If you plan to initiate this conversation, make sure to come prepared with facts and a sound, respectful way to present the information. Do not be surprised if some of your customers inform you that, if a patient presents with a series of GI complaints, the clinician looks to CBC,CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and other procedures to get to the root cause of the patient’s condition.

Working with your trusted lab manufacturer, you are well equipped to offer a wide range of lab tests to help get to the bottom of a variety of chronic or acute GI disorders. Needless to say, in many cases imaging and other studies will round out the follow-up treatment plan. In thinking along with your customers, as a trusted consultant, these sorts of discussions can lead you to know more about your customer than starting out with a lab product presentation. As your experience grows, you will see the respect of your customers increase as well.

Specific GI diseases and associated lab tests

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the U.S., accounting for

approximately 10% of all U.S. cancer cases annually. About 107,000 new cases of CRC are diagnosed annually using a variety of lab and other diagnostic procedures. The two most prominent sources regarding providing information about colorectal cancer and diagnostic recommendations are the American Cancer Society and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

The good news about colorectal cancer is that early diagnosis, combined with public

awareness campaigns and lifestyle changes, are reducing the incidence. According to the NIH, the incidence of CRC has declined by more than 30% from 1975 to 2013. The efforts of you and your trusted manufacturers in creating awareness of appropriate screening methods are a part of this reduction.

As with most cancers, early detection is the key to patient recovery and a return to health. According to the American Cancer Society, five-year survival for local CRC is 91%, for distant or

metastatic cancer it drops dramatically to 13%. Clearly, early diagnosis is the key to the best patient outcomes. Annually CRC awareness month is observed in March. This article is a little late to help you prepare for CRC awareness activities this year, but should help you think about how and to what extent you want to be involved in coming years.

Peptic Ulcer

I have not written about peptic ulcer before, but it has an interesting diagnostic history. For years

Colorectal Cancer Screening recommendations

Recommendations are for screening, not follow up after polyp discovery

Organization

American Cancer Society

50-75* Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) annually

high sensitivity guiac test annually

multitarget stool DNA test every 3 years

Colonoscopy every 10 years

CT colonography every 5 years

flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years

*starting at 45 is a “qualified” recommendation

USPSTF 50-75 years**

high sensitivity guiac test annually

Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) annually

sDNA-FIT *** every 1-3 years

Colonoscopy every 10 years

CT colonography every 5 years

flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years

flexible sigmoidoscopy with FIT

flex sig every 10; FIT annually

**starting at 45 based on patient considerations

***different name for multitarget stool DNA test

it was thought to be a result of stress and lesions to the stomach and GI tract. It was not until the early 1980s that H. pylori was determined to be the cause of peptic ulcer.

While establishment of the cause and diagnosis is relatively recent, the second factor in dealing with peptic ulcer is treatment. H. pylori is a very stubborn bacterium and quite difficult to treat successfully. It typically involves a lengthy regimen of multiple antibiotics coupled with acid reduction therapy. However, complete healing is possible. Peptic ulcer is quite common in the U.S., affecting over 15 million Americans annually, causing 360,000 hospitalizations and over 5 million prescriptions a year.

The first step in dealing with peptic ulcer is effective diagnosis. Today there are three well recognized diagnostic methods. The first is the H. pylori breath test. The patient receives a liquid containing radioactive hydrogen and urea. After administration the patient blows into a balloon which is then presented to the instrument that reads the result. The amount of carbon dioxide exhaled by the patient indicates the presence of H. pylori . The CPT code for this test is 83009 with reimbursement of $67.36. Drug administration for the test is CPT code is 83014 with reimbursement of $7.86.

A second common test is the H. pylori antigen test, CPT code 87339 with reimbursement of $16. There is also an H. pylori stool test with CPT code of 87338 and reimbursement of $14.38. A waived version of this test is available. While there are a wide range of reasons

for patients to present with GI pain and discomfort, peptic ulcer is a common reason and you in cooperation with your trusted lab manufacturer have several diagnostic options.

waived and non-waived solutions are available. Alkaline phosphatase is also an enzyme associated with severe liver disease and other conditions and is part of the CMP.

While there are a wide range of reasons for patients to present with GI pain and discomfort, peptic ulcer is a common reason and you in cooperation with your trusted lab manufacturer have several diagnostic options.

Other common GI tests

The GI system is a complex one and subject to infection, structural damage and even organ failure. Some of the other more common GI tests (even some we do not think about as GI tests) include:

 Amylase and lipase: tests for pancreatic enzymes. Typically done on moderate complexity chemistry systems. These tests are typically not done in large panels. Elevated levels may indicate pancreatitis or other serious organ conditions. Patients typically present with acute abdominal pain and show up in the ER or urgent care center. Rapid diagnosis is critical.

 Liver function tests (AST, ALT). Elevated levels are indicative of acute or chronic liver damage. Acute damage is often reversible, as is chronic damage if caught early and the source of the damage (alcohol or exposure to airborne toxins) is removed. ALT and AST are part of the comprehensive metabolic panel, and both

 Kidney function tests: BUN and creatinine. Critical to assuring proper overall health. Available in both the BMP and CMP.

 CBC. Any time an infection or an injury that could be associated with internal bleeding is suspected, the CBC is a first line of defense diagnostically. I do not usually think of CBC as a GI test, but there are many reasons to test for CBC when a GI disorder is suspected.

So often working with our trusted lab manufacturers, we present solutions around annual physicals, screening tests and respiratory panels. Every bit of this information is important and helps us to effectively consult with our customers and build credibility and relationships. Hopefully, this information on GI disorders and their associated tests will add more useful information to establish sound conversations with your customers. Be in the conversation to be part of the solution.

Henry Schein Medical Hosts 2025 National Sales Meeting

Meeting brought together more than 1,200 Team Schein Members, supplier partners, and exhibitors under the theme ‘Our Time.’

Â MELVILLE, N.Y, February 26, 2025 - Henry Schein Medical, the U.S. medical business of Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), recently hosted its 2025 National Sales Meeting, bringing together more than 1,200 attendees, including Team Schein Members (TSMs) and supplier partners, under the theme “Our Time.” The Meeting highlighted the impact of Henry Schein’s solutions for customers, celebrated shared achievements, and explored new opportunities to support health care providers in delivering exceptional patient care.

Held in Las Vegas, the National Sales Meeting featured presentations from Henry Schein’s leadership team, including Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Dirk Benson, President of Henry Schein’s U.S. Distribution Group, Ty Ford, Vice President and General Manager of Henry Schein Medical, and many more.

“This year’s National Sales Meeting was a nod to the incredible momentum we have built throughout the past year and the boundless possibilities for our teams, partners, and the entire Henry Schein Medical community,” said Mr. Ford. “It reinforced the importance of pushing boundaries, driving innovation, and elevating health care for the patients and communities we serve.”

Throughout the Meeting, sessions emphasized strategies to help health care providers enhance patient outcomes, leverage datadriven insights, and access innovative solutions to drive practice growth. Management leaders discussed breakthrough technologies and innovations, and recognized top sales representatives during the Meeting's annual Awards Ceremony. Suppliers also exhibited products and solutions to the sales team.

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The Hidden Cost of Hesitation

How fear steals your potential.

By Brian Sullivan

Â In sales – especially in medical distribution and manufacturing – every moment counts. A single decision, a single call, a single handshake can change your entire trajectory. But what happens when you hesitate?

Not when you make a bad decision. Not when you fail. But when you pause too long. When you overanalyze. When you let a moment pass because you were waiting for the “right time.” Hesitation isn’t harmless. It’s a slow thief.

It doesn’t steal your success in one swift motion. It bleeds it away, one opportunity at a time. It forces you to watch from the sidelines while someone else –maybe someone less qualified, less experienced, and less prepared –steps up and wins.

Not because they were better. But because they moved while you hesitated.

Fear in disguise

Sales reps often justify hesitation with logical-sounding excuses:  “I don’t want to come across as pushy.”

 “Now’s not the right time –they’re too busy.”

 “I should wait until I have the perfect message.”

 “I’ll reach out next week.”

Let’s call it what it is: fear in a suit.

Fear of rejection. Fear of hearing “no.” Fear of looking unprepared. Here’s the problem: you can recover from a bad decision. You can refine your approach after a failed pitch. You can tweak your messaging after a tough call. But you can’t recover from the chances you never took. Because the opportunity is gone.

What hesitation really costs you

In medical sales, hesitation is a killer. While you’re “waiting for the

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right time,” your competition is:

 Following up with the doctor who was “too busy.”

 Sending that second email after being ignored.

 Walking into an office without an appointment – just to say hello.

 Closing the deal that should’ve been yours.

The best sales reps don’t wait for perfect conditions – they create them.

Real-world example:

The follow-up that never happened

A medical distribution rep recently told me about a surgeon he’d been trying to reach for months. The surgeon showed some initial interest but never committed. Instead of pressing forward, the rep hesitated. He figured he’d “circle back in a few months” when the timing felt better.

A few months later? The competitor’s product was in the OR. The surgeon moved forward – with someone else.

Why? Because the competitor followed up. The competitor didn’t wait. The competitor took the risk of being a little annoying. And it paid off.

Hesitation wasn’t just a missed opportunity. It was a lost customer.

The compound effect of inaction

Hesitation doesn’t just cost you one deal – it creates a habit of inaction. Every time you hesitate, you reinforce the idea that waiting is the safe option.

The result?

 You start rationalizing why you shouldn’t make the call.

 You talk yourself out of bold moves.

 You settle for “good enough” instead of pushing for great.

And in a market as competitive as medical sales, that mindset is a recipe for mediocrity.

The more you hesitate, the easier it becomes to do nothing. But the more action you take, the easier it gets.

Momentum works both ways.

The mindset of top performers

What separates top salespeople from the rest? They act before they feel ready.

 They don’t let “maybe later” become “never.”

 They don’t talk themselves out of opportunities.

 They understand that discomfort is the price of growth.

They know the biggest regrets in sales aren’t the deals lost … but the ones they never fought for in the first place.

Think about the biggest successes in your career. Were you 100% ready for any of them?

Probably not.

But you jumped in anyway. That’s what separates top performers – they trust action over hesitation.

How to overcome hesitation and take action

So how do you break the habit of hesitation?

1. Recognize when you’re hesitating. Pay attention to the moments when you start to second-guess yourself. That hesitation is a signal – an opportunity is in front of you.

2. Take action. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to act. Adopt the 5-second rule – when you feel hesitation creeping in, count down from five and then take action before your brain talks you out of it.

3. Reframe failure as learning. The fear of failure is what drives hesitation. Shift your mindset – failure isn’t a dead end; it’s data. Every “no” gets you closer to a “yes.”

4. Commit to speed over perfection. Success in sales isn’t about having the perfect words – it’s about being present, persistent, and proactive. The perfect moment is the one you create by taking action.

The bottom line

Sales is about momentum, not perfection. Every time you hesitate, you make it easier to hesitate again. But every time you act, you make it easier to act again.

The next time you catch yourself hesitating, do this:

 Make the call

 Send the email

 Walk into the office

 Ask for the meeting

And do it before you talk yourself out of it. Because in the end, it’s not failure that haunts us. It’s knowing we never really played the game.

Brian Sullivan, CSP, is the author of “20 Days to the Top” and a leading voice in the field of sales training and development. He believes in the potential of every salesperson to achieve their best and continually challenges sales professionals to reach new heights. Visit him at www.preciseselling.com.

Mastering Medical Sales

How the modern sales rep fits into today’s market.

By Pete Mercer

Â Developing a mastery of anything requires years of practice. Mace Horoff compares it to learning how to fly a plane. There are many measured steps that pilots must take before they can even get in the cockpit, even more before the plane can actually take off – learning how to pre-flight the plane, how to start the plane, how to taxi it on the ground, how to talk on the radio, etc.

It’s all about layering successful skills. You work at each one until you develop competency, and then you move onto the next one. “Mastery is developed over time, but competency is the bare essential. It’s the same thing in medical sales –there are multiple skills involved in becoming a successful medical sales rep,” he said.

Repertoire Magazine sat down with Horoff, author of Mastering Medical Sales – The Evolution – The

Modern Playbook for Medical Sales Professionals , about his new book, how medical sales has changed over the years, and what it takes to be a successful medical sales rep in today’s market.

Creating value in a changing industry

This is not Horoff’s first book about medical sales. In 2010, he released Mastering Medical Sales –The Essential Attitudes, Habits & Skills of High-earning Medical Sales

Professionals, a practical guide for how to navigate and succeed in the complex world of medical sales.

With his new book, Horoff wanted to provide a more contemporary look at medical sales because it has changed so much in the last 15 years. He wrote Mastering Medical Sales – The Evolution for new and emerging sales representatives, hoping to give them a toolkit that equips them to navigate the dynamic waters of this industry.

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A review of the evidence from a recent prospective study enrolling healthy volunteers evaluating the effects of skin pigmentation and perfusion index on pulse oximeter accuracy.†,‡

Nellcor™ pulse oximetry

A review of the evidence from a recent prospective study enrolling healthy volunteers evaluating the effects of skin pigmentation and perfusion index on pulse oximeter accuracy.†,‡

Missed hypoxemic events in subjects with dark skin and low perfusion.

Nellcor™ pulse oximetry

Masimo SET ™* pulse oximetry

Masimo SET ™* pulse oximetry Missed hypoxemic events in subjects with dark skin and low perfusion.

Medtronic is working to close the inequity gaps

We are collaborating with regulators, academics, and clinicians to enhance guidelines and standards.

We are expanding education on Nellcor™ technology use to enable clinicians to serve all patients.

We are collaborating with regulators, academics, and clinicians to enhance guidelines and standards. We are expanding education on Nellcor™ technology use to enable clinicians to serve all patients. We are including 40% enrollees with dark skin in future testing to ensure performance for all patients. We are investing in science and innovation to improve our pulse oximetry portfolio.

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†Oxygen

Nellcor™ pulse oximetry missed

Nellcor™ pulse oximetry missed fewer hypoxemic events for subjects with dark skin and low perfusion than Masimo SET ™ * pulse oximetry.1

74%

fewer hypoxemic events for subjects with dark skin and low perfusion than Masimo SET ™ * pulse oximetry.1

Nellcor™ pulse oximetry missed fewer hypoxemic events for subjects with dark skin and low perfusion than Masimo SET ™ * pulse oximetry.1

‡The study enrolled 146 healthy subjects and examined the Nellcor N-595 and Masimo Radical-7™* pulse oximeters. The study enrolled 146 healthy subjects in the 92%-96% saturation range and examined the Nellcor N-595 and the Massimo Radical 7 pulse oximeters 1Gudelunas MK, Lipnick M, Hendrickson C, et al. Low Perfusion and Missed Diagnosis of Hypoxemia by Pulse Oximetry in Darkly Pigmented Skin: A Prospective Study. Anesth Analg. 2024;138(3):552561. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006755. Scan the QR code for more information

‡The

enrolled 146 healthy subjects and examined the Nellcor N-595 and Masimo Radical-7™* pulse oximeters. The study enrolled 146 healthy subjects in the 92%-96% saturation range and examined the Nellcor N-595 and the Massimo Radical 7 pulse oximeters 1Gudelunas MK, Lipnick M, Hendrickson C, et al. Low Perfusion and Missed Diagnosis of Hypoxemia by Pulse Oximetry in Darkly Pigmented Skin: A Prospective Study. Anesth Analg. 2024;138(3):552561. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006755.

© 2024 Medtronic. All rights reserved. Medtronic, Medtronic logo and Engineering the Extraordinary are trademarks of Medtronic. ™* Third party brands are trademarks of their respective owners. All other brands are trademarks of a Medtronic company. medtronic.com 6135 Gunbarrel Avenue, Boulder CO 80301

the Extraordinary are trademarks of Medtronic. ™* Third party brands are trademarks of their respective owners. All other brands are trademarks of a Medtronic company. medtronic.com 6135 Gunbarrel Avenue, Boulder CO 80301

“Medical sales has become a lot more complex,” he said. “When I wrote the previous book in 2010, things like value analysis committees existed, and we were certainly dealing with GPOs and IDNs, but it’s intensified and the number of people who sit on value analysis committees has expanded. It’s become a lot more challenging for sales representatives to define the individual value propositions for each of the stakeholders.”

Due to technology innovations, the pandemic, and economic pressures, the industry has changed drastically in the last decade and a half. Horoff argues in his book that ‘just selling’ doesn’t cut it anymore. A good pitch can take you a long way, but your customers need to see value in the products they are purchasing.

speaking with them. “You need to earn the attention of your customers to be able to position a solution. How could you possibly position a solution if you don’t know what’s important to them?” he said.

Developing a deep practice routine

An essential part of developing a mastery of medical sales is implementing a deep practice routine. Layering successful skills, just like when you learn to fly a plane, can help you to further develop each skill as you progress.

Horoff argues that a deep practice routine can transform sales reps into a “triple threat.” For movie stars in the golden age of Hollywood, this meant that they could act, sing, and dance. For medical sales reps in 2025, it means someone with relationship skills,

“You need to earn the attention of your customers to be able to position a solution. How could you possibly position a solution if you don’t know what’s important to them?”

Horoff said, “Value of medical sales is so much more than selling the product. We always talk about things like relationships and understanding customer needs – I call this the value creation imperative. How do we create this? You have to focus on a few very important areas: you have to understand the customer’s world and provide solutions that address specific needs within that world.”

Reps need to understand their challenges, their concerns, and what they do every day. Does your product fit into their world? “It’s important to respect that every person you call on is an individual and what’s important to one won’t be important to the other,” Horoff said.

The other way to create value is to provide solutions that address specific needs. Relevance is an essential piece of the puzzle in medical sales, but Horoff argues that there’s a misunderstanding about the types of relevance that make a difference. While you might be selling products that are perfectly relevant to your customers, it may not meet the “realtime relevant” requirements that make a difference.

Horoff developed real-time relevance as a means of selling that not only considers whether a product has relevance for your customers, but also whether it has relevance for them in the moments that you are

because nothing is more important than being able to build healthy relationships; technical skills, because you have to know your product inside and out; and selling skills, because you have to know how to go through the sales process.

The idea for layering successful skills is that you continue to develop your competency at certain skillsets, while introducing new ones into the mix. With all the resources available to the modern sales reps, it’s more accessible than ever to develop a mastery of medical sales.

“How lucky are we?” Horoff said. “We live in a time when artificial intelligence is exploding, and all these new tools are coming into the marketplace that allow you to practice in very realistic ways in private. You don’t have to do it in front of your colleagues, that role play every rep hates – but there’s no excuse not to practice now. If you want to achieve that top 1% in medical sales, you have to put in the work.”

Qualities of a high-quality sales representative

Competition is always high, especially in a market like medical sales where there are so many products that can accomplish the same objective. In a highly saturated market, the sales reps themselves can be

Being a triple threat as a sales rep means having:

 Relationship skills (Nothing is more important than being able to build healthy relationships)

 Technical skills (Knowing your product inside and out)

 Selling skills (Knowing how to go through the sales process)

the differentiators. For Horoff, a high-quality sales representative has several key qualities:

 Ongoing continuing education –Leveraging continuing education opportunities for yourself is a powerful way to level up your knowledge and experience. Horoff said, “If your doctors have to do it, you should too. Medicine is dynamic – it’s a science – and it’s literally changing every day. Doing little things like setting up Google alerts for the specialty you sell to goes a long way to keep up to date.”

 Organization is key – Organization could be the secret ingredient that sets you apart from other sales reps. When you keep things organized, you will have a better picture of the needs and challenges your territory is facing. “If you don’t control your time and develop a true understanding of your territory, you’re going to be leaving money on the table,” he said.

 Let the experts be experts – This can be particularly challenging for medical sales reps because when you are calling on these highly educated individuals, it’s easy to feel like you need to match their level of expertise. “When you understand that they are the experts, all you have to do is allow them to be the expert,” he said. “If you ask the right questions, they will tell you what it is you want them to know.”

Finally, the mission mindset is what keeps the sales reps in the game. “When they say no, that’s not going to stop you because it’s going to be your goal to ultimately do what’s best for that provider and their patients. Looking at your job as a mission instead of just a job to sell a product makes a dramatic difference in how you think, how you perform, and what your sales outcome will be.”

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Attitude Adjustment

How leaders can navigate the hazardous attitudes that could crash their personal or professional lives.

By Pete Mercer

Â Attitudes are infectious – a good or bad attitude can almost change the temperature in the room, for better or worse. There are dozens of affirmations floating around that talk about the value of spreading positivity, but the reality is that it’s just as easy to spread negativity. Whether it’s unhealthy management, a frustrated spouse, or a negative friend on a bad day, we have all experienced that feeling of being weighed down by someone else’s negative attitude.

This is why it’s so important to keep your attitude in check. It might not be easy, but finding ways to adjust your attitude could be the very thing that saves your company, job, marriage, and friendships.

Ricky Brown is the founder and CEO of Speak Life Inc., a professional training and coaching organization, and author of The Five Hazardous Attitudes: Ways to Win the War Within. Repertoire Magazine recently sat down with him to discuss the genesis of his book, what the five hazardous attitudes are, and how leaders can trigger an attitude adjustment for their organization.

Attitude determines altitude

The initial idea of Brown’s book is based on a concept by the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the decision-making process for pilots and reduce accidents caused by human error. The idea is that these hazardous attitudes contribute to poor judgement that can have catastrophic consequences for everyone involved.

“The FAA requires pilots to know and understand five specific hazardous attitudes because of how they investigate aircraft accidents,” Brown said. “Around 80% of airplane accidents have involved one or more of the five hazardous attitudes. It’s only logical that if an attitude can crash a plane, an attitude can certainly crash a company, a career, a business, a ministry, or a relationship.”

In addition to his time spent developing leaders and pastoring a church, Brown is also a United States Air Force veteran. With this experience, Brown has seen the cliché of “your attitude determines your altitude” unfold in real-time, whether it’s with pilots or business leaders.

He said, “It’s really an issue of self-awareness. When a person has a hazardous attitude, they are often the last person to realize it – everyone around them already knows. What I have found through coaching, training, or facilitating workshops is that identifying the hazardous attitude is the big thing.”

After the hazardous attitude is identified, you can put practical steps in place to overcome the attitudes and apply the antidotes.

What are the five hazardous attitudes?

The five hazardous attitudes are fairly straightforward manifestations of unresolved trauma.

While preparing to write the book, Brown interviewed several psychologists who confirmed that trauma will often lead to one or more of the attitudes, largely impacting members of leadership.

“The bridle is placed in the horse’s mouth for a reason. Wherever the head goes, so does the body. Leaders have the biggest impact – a leader’s job is to make sure they are healthy. When the leader gets better, everybody wins,” he said.

Here are the five hazardous attitudes, broken down with their respective antidotes:

1. Anti-authority: This is the hazardous attitude of people who say, “You can’t tell me what to do.” Brown said, “The antidote for anti-authority is to use your words and say out loud, ‘Follow the rules, they’re usually right.’”

2. Invulnerability: The person with this hazardous attitude knows that consequences can happen, but they don’t believe that the consequences will affect them. The antidote for invulnerability is to say out loud, “It could happen to me.”

3. Macho: With this attitude, the person has an overinflated sense of self-ability, prompting people to take unnecessary risks. Brown’s antidote for the macho attitude is to say out loud, “Taking unnecessary risks is foolish.”

4. Impulsivity: People with impulsivity tend to act before they think. Brown said that the antidote for impulsivity is to say out loud, “Not so fast. Think first.”

5. Resignation: Resignation is the hazardous attitude that causes people to prematurely end what might have otherwise been successful. Brown’s antidote to resignation is to say out loud, “You can make a difference.”

attitude take hold of your life, that doesn’t mean that it always has to be that way.

For Brown, the road to redemption starts with two simple and significant steps. He said, “Step one, just like with anything else in life, is about recognizing that there is a problem. From there, the best next step is finding community. If you have succumbed to a hazardous attitude, you won’t get out of that on your own.”

Accountability is a powerful way to respond to challenges. By

“When a person has a hazardous attitude, they are often the last person to realize it –everyone around them already knows. What I have found through coaching, training, or facilitating workshops is that identifying the hazardous attitude is the big thing.”

With this book, Brown has created a unique, proprietary framework for catching and combating these hazardous attitudes before they cause significant damage. He said, “At the end of each chapter, we drill down to something I call Attitude Adjustments – if you didn’t get the point during the chapter, you will absolutely get the point at the end of the chapter.”

The road to redemption

While these attitudes can be dangerous if neglected, Brown believes that there’s always a place for redemption. In addition to his time in the military, Brown has spent 20 years in ministry as a pastor and church planter, which has given him a unique perspective on what redemption can look like. Even if you have let a hazardous

surrounding yourself with people that you trust, accountability works as a reality check to humble you and bring you back to earth, without crashing. Brown likens the process to Alcoholics Anonymous, where you partner with a sponsor who works as a guide because they have firsthand experience of what alcoholism looks and feels like.

“The cool thing about AA is that the sponsor knows the way out because they have been in that pit before. There’s something powerful about having a sense of community and accountability around you. The reality is that you didn’t choose to crash your life –no one decides to blow up their company, marriage, or relationships. That’s why you need a community around you that can help to lift you out of the hole.”

Legends of Lab

This year’s inductees into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame have left their mark on the med/surg community.

Meet this year’s three inductees into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame: Jonathan Overbey Brad Thompson Lisa Wikstrom

These three individuals have made tremendous contributions to both the organizations they’ve worked for, as well as the industry at large. In the following stories, Repertoire Magazine celebrates their achievements and impact on the U.S. healthcare supply chain.

With complete ownership of every step, BD delivers excellence from end-to-end. We are committed to providing a sustainable supply of needles and syringes with safe and reliable performance your clinicians and patients can trust.

Impacting Lives Through Lab

Jonathan Overbey has always cared about the people and the products.

By Daniel Beaird

Growing up in western Kentucky, Jonathan Overbey thought he was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps in the family business, a small-town law firm. His grandfather had founded the Overbey law firm in Murray, Kentucky, and his father had given it its legs. Overbey set off to Emory University in Atlanta as a political science major and was set on law school. But after working for a large law firm in college, he began selling copiers and fax machines for Harris 3M Lanier after graduation.

“I enjoyed it, and I was really good at it,” he said. “I started making some money, but I was selling fax machines, so once the customer bought one, they didn’t need me anymore. I had to get a new book of business almost every month or find new customers.”

He thought if he was going to do sales, he needed to be in the medical field. “Everybody thought they wanted to be a pharmaceutical rep at the time and that’s really what drove it,” he said. “I didn’t get to work with a pharma company, but I was lucky enough to get an interview with Scott McGowan, who was the regional manager for Quidel.”

That was Overbey’s start in January 1990. He became the Quidel rep for Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and some of South Carolina.

“They were very small. We were selling a little allergy product, and it was all direct,” he said. “I had a wonderful time and ran a territory, and it went from there.”

Overbey says lab sales were like the wild west back then. Doctors and offices could use any kit or test they thought would be helpful to diagnose a condition or help treatment. There was no such thing as CLIA or controls that regulated the kits.

“All the companies I worked for made quality and accurate tests, but others certainly sold on financial considerations,” he said. “There’s better quality, better compliance and more accurate lab tests today, and molecular testing and bigger labs.”

Scott Glenn, the former CEO of Quidel, took Overbey under his wing and showed him the ins and outs of the industry. Glenn was one of the youngest CEOs or presidents of a company at the time and he took Overbey to some Young Presidents meetings and introduced him.

“Scott was probably barely 40 years old himself or maybe younger, and he took little 24-year-old me to those meetings,” Overbey said. “I’ve been lucky to

have so many mentors and people that took an interest in my career and my personal life.”

Mentors, friends and funny stories

Overbey lists Brad Connett, John Sasen, Brian Taylor, Rob Saron, Rick Frey and others as mentors he looked up to.

“I haven’t been in many other industries, but I’ve talked to people in them, and I can’t say it enough, this is a tight knit one, a close one,” he said. “People really care. It’s not just a job. It’s building a business and having ownership of that business and a passion for what we do.”

That passion for the job has always led to some fruitful – and fun – ride-alongs with sales reps in the healthcare industry. Overbey has plenty of memorable stories, of course. Some can be shared, and others can’t.

“In my younger days, and maybe even in my older days, I’ve let a few choice non-PC words fly on calls when talking about competitors,” he said. “I was a little feistier in my younger days and being young and stupid I let some of those type of words fly to a guy that was a deacon in his church. I was told not to come back.”

Overbey says he took that lesson to heart and learned from it. When you’re young and still learning, he says, accounts will help guide you. They like to talk about themselves, so let them discuss their pain points, what they’re missing and where they would like to see your product.

There are always funny stories working with sales reps. Overbey says you might embarrass yourself sometimes, but it’s always been a joy to work with great people like Gary Etheridge, Don Lovre and Steven Sepulveda, to name just a few.

“Gary was working for me and making calls a while ago in Virginia and we would walk in and I’d hear all of this whispering,” Overbey recalled. “All the women were whispering under their breath, ‘Gary’s here, Gary’s here.’ Every single nurse, med tech came running up to see Gary, and I’m thinking, ‘hey, am I chopped liver?’

“He is a great guy and a man’s man,” Overbey continued. “He’s a handsome guy and that story sticks with me every time I walk in somewhere with all the praise coming for Gary.”

Sepulveda, meanwhile, lived in the U.S. his entire life but had a little bit of Puerto Rican lingo growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. Overbey

remembers a time when Sepulveda was talking to an account about a product. Overbey thought he was saying, ‘Quidel’s got cats.’ Overbey said, ‘got cats?’ Steven said, ‘I meant to say they have the cache of these products.’

Overbey just rolled over laughing, he said, and told him Sepulveda he thought he had said cats.

Lovre, meanwhile, was affectionately known as ‘Dancing Don’ for his skills on the dance floor during national sales meetings and wearing his pink jacket, which he would call salmon or corral but not pink.

“He and I had our share of dance offs at those meetings,” Overbey said. “So many good times.”

Another memorable ride-along occurred in the early ’90s with a Columbia Diagnostics rep (now Henry Schein). The rep was working in an underserved part of inner-city Baltimore. In those days, the reps all wore suits and ties to call on accounts. “We were riding around in an early ’90s sedan (i.e., it looked like an undercover police car),” Overbey recalled. “He was a Black man, and I being a white guy, we fit the part of a police detective team working in the ‘Wire’ (the series was set in Baltimore). At a minimum, every account we went to was looking at us as if we were cops. Several times we were approached in the car and asked to leave the area or at least questioned as to our presence in the neighborhood. We were jeered at on the streets. Being young and wanting to close accounts because we were doing a sales blitz/contest that day, we were undeterred and made all the calls we had that day. We even closed several accounts. We had a huge

Overbey says being in healthcare is a way to give back to the community by putting a better product out there, whether it’s a test, glove or mask. “We’re doing our part, in our own little way for the betterment of people’s lives and health, and that’s big.”

laugh back at the restaurant with the other reps to total up the sales that day.”

Selling value proposition

Today, Overbey is the head of corporate alliances and channel management for Sekisui Diagnostics in Nashville, Tennessee. He says value proposition is important for both manufacturers and distributors.

“We must sell value and how we make the healthcare system and industry more efficient, effective and safer,” he added.

He still rides along with Sekisui reps because he loves seeing the accounts. He wants to see their customers using their products and hear what they have to say about their products and what their needs and pain points are. That all starts with the distribution reps.

“Distribution reps bring access, first and foremost, and product knowledge,” Overbey explained. “They

know so many products and are so well versed in them, and they know exactly when to talk about a product and where it fits in a practice. Some have done it for a long time and the account will ask what they recommend.”

That sums up their value. Being passionate about their territory and their customers.

“Always bring that value and don’t take it for granted,” he said. “We must always go back to our own value prop as a distributor as well as a manufacturer. Obviously, price is going to be a part of the conversation, but it needs to be the third or fourth thing you talk about. Talk about what works for the workflow, what does it mean to the account, what’s the sensitivity and specificity in our product. Talk about the product first and foremost.”

He says product education that helps clinicians do their jobs more efficiently and effectively is the most important value that reps bring to the healthcare supply chain.

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Passion for the products and the people

That education goes back to passion. Overbey says he wouldn’t ask anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Bringing that passion and energy makes the job fun.

“It’s fun but it’s still work,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I always felt like I got something accomplished. Either I sold something or moved closer to the account or landed a new account.”

Overbey has worked for two companies with great products – Quidel and Sekisui. Products he could stand behind and people who cared about them and what they made.

“I think people would say I cared,” he added. “Have the fun where you can because there’s nothing wrong with having fun, but have fun being serious.”

He tells that to his reps. Each change in his career has come with more opportunities and more

challenges from getting his first job in healthcare at Quidel to working at Genzyme to Genzyme selling its business to Sekisui.

“There’s never been a dull moment,” he said. “There’s always been such good, smart people to work with. Our industry is a small, close group that we all know and work together, even within a competitive marketplace.”

Overbey has learned from them all and taught many others to treat their customers right and do right by their business.

“I hope that I’ve provided products and services that impacted the health of patients and their families to some small degree,” he concluded. “Healthcare is a great industry and in a small way we’re selling things that impact people’s lives, health and wellness.”

Quotes about Overbey

Jonathan is a force of nature like no other! A great partner as he has in-depth knowledge about diagnostics and the industry at large that comes with a personality that is beyond engaging and transparent. No matter how animated a conversation can be, you are not ending the discussion without side-splitting laughter! I have known J.O. for many years and consider him not only as a great business partner, but a friend. Congratulations J.O. – so well deserved!

— Cindy Gorman, Henry Schein Medical, North American Distribution Group

Congratulations J.O.! It has been a pleasure to work with you throughout my time in the medical distribution industry. You have been a great partner in furthering the success of our shared goals and I am thankful for all the industry knowledge you have shared with me throughout the years. Well deserved and congratulations! — Hayden White, McKesson Medical-Surgical

I cannot begin to express my excitement for J.O.’s induction into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame. The industry’s recognition is a testament to J.O.’s lifelong dedication to the profession of sales, where he has always demonstrated a passion for building meaningful relationships and delivering exceptional customer experiences. To J.O., everyone is a customer – from the C-suite executive to the first year rep – and he has spent his career treating each individual with the same level of respect, empathy, and professionalism.

Throughout the last 23 years I have had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside J.O., he has developed a vast network of relationships that transcend mere business relations. His personal brand, built on a foundation of integrity, trust, and authenticity – not to mention FUN – is just as strong as the brand he represents to the industry. As a result, he has earned the admiration and respect of his peers, colleagues, and customers alike. This induction into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to J.O.’s remarkable achievements and his enduring impact on the industry.

Congratulations My Friend, the Industry will NEVER see another one like you.

— Ty Ford, Henry Schein Medical, North American Distribution Group

Better Health Better Future

The Long Way Around

Brad Thompson’s journey to – and through – the U.S. healthcare supply chain has involved many twists, turns, and memorable experiences.

Talk to Brad Thompson for any length of time, and you’re bound to be surprised by something from his personal and professional experiences. Even if you’ve known him for years. “Both my high school and college guidance counselors made similar comments about me, ‘Your first impression of Brad is not what you’ll eventually see in him,’” he admitted. “My adaptiveness has served me well.”

Thompson, one of this year’s Medical Distribution Hall of Fame inductees, began his healthcare career in 1992 with Laboratory Supply Company (LABSCO) – Louisville, Kentucky. He’s entering his 33rd year in U.S. healthcare distribution, showcasing a rewarding career initiated by a focus on clinicallaboratory suppliers and their products, eventually landing him at NDC, Inc., where he serves today as an executive on the supplier management team stewarding supply chain solutions for NDC’s supplier partners. But his journey through the years in the med/surg community has been anything but linear.

“I got here ‘the long way around,’ and by some coincidence,” Thompson said.

Life as a classroom

Thompson grew up in a military family that valued new experiences and a hard work ethic. His father was a career military officer and army aviator who served two tours in Vietnam. The Thompsons moved about every 18 months, from as far south as the Panama Canal Zone to as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska, and all points in between. “It afforded me a lot of opportunities to learn about people in general,” Thompson said.

His father’s last assignment before retirement took the family from Alaska to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After graduating high school, Thompson enrolled at nearby Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, with the intent of becoming a high school teacher. “I majored in English, minored in journalism, and had a focus in French and Art, so I thought I would put that all together.”

Thompson’s dad always stressed the importance

of taking full advantage of the opportunities a new place afforded. Being the son of an Army aviator, Thompson had earned an FAA A&P license (aircraft mechanic) in high school, which would eventually allow him to work full-time at a local airfield to support himself through college. In fact, he paid for his own college tuition and graduated debt-free.

With a college degree in hand, Thompson drew a circle on a map within a 500-mile radius and asked himself, where to next? He chose Asheville, North Carolina, and started a small sole proprietorship business focused on dog boarding, grooming, training, and supplies. “It taught me a whole lot about what the customer experience is and how important it is to take care of the customer.”

Through his work training dogs, Thompson got involved in a local search and rescue organization, which led him down yet another path in life, and ultimately introduced him to Charlie Davis, the owner/founder of Laboratory Supply Company (LABSCO), a leading distributor of clinical-laboratory equipment, diagnostics and medical supplies founded in 1972 (LABSCO was eventually acquired by McKesson).

After moving to Louisville in 1992, Thompson started work at a small construction company, but was soon hit with a major life altering diagnosis of testicular cancer. He spent the following several months undergoing grueling chemotherapy and a major surgery.

Thompson recalls the conversation with his oncologist. “He said to me, ‘You look like somebody that wants to hear it straight.’ I said absolutely. I work on percentages, right? So, my first question to him after being diagnosed was, ‘What’s my prognosis as a percentage?’

“The oncologist said, ‘It’s going to be one of two types of cancer. If it’s type, A, to put it to you bluntly, your goose is cooked. If it’s type B, I’m going to be able to help you.’”

If Thompson’s body responded to the chemo, then the doctor gave him a 90% or greater chance of a full recovery. And it did. Even though it was a challenging experience through multiple surgeries and chemotherapies, Thompson still had a positive outlook knowing that if he fought, the chances were good that that he would come out on top.

And he did. However, the demands on his body were too much while recovering, which prompted Thompson to consider a new career outlook. During this time, Charlie Davis approached Thompson with an offer to work in LABSCO’s warehouse, pick-packing and shipping. “That was my introduction to U.S. healthcare,” Thompson said.

After about three or four months of working in the warehouse, Davis then asked Thompson if he would be interested in developing and leading a tele sales team. “Back then it was a rotary dial phone, a Yellow Pages phone book and a stack of green bar paper listing products and pricing – no sophisticated CRMs, no voicemail, no emails!” Thompson said yes. Eventually, he was promoted to director of marketing and remained in that position until leaving LABSCO in 2003.

Long-lasting connections

That same year, Thompson would meet three people who would prove pivotal to the next season of his career: Jim Stover, president and CEO of NDC, Gary Skura, VP of marketing at NDC, and Mark Seitz, who was NDC’s corporate council at the time and would later become NDC’s president and CEO. Thompson would join NDC in 2004 to help develop and expand their clinical-lab portfolio. Now in his 22nd year with the organization, Thompson often reflects on the circumstances that placed him in the path of industry leaders – including Hall of Famers Jim Stover and Mark Seitz – whose leadership left a lasting impact on his career.

Nashville is the place where Thompson met his wife, Lisa. The two joined their families together: Keller, Tyeler, Morgan and her husband Jeremy, and Chase and his wife Claudia, who blessed Brad and Lisa with two grandchildren, Nolan and Nelly. “I’m now Paw Paw Brad!”

Family is important to Thompson, as is the family he built within healthcare distribution. He counts himself lucky to have worked with independent distributors and suppliers over the last two-plus decades. He’s seen firsthand the value they bring because of their long-standing relationships with healthcare providers – sometimes generations long. “In a lot of instances, their kids went to school together, they played sports together,” he said. “So, the partnerships and relationships they’ve developed over time are tremendous, and relationships still matter. Obviously, you have to provide the right product at the right time,

Thompson (third from left) with Jonathan Overbey, Lisa Williams and Karen Ibarn of Sekisui Diagnostics, formerly Genzyme Diagnostics, as he departs Dog Beach launching his bicycle trek across the US in 2002.

In 2012 at the 20-year mark of being cancer free, Thompson got an even crazier idea to raise awareness –a motorcycle trip around the world.

but building the relationships with the independent dealer and the suppliers is what simplifies things for the provider.”

In an era of constant disruption, healthcare providers value a trusted distributor partner now more than ever. A lot has changed since Thompson entered the U.S. healthcare industry in the early 1990s, most notably market pricing. Distributors used to sell clinical-lab products at list plus a margin. It was not uncommon to sell at 50% plus margins on new tests clinicians demanded, he said. These new tests were fast, less-labor intensive and pricing was not a significant factor.

“Today highly competitive pricing with low margins is more the norm,” Thompson said.

The expansion of CLIA-waived, point-of-care (POC) testing exploded during the same span of

time. “There are now POC tests for hCG, Strep A, FLU A/B, COVID, RSV, PSA, fecal occult, lipids, hemoglobin A1c, urinalysis, etc.,” Thompson said. “Many of these tests are more traditional lateralflow technology and there are now POC molecular devices performing many of the traditional lateralflow tests. This led to in-office testing with immediate results providing the physician with the opportunity to have a teachable moment with the patient.”

Additionally, gone are the LABSCOs and InfoLABs that were strong regional clinical-lab focused distributors that targeted physician offices, independent reference labs and hospital labs –most of their field representatives were medical technologists with prior experience working in the labs. These companies also had lab specialists exclusively focused on selling clinical chemistry,

Thompson and his Rally Kid, Isabel, raised over $100,000 to help cure childhood cancer as part of his “Rally Around the World” motorcycle ride in 2012.

hematology, immunoassay and other analyzers –all were trusted experts.

“The U.S. laboratory testing market is now over $100 billion with a couple hundred thousand laboratories – 75% of those labs are CLIA-waived – fertile grounds for POC testing,” Thompson said. “Clinical diagnostic tests account for 2% to 3% of all healthcare expenditures but drive 70% of the diagnostic and therapeutic decisions – now that is efficiency.”

The COVID-pandemic changed the world forever. In the lab space, those changes included the rapid expansion of over-the-counter (OTC) lab tests available to the public and testing now moving to the home – tests for COVID-19 could be purchased from retailers or online for personal use and the firsttime ever.

Post pandemic, a physician performing basic tests annually for a patient may uncover multiple chronic illnesses including diabetes, high-cholesterol and other disease states, that if addressed early, can be effectively managed.

“Preventative health testing equates to wearing a helmet while riding a bike,” Thompson said. “While it may not protect you fully in all circumstances, it will protect you in most instances.”

Two journeys to raise awareness

In 2002 while at LABSCO, Thompson decided to celebrate his tenth anniversary of being cancer free by doing something that benefited others. So, he created a fund-raising event called LifeCycle 2002, a self-contained bicycle ride from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida. On this journey, he would raise over $50,000 from family, friends, and colleagues for the American Cancer Society. Thompson averaged over 80 miles a day during the 38-day cross-country trek. He only stopped around the halfway point in San Antonio, Texas, to spend time with his brother’s family, before finishing the journey. Fellow Medical Distribution Hall of Fame inductee Jonathan Overbey was with Thompson in San Diego to see him off at Dog Beach. Hall of Famers Bill McLaughlin, Sr. and

The NDC team celebrates 2024 Hall of Fame Inductee, Mark Seitz at Truist Park

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“As I enter the later years of my career, I remain sharply focused on the mission of the supplier management team to meet and exceed our annual goals,” Thompson said, “but paying it forward to help others elevate their career paths continues to be tremendously rewarding.”

Yates Farris, were present to greet him upon the completion of his journey in St. Augustine. The solo ride covered 2,800 miles.

“When asked how did you accomplish such a feat, I answered, ‘just one pedal rotation at a time,” Thompson recalled. “I knew if I just stayed in the saddle for 8 to 10 hours each day, going west to east, I would eventually find myself standing in the Atlantic Ocean.”

In 2012 at the 20-year mark of being cancer free, Thompson got an even crazier idea to raise awareness – a motorcycle trip around the world. He was inspired by Long Way Round (LWR), a British television series and book documenting the 19,000mile (31,000 km) journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York City on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska, and continued by road to New York.

Thompson decided this trip would raise money for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, empowering volunteers across the country to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures. (www.rallyfoundation.org)

He left Nashville, Tennessee and traveled north to Fairbanks, Alaska down to Anchorage. He crated his bike and flew to Incheon, Korea, went across Korea, caught a 24-hour ferry from Donghae, Korea to Vladivostok, Russia, which is the start of the Siberian Railroad. Thompson rode all the way across Siberia, crossed into Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, France, and the Channel Tunnel also known as the “Chunnel”. He then air-freighted his bike from London to Montreal and rode from Montreal back down to Nashville.

“It ended up taking me 50 days,” Thompson said. “I had 15,000 road miles. And at the end of the day, we, collectively, folks in our industry, family, friends, raised $100,000 for Rally Foundation.”

The journey did come with some bumps, bruises, and broken bones. While in Siberia, an old Russian military van pulled out in front of Thompson and sideswiped him. Thompson crashed and broke several ribs. The bike was a mess too.

Fortunately, a group of young bikers saw what happened and stopped to help. Prior to the trip, Thompson had built a network of people around the world. He phoned a group called the Siberian Bears. They arrived and helped him with the police, getting treatment at a hospital and getting his motorcycle repaired. (Editor’s note: Thompson shared a hilarious experience during his recovery that involved a Russian bath house and oak leaves. You’ll want to listen to his podcast with Repertoire Publisher Scott Adams at repertoiremag.com/ resources/podcasts ).

“That global network of bikers took care of me,” Thompson said. “And I, of course, said the

Barry Alsop (LABSCO), Bill McLaughlin Sr, Yates Farris, Karen D’Arcy and Sue McLaughlin (IMCO) celebrate the completion of Thompson’s cross-country trek and arrival at the Atlantic Ocean in St. Augustine.

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same thing to them, ‘If you ever come to the United States, know that you have someone here that will take wonderful care of you.’ Even though it was negative for me that I had the wreck, I was able to interface with some amazing people.”

Elevating tomorrow’s leaders

Even more than three decades into his professional journey, there are still new challenging roads Thompson is excited about exploring.

In late 2023, NDC President and CEO Jack Stephens approached him about a re-focus initiative on the clinical lab market. During the pandemic, the emphasis was almost exclusively on supply chain assuring products were available for the NDC distributor and their healthcare provider customers. With the re-focus, a comprehensive business plan was developed which included the creation of an NDC Laboratory Advisory Council assembling lab thought leaders from both the supplier and distributor

community; an extensive gap analysis identifying missing lab product categories and suppliers; a MemberSite lab resource page; and the development of a lab quick-reference guide.

Thompson is also passionate about mentoring younger, high-potential and talented colleagues at NDC. He co-leads a monthly Women in NDC (WIN) mentoring circle of aspiring leaders. WIN is NDC’s first employee resource group (ERG) that is dedicated to increasing exposure and advancement for women within the organization by providing resources in professional development, executive networking and mentoring to build connections and strengthen relationships among fellow employees.

“As I enter the later years of my career, I remain sharply focused on the mission of the supplier management team to meet and exceed our annual goals,” Thompson said, “but paying it forward to help others elevate their career paths continues to be tremendously rewarding.”

Quotes about Thompson

Brad Thompson and I have worked together since he joined NDC back in 2005. Over that time period, many of the vendors opted to distribute their products through the NDC Warehouse rather than selling directly to the independent distributor. Brad always made sure that our company was never disadvantaged in the process given our geographical location in Hawaii. When it involved special considerations for distributing lab products such as shipping, dating or special pricing, Brad was always the key person I could depend on to represent our best interests to the manufacturer.

— Richard Weinstein, Founder, R. Weinstein Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products, Honolulu, Hawaii

Brad Thompson’s induction into the Medical Distributors Hall of Fame is a testament to his dedication to both the business of healthcare distribution and also to the people of healthcare. A true expert in his field, Brad has built his career on partnership, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of win-win solutions. Always quick to solve challenges and highly responsive to customer needs, he is not just a trusted leader, but also a valued friend and colleague. His ability to blend professionalism with genuine friendship and fun has made a lasting impact on the industry and all who have had the privilege of working with him. Congratulations, Brad – this honor is well deserved!”

— Jack Stephens, NDC President and CEO

It’s been my pleasure to work with Brad for the last 11 years. His industry knowledge and relationships are extensive and make him an invaluable asset to NDC, as well as our supplier and distributor customers. At NDC we have a saying “We have a good time taking heath care seriously,” and Brad exemplifies our motto. No one works harder and is more dedicated to their company, partners, and teammates than Brad, yet he does so in a lighthearted and fun manner. My congratulations to Brad for this well-deserved honor.

— Steve Martin, NDC

Creating New Markets –and Possibilities

The adoption of new diagnostic tests, new enhanced technology, and new commercial approaches have all improved the lives of patients. Lisa Wikstrom is one of the difference makers who helped make it all happen.

Throughout her career, Lisa Wikstrom, senior director of marketing in Abbott’s rapid diagnostics business, has never lost sight of the fact that diagnostic testing can make a foundational difference in a patient’s health.

“The information the tests provide is important” said Wikstrom, a member of this year’s Medical Distribution Hall of Fame class, “knowing that every test has a human on the other side of it and knowing how critical that test result is to that patient, has kept me grounded.”

Indeed, while lab typically only makes up a small percentage of the spend in healthcare, it informs 70% of clinical decisions.

“It really is of profound significance to healthcare, being able to look at the results and ask, ‘What’s the best path forward for the patient?”

A global experience

Wikstrom’s career path did not start in healthcare, but she feels very fortunate to have found the med/ surg industry early. “It was very serendipitous.”

At the time, she was living in Phoenix and working at an ad agency. She would often visit San Diego to “beat the heat,” as so many Arizona residents did. Eventually, she would make a permanent move across state lines in search of a career change, “something more meaningful than the latest blockbuster movie,” she said.

In 1987, she landed a job in San Diego with the “granddaddy” of all biotech companies, Hybritech. Founded in 1978, Hybritech would later be acquired by Eli Lilly in 1986. The biotech company played a significant role in the early development of diagnostic tests, particularly in immunoassays, and is known for its work in the development of monoclonal antibodies used in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

From that starting point, Wikstrom would go on to participate in some of the most groundbreaking product launches in the lab diagnostic space over the last three decades. In 2001, while working for Biosite Incorporated (founded by Hybritech leaders), she was part of the team that introduced the Triage BNP test, the first rapid diagnostic test specifically designed to measure BNP levels in blood samples. The test made it easier to assess patients in emergency and outpatient settings.

“Launching a new and novel diagnostic test doesn’t come around often,” Wikstrom said. “Biosite

commercialized the first blood test for clinicians to use to tell if someone had heart failure – and its severity. With the foresight to fund robust clinical trials – including the New England Journal of Medicine landmark trial – it created a standard of care.”

Biosite launched BNP two years before anybody in market. While Wikstrom said it was great to be first to market, getting buy-in from distribution, physicians, and laboratorians meant educating each stakeholder on the revolutionary technology involved in the testing. So Wikstrom traveled the world with thought-leading cardiologists to do just that.

“That global experience and understanding that we had information about a new test they yet didn’t have any visibility to, and we were educating them and creating a new standard of care was incredible.” That experience shaped how Wikstrom has since approached selling diagnostics. “It’s clinical first. Unless you have a clinical reason for your test, it’s not very meaningful. That has been a very strong guiding light.”

The BNP launch would be one of several milestones during Wikstrom’s career. Once Biosite was acquired by Inverness, Wikstrom was part of the leadership team tasked with forming the POC diagnostic arm of the organization. Pulling

together the companies, brands and people in a meaningful – and additive way – was at the core of Inverness’s Physician Diagnostics Group (PDG). “It was a great learning experience of coming into organizations, assessing where their business stood, where we were going, and how to bring all of that together from a salesforce and marketing perspective,” Wikstrom said.

But the process was extremely complex to pull off. “I think one of the biggest compliments as a management team we ever got was from John Sasen,” Wikstrom said. (Sasen was the former CMO of PSS and fellow Medical Distribution Hall of Fame inductee) “Six months post-acquisition, all of the acquired and legacy companies came together as one under Inverness. John said, ‘A lot of people could have gotten this wrong, but this team got it right.’”

Another career milestone for Wikstrom was the introduction of a brand-new Molecular POC Platform. Wikstrom remembers being told by a distributor marketing manager over a decade ago that there was no way Alere could introduce the testing platform to the market. She recalls the manager had scoffed at the fact they even considered it would be CLIA Waivable.

“It did seem audacious,” she said. “But my reply was simple, ‘Watch this space.’ And of course, the rest is history. We launched the platform, now known as Abbott’s ID NOW, in 2014 and created a new market along the way.”

COVID was another major industry, economic, and global milestone – one in which collaboration between manufacturers and distributors would prove critical in releasing rapid tests that clinicians were in dire need of. “On a personal note, it was so rewarding to significantly contribute and help society navigate through the pandemic with testing, regardless of whether it was with ID NOW or a BinaxNOW Self Test,” she said. “It was one of those times in my career where my family and friends really understood what I did for a living … They now know – along with much of the population – the difference between a molecular and antigen test and the value of a rapid result. Talk about a steep learning curve for all.”

Mentors

Wikstrom said several individuals have proven instrumental in the trajectory of her career. Some she worked within the same organization. Others were fellow med/surg stakeholders. They all had common characteristics, she said. Fact-based. Realistic. No ego. “They were very humanistic,” she said.

One of her first mentors was Bob Buchs. “Booksy” was instrumental in welcoming Wikstrom into the biotech industry in the 1980s. At the time, she was a young professional from the ad agency world. She had been working with Paramount Pictures and General Mills when she moved to San Diego and answered an ad in the newspaper for a marketing analyst position at Hybritech. Buchs hired her for a new POL division that he was building.

“I remember sitting in his office as he used a flip board to educate me on distribution, what GP dollars are, what GP margin is, and what to make of all this work we would be doing,” she said.

Wikstrom recalls one of the first meetings she had with another industry mentor, John Sasen. They met when Sasen was part of the leadership team working to get PSS off the ground. The new national distributor had 13 branches when Sasen visited with Wikstrom and Buchs. “Bob said, ‘We’re going to have a business dinner with John Sasen. We need to go out and see what he has to say, because we may need to bring them on.’ I’ll never forget that conversation.”

Wikstrom observed how leaders like Sasen leveraged relationships to build partnerships as well as their own organizations. “John was always fair, forthright, and understood what was going to drive the business. I really admired him.”

Another mentor, Cindy Juhas, taught Wikstrom how to be fearless. “Everyone who knows Cindy knows fearlessness is a strong trait of hers,” Wikstrom said. “But she also told me during a particularly challenging time: ‘You will never go wrong by knowing your customers and being connected to your sales team. Knowing those two things is our guiding light.’ I’ve held that near and dear to my heart, and it couldn’t have been truer. Staying relevant to what matters to your customers, relevant to the channel, what makes a difference to your sales team and to distributor partners is fundamental.”

Wikstrom followed those words of wisdom throughout her career, and the many mergers and acquisitions that affected the organizations she worked for.

During these significant changes, distributor reps were understandably nervous that they would lose the Inverness product lines and the manufacturer would go direct. Wikstrom credits the leadership team that included Ron Zwanziger and Peter Scheu with quelling the fears of industry partners.

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“They went out and talked to our distribution partners and the management team before they did these acquisitions, so they knew the strength of the business in the marketplace and where they needed to lean and to lean out. There was never a decision or a contemplation of, ‘do we not use distribution?’

“In a vacuum, everybody may lean toward a worst-case scenario,” she continued. “But it was a very rewarding time where we could say, ‘Okay, how do we pull all of this together where the sum of all these parts is greater?’ I think we did that. It’s the legacy of who we are today.”

Staying relevant

Based off her experience of navigating several foundational changes to the U.S. healthcare supply chain, as well as the mergers and acquisitions within the companies she represented, Wikstrom would offer the following advice to younger professionals: “Know your products. Know your customers. Know

how you commercialize your business. Be relevant –and stay relevant. Don’t fret what you cannot control. Good people and talent find a home.”

Wikstrom hopes when people think about her contributions to the med/surg community, it will be of someone who was guided by clinical needs first, business drivers second and respect for all involved in the process. “No one person or department knows it all and can do it alone,” she said. “You can’t measure all the effort in the same way – but that doesn’t diminish one over the other.

“I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunities along the way to help create new markets and adoption of new tests,” Wikstrom continued. “Looking at who is in the Hall of Fame, the Dwight Tituses, the John Sasens and John Morans, the Cindy Juhases – all these people have created a collaboration and a sense of community among our industry. All those people have done an enormous amount for this industry. To be part of that group, it really is very touching, and I’m very humbled.”

Quotes about Wikstrom

Lisa and I worked together in several different capacities. When I was at Titus, she was one of our manufacturer reps, and after Titus was bought by General Medical, she joined the team with me there. Lisa is incredibly smart, level-headed, assertive, and strategic. She has a knack for looking at a problem and crafting a solution that is a win-win for everyone. And the solution always worked to everyone’s benefit. She is also very decisive and fair. Later in our careers, when I tried to get her to give me a line, she told me no, but explained very simply and succinctly why I could not have the line. And she was right! I always leaned on Lisa to be the level-headed, grounded one when I was getting ahead of myself. We made a great team and are still friends to this day. One of her great accomplishments was how she shepherded Abbott from being a solely direct company to using distribution to their advantage. This was no easy task. She did it so elegantly and methodically, it looked easy. But I know behind the scenes she was having to justify every step. She is so deserving of this great honor.

— Cindy Juhas, chief strategy officer for CME and Medical Distribution Hall of Fame inductee

Innovation thrives where great minds collaborate, and Lisa Wikstrom exemplifies this principle. Through creativity and strategic thinking, she has brought to life marketing programming that blends creativity and data-driven innovation which has helped redefine industry standards in point of care testing. Her passion for advancing patient care shines through in how she builds connections between providers, manufacturers, distributors, and ultimately patients. Lisa has a true dedication to partnership actively seeking ways to innovate and drive meaningful change for our industry. Beyond her remarkable professional accomplishments, Lisa is a true partner, always seeking to bring people together to accomplish more. It is a privilege to have Lisa as a business partner, but even more so to call Lisa a friend.

— Emily Berlin, Cardinal Health

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The Times Are A-Changing

Adapting to new regulatory norms.

By Pete Mercer

Â In an era where healthcare regulations seem to shift almost as quickly as the technology that drives patient care, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) find themselves under increasing pressure to stay compliant. As new rules emerge and existing guidelines evolve, ASCs must continually adjust to ensure they’re meeting both the letter and the spirit of the law.

From changes in billing practices to heightened patient safety standards and updated infection control protocols, the landscape is anything but static. Understanding the dynamic world of ASC compliance is critical to operating in this day and age, especially as regulatory standards continue to change. Adapting to these new regulatory norms has to be the way of life for any healthcare organization in today’s market.

Navigating the regulatory landscape

ASCs are facing a growing number of regulations that affect nearly every aspect of their operations. Whether it’s compliance with Medicare standards, state health department rules, or infection control protocols, there’s no shortage of regulatory hurdles to navigate. With so many moving parts, it can be challenging to keep up.

One of the major catalysts for change regarding ASC regulations is the federal government. Organizations like Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) regularly update and issue new rules that have an impact on daily processes like billing procedures and safety protocols. Jeff Kremer, the senior director of business development for Henry Schein Medical’s ASC

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division, said, “ASCs are highly regulated healthcare facilities that must comply with several federal, state, and accredited bodies such as the Joint Commission, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, the Accreditation Commission for health Care, and QUAD A. These organizations ensure that ASCs maintain a high standard of care, patient safety, and legal compliance requirements. Each accrediting body significantly influences surgery center operations, shaping policies and procedures.”

These organizations are responsible for setting the regulatory framework for the whole of healthcare, but there are also regulatory expectations on the state-level. Kara Newbury, Chief Advocacy Officer for the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, said, “I think the challenge is that you do have to stay on top of compliance issues. Staying on top of it can be difficult, because you have to pay attention not only to what’s happening at the federal level but also the state level.”

penalties and ensuring safety, it’s essential that these efforts don’t overshadow the core mission of providing quality care. In fact, many regulatory changes are intended to improve patient outcomes, such as updated infection control protocols or patient safety standards, which ultimately benefit both providers and patients.

Newbury said that the ASCA has raised certain concerns with the CMS about the ASC Quality Reporting Program as the 2026 rulemaking process begins. “One of them is concerned with whether the quality reporting measures that are being added to the program really speak to the quality of the facility, and it’s information that’s beneficial to the facility and the patients. We’re not seeing that with some of these measures, so we’re trying to make sure that any of these measures that our facilities have to report on are actually helping someone.”

When that balance between compliance and patient care is off, it often points to a lack of

“We want to make sure all the sites are created equal. Site neutrality is nuanced, and it’s important that each surgical site has the same regulations and complies with the same safety physical requirements, ensuring that we are directing care to the appropriate sites of service.”

Newbury said that ASC operators who want to better understand the regulatory expectations on a state-level should join their state associations, as well as the ASCA for the national-level association. “The ASCA typically comes into the fold as an educational source. We make sure that all of our facilities are aware of the ASC Quality Reporting Program, which ASCs have to participate in to comply with Medicare requirements.”

Kremer also recommended joining associations to keep informed about the evolving regulatory environment. “Actively participating in professional associations such as the ASCA and regularly attending industry conferences are effective ways to stay informed about regulatory changes.”

Balancing compliance with patient care

One of the challenges with maintaining regulatory standards is how to balance those measures against the quality and effectiveness of the patient care. While adhering to regulations is crucial for avoiding

alignment across the board. Think about it like this – an orchestra is made up of a lot of different components, all working together towards a common goal. Different sections of the orchestra play different parts, but they all contribute to something greater than an individual instrument can achieve on its own. When all the pieces of an ASC – everything from billing to patient intake – are working together to meet regulatory requirements, it’s much easier to get a perfect balance between patient care and compliance.

“ASCs should strive to align technology, policies, and ongoing staff training to meet patient needs, while maintaining compliance requirements. ASCs should integrate compliance into the facility’s culture, making it a shared mission of the staff, rather than a burden,” Kremer said.

The future of ASC compliance

As regulations continue to evolve, particularly with the shift towards value-based care, ASCs will increasingly

ASC News

California ASC adds robotic surgery system

Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, announced that Foothill Surgery Center is one of the first outpatient surgery centers in the country to use the da Vinci 5 system for robotic surgeries, marking a new era in outpatient surgical care.

Doctors at the center believe operating with this robotic platform raises the bar for minimally invasive surgical care.

The precision of the Da Vinci 5 will empower surgeons to operate with much greater accuracy and will also allow doctors to manipulate instruments in ways that are not possible with the human hand.

Ambulatory surgery centers drive Tenet’s strong Q4 results

Tenet Healthcare’s strong Q4 revenue and income results are driven in large part by its partnership and growth in ambulatory surgery centers, according to Healthcare Finance News. Tenet partners with United Surgical Partners International (USPI), among the largest ambulatory surgery platforms in the United States. USPI adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization) grew 17% in 2024, fueled by a 7.8% increase in same-facility revenues and 19% year-over-year growth in high-acuity cases such as total joint replacements, according to Healthcare Finance News and Tenet Chairman and CEO

Sutter Health debuts flagship ASC campus

Sutter Health plans to construct a flagship campus in Emeryville, Calif., that will feature an ambulatory care complex and a new medical center with 200 beds.

The 1.3 million-square-foot medical campus represents part of a more than $1 billion investment to expand services in the East Bay, according to a Feb. 19 press release.

The new ambulatory complex will feature outpatient clinics offering neuroscience, rheumatology, pulmonary, dermatology and non-chemotherapy infusion. Other services and facilities include an orthopedic center, physical therapy, ophthalmology, a women’s center, pediatrics, digestive diseases and surgery care, an OB/GYN graduate medical education clinic, urology, ENT care, audiology, an endoscopy center, urgent care, imaging services and a laboratory.

The first ambulatory patients are expected in 2028.

In addition, the Alta Bates, Calif.-based facility will add an ASC, as will the Summit campus of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, Calif.

Saumya Sutaria in Tenet’s Feb. 12 earnings call.

Nearly 70 ambulatory surgical centers were added in 2024, and Tenet intends to invest

approximately $250 million each year towards M&A in the ambulatory space and anticipates adding 10 to 12 stand-alone facilities this year.

Advocate Health Refocuses Clinic Strategy

Health system closes all 55 clinics located inside Walgreens stores in Illinois and Wisconsin; WBA to be acquired by private equity.

By Daniel Beaird

Â Advocate Health permanently closed 55 clinics located within Walgreens pharmacies in Illinois and Wisconsin in February.

It was the latest move signaling transition for the pharmacyled retailer before Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) entered into a definitive agreement in March to be acquired by an entity affiliated with Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm specializing in retail, consumer and distribution-related investments.

The total value of the transaction represents up to $23.7 billion. The WBA board of directors has unanimously approved

the proposed transaction. It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2025. Upon completion of the transaction, WBA’s common stock will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market and WBA will become a private company.

WBA shareholders will receive total cash consideration of $11.45 per share in cash at closing of the Sycamore transaction and one non-transferable right to receive up to $3 in cash per WBA share

from the future monetization of WBA’s debt and equity interests in VillageMD, which includes the Village Medical, Summit Health and CityMD businesses.

The company will continue to operate under Walgreens, Boots and its portfolio of consumer brands.

“Our trusted brands and deep commitment to our customers, patients, communities and team members have and will continue to anchor our business as we realize our goal of being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services,” said Tim Wentworth, CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance, in a statement.

Once committed to making VillageMD the centerpiece of its healthcare strategy, Walgreens changed course, closing 160 VillageMD clinics in 2024 with other plans to close over 1,200 underperforming stores during the next three years. Walgreens has about 8,500 stores in the U.S. and has closed about 2,000 locations during the past decade.

The Walgreens right-sizing turnaround plan had been met with optimism by investors before the definitive agreement with private equity was announced.

“Sycamore has deep respect for WBA’s talented and dedicated team members, and we are committed to stewarding the Company’s iconic brands,” said Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners. “This transaction reflects our confidence in WBA’s pharmacy-led model and essential role in driving better outcomes for patients, customers and communities.”

Advocate

pivots

to

investment in Chicago’s South Side Advocate Health says closing its 55 clinics inside Walgreens will allow

it to expand patient-preferred care options like virtual services, urgent care and primary care access.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based health system, which was a December 2022 merger between Midwestern health system Advocate Aurora Health and North Carolina health system Atrium Health, announced a $1 billion investment in facilities and services on Chicago’s South Side. More than $500 million will fund outpatient care expansion, including 10 new Advocate Health Neighborhood Care locations built in familiar settings like community centers and churches.

Advocate began operating Walgreens clinics in the Chicago area in 2016, saying it would strengthen overall convenience and access for patients, as well as care coordination.

But the health system saw an opportunity to shift operations with recent investments in Chicago’s South Side. That includes $300 million in land purchases and spending to build a new hospital with another $200 million invested in hospital and outpatient programs and services. These investments are aimed to address social determinants of health like expanding access to healthy foods,

housing, transportation and prescription drugs.

“This allows us to focus on additional ways patients prefer to access care, when and where they need it, including expanded virtual services that provide care within the comfort of their own home, as well as convenient access to urgent care and primary care locations in the community,” Advocate said in a statement.

The Walgreens clinics were staffed by one or two medical office assistants and additional clinicians who supported virtual care operations and Advocate worked to find them alternative roles within the health system.

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Expect More From Your Scale Manufacturer

The benefits of partnering with a trusted, U.S.-based medical scales manufacturer.

Healthcare providers trust their distributor reps to provide them with first-rate products. When it comes to the healthcare scales category, one of the best ways to ensure you’re offering high-quality, reliable products is by partnering with a reputable company that has a proven track record in the industry.

How it Began

Meet Befour - a Midwest company with 45 years of experience designing and building innovative, easy-to-use scales for healthcare. What started as an Original Equipment Manufacturer in the late 1970s, Befour designed and produced scales for competitive companies. Today scales are sold proudly under the Befour name with a line that consists of over 30 models ranging from neonatal to 1,000-pound capacity scales. Befour is privately owned with hundreds of years of combined experience among its team members, offering flexibility and creating better value in several ways:

High-Quality, Made in the USA Scales

In today’s global marketplace, quality control can be a challenge. Partnering with a company that manufactures and sources its components in the U.S. offers a higher degree of quality assurance. U.S.-made products are often subjected to more rigorous standards, ensuring that every scale is durable, accurate, and reliable. All Befour medical scales are ISO: 13485 certified, listed to the most recent IEC 60601 standards

and manufactured in an FDA-registered facility where design, manufacturing and service take place and components are sourced locally whenever possible. This reduces the risk of supply chain disruptions, making it easier for your clients to obtain their scales promptly, even in uncertain times.

User-Friendly Technology

User-friendly equipment can save providers valuable time and reduce the risk of errors for both clinicians and the biomed techs who service the equipment. Scales that are intuitive to operate allow healthcare professionals to focus on patient care, rather than struggling with complicated instructions. All

Befour scales use an identical console, eliminating the need to relearn each model and include additional features like MotionLock technology and active handrails. A medical scale’s purpose is simply to measure a patient’s weight. It must be fast, accurate, convenient and safe. Befour scales are designed with this in mind to ensure a better experience for patients and care givers.

A Passion for Service and Quality

Partnering with an experienced, U.S.-based manufacturer means you gain access to outstanding customer support. Befour scales are competitively priced and come with a 3-year warranty. Whether it’s troubleshooting issues, training staff, or obtaining quick replacements, a company with a long-standing reputation for customer-centric care can significantly enhance the value you offer to your clients.

Choosing to work with a healthcare scales company with 45 years of experience, highquality products made in the U.S., and straight-forward, easy-to-use designs can set you apart from competitors, enhance your reputation, and drive customer satisfaction. The right partner helps ensure your clients receive the best products and service available, fostering trust and paving the way for continued success in your territory.

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Mental Health Within Post-Acute Care Settings

Post-acute care patients’ physical and mental wellness are critical to their healing journey.

By Jenna Hughes

Â As a result of the healthcare industry-wide shift toward value-based care, post-acute care providers such as skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), and home health agencies (HHAs) are increasingly emphasizing care for both a patient’s physical health and emotional well-being needs throughout the duration of a stay in a post-acute care facility.

One such post-acute provider, Louisville, Kentucky-based ScionHealth operates approximately 70 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) across the country, under the brands Kindred Hospitals, Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals and Solara Specialty Hospitals. Patients come to ScionHealth’s facilities with serious conditions, including respiratory failure, sepsis, stroke, congestive heart failure, or a combination of many acute conditions.

“ScionHealth’s specialty hospitals provide specialized care and rehabilitation for medically complex patients who are recovering from serious injury or illness, with many patients coming to us directly from the ICUs of traditional, short-term acute care hospitals,” said Loren Perona, Vice President of Clinical Operations and Care Coordination at ScionHealth.

Patients’ conditions in LTACHs may be complicated by existing health problems, including COPD or diabetes, with many requiring treatments

such as mechanical ventilation, dialysis, IV therapy, and more. Lengths of stay at an LTACH may vary depending on the patient’s care plan needs, but the average length of stay is 25 days, compared with an average of a year or more in settings such as skilled nursing facilities.

“All patients as ScionHealth specialty hospitals are treated by a physician-led, interdisciplinary care team that includes rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, nurses, respiratory therapists, case managers and more,” said Perona. “All the key players meet with the patient and their

family at least once a week to make sure that we're supporting the plan of care that the physician has outlined for them.”

For patients with multiple conditions and many physical needs, consideration for patients’ mental health and emotional well-being is a critical component of healing.

Mental wellness initiatives can be directly integrated into patients’ care plans. According to The American Case Management Association (ACMA), integrating behavioral health tools such as psychosocial assessments and social determinants of health (SDOH) into post-acute care settings helps to create a holistic care approach that supports overall patient recovery and reflects the changing healthcare environment.

A focus on both emotional and physical well-being serves to improve post-acute care patient recovery rates through personalized care plans, reduced hospital readmissions, enhanced patient satisfaction, and a contribution to overall greater health equity.

Growing mental health challenges

Mental health care is a vital aspect of post-acute care, especially for patients going through long stays at their facilities.

For medically complex patients admitted to ScionHealth specialty hospitals, a timely transfer from an intensive care unit (ICU) to the LTACH may reduce a patient’s risk of developing post-intensive care syndrome, which is a collection of physical and cognitive symptoms associated with a stay in an ICU, and improve patients’ wholehealth outcomes.

“There are two types of benefits to a patient being admitted to a long-term acute care hospital versus remaining in the hospital,” said Perona. “For patients, we can take them directly from shortterm acute care ICUs and continue to provide the specialized acute care they need relating to ventilator management, complex wound care, or cardiac care. Our LTACHs are licensed as specialty acute care hospitals.”

Whereas short-term acute care hospitals diagnose and stabilize patients, the function of long-term acute care hospitals is to sustain and complete care for patients who require a longer stay in a hospital.

the National Library of Medicine’s “Suffering and Mental Health Among Older People Living in Nursing Homes” report.

Residents of skilled nursing homes without cognitive impairment comprise only a minority of facility populations and are more likely than in traditional hospitals to experience stressful events such as the loss of spouse, relatives and friends and reduced quality of life because of illness and injury. Due to this, older patients in long-term care may experience increased rates of suffering that impact both their mental and physical health.

The development of mental illness has become more common

Long-term care residents in skilled nursing facilities often stay in facilities longer and have more complex and evolving emotional needs than those in other post-acute care facilities.

“We also take patients whom our skilled nursing facility partners cannot accommodate yet,” said Perona. “Patients who come to our LTACHs may have more advanced pharmaceutical needs, or they may require specialized respiratory therapy or additional nursing hours per patient day.”

Mental health in long-term residential care

Long-term care residents in skilled nursing facilities often stay in facilities longer and have more complex and evolving emotional needs than those in other postacute care facilities.

Depression, anxiety, and social isolation are common among nursing facility residents, according to

among older adults living in longterm care (LTC) facilities. According to the National Library of Medicine, data indicates that the proportion of new nursing home admissions with a mental illness other than dementia, including major depression and serious mental illness, has overtaken dementia alone in its prevalence.

The National Library of Medicine, in a 2010 study, outlined a need for greater attention to LTC residents’ suffering related to anxiety, depression, and psychosocial stressors. Caring for patient’s physical and mental health within skilled nursing facilities provides ongoing wellbeing intervention opportunities through counseling and therapy, support groups,

cognitive stimulation and social engagement, and trained staff monitoring in LTC settings.

Mental health in a post-acute environment

The COVID-19 pandemic shed light for many clinicians in the post-acute care industry on the demands of serious illness on patients and staff. For many health systems, pandemic challenges led to a distinct awareness of infection control and its impact on patient well-being.

This rise is due to both a growing aging population and increased environmental exposure to risk factors for chronic conditions. Long-term physical conditions and mental health problems often co-occur, act synergistically, and can have negative effects on a patient’s level of care needed, which may contribute to longer hospital stays and increased costs and mortality, according to the report. A multidisciplinary approach to care for mental illness is necessary to improve the

“ The pandemic demonstrated how much of a strain that complex diseases can have on patients and families, and it reinforced our belief in the importance of educating the patient and family about their disease and care plan.”

“The pandemic demonstrated how much of a strain that complex diseases can have on patients and families, and it reinforced our belief in the importance of educating the patient and family about their disease and care plan,” said Perona. “Our hospitals offer a patient-family conference at the very beginning of their stay. We also give a bedside shift report every shift, and families are more than welcome to attend. We talk with the patient about what happened during the shift, and what's going to happen or needs to happen during the next shift.”

The prevalence of physical multimorbidity (the presence of two or more chronic diseases, including mental health disorders), is expected to rise, according to a 2023 National Library of Medicine report.

physical, mental and social outcomes of patients in care settings.

“Thankfully, mental healthcare does not have as much of a stigma as it used to, so conversations about it are now much more open,” said Perona. “Patients want to deal with their mental health and their needs and their emotions, and they’re often much more articulate and forthcoming about what they need. The advent of telehealth helps us have much more access to psychologists and psychiatrists if needed for a patient. If a visit can’t take place in person, we can often arrange for telehealth visits, which are very effective.”

“Our primary goal for our patients is to discharge to home, if possible, and we want them to be able to sustain wellness after they leave our facility,” said Perona. “We are constantly teaching them

and their families about their diagnosis, about their disease, so that they can better accommodate for themselves as they get well.”

In control of healthcare

To emphasize patient involvement in care, interdisciplinary care conferences are very patient-centered at ScionHealth specialty hospitals, focusing on talking with the patient and their loved ones. Perona says “the best caregivers are the ones who really incorporate the patient into conversations and really understand what the patient needs in the moment and in the long-term.”

“Through it all, our staff always emphasizes patient teaching,” she said. “If patients understand what they’re supposed to be going through or what they might go through, they have a little bit more control in anticipating how things may play out, and then they can expend their energy working toward a recovery goal. When we set goals for patients or they set goals for themselves, it helps their mental health a lot. Then, when they achieve a goal, we celebrate that with them.”

“You can imagine how good a patient feels when they meet a goal (being liberated from the ventilator, walking with a walker, swallowing independently, etc.) that a patient may have wondered if they were ever going to achieve,” said Perona.

Perona said ScionHealth caregivers do whatever they can to help patients feel well-informed and in control of their recovery.

“There is a better chance of patients becoming well if they are able to be in control of their destiny,” said Perona. “Being in control of their care journey helps patient’s mental acuity and mental health to work through the healing journey.”

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Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions

New resources for providers aimed at increasing knowledge and decreasing infections in long-term care facilities.

Â When it comes to purchasing infection prevention supplies, acute care facilities and long-term care facilities are very different entities to interact with.

Hospitals have product selection committees, and the infection preventionists at the hospitals are always on them. But long-term care purchasing isn’t structured the same. At most facilities, it’s parceled out among many different people.

“A lot of times, you either have a corporate person purchasing for the facilities, plural, or you have a competent materials manager who I fondly call ‘George in the Basement.’ He’s your materials person, and orders cleaner

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disinfectants with everything else,” said Deb Burdsall, manager, Infection Prevention at Baldwin Hill Solutions LLC in Palatine, Illinois, and a board member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). “Then you have another person ordering for dietary, another ordering for environmental services, and one more person ordering for nursing.”

for skilled nursing facilities on the use of enhanced barrier precautions (EBP) to help prevent infections. EBP involves the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically gowns and gloves, during high-contact resident care activities, such as assistance with bathing, dressing, or toileting.

Given that the CMS requirements are relatively new and

“ CMS estimates that more than half of all nursing home residents are colonized with an MDRO, and many go on to develop an infection and die,” said AAPACN CNO Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCPMT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA. “Through our collaboration with APIC, we will be able to support nursing home staff in implementing these enhanced precautions and providing the safest care possible to our nation’s seniors.”

Burdsall said it’s important for distributor reps who call on long-term care facilities to ask and determine who makes the decision to buy something, who signs the check, and then who uses it, “because a lot of those people aren’t all at the table,” she said. “They just get what they get.”

And often there is not just confusion in what they are getting, but how they should be using it – because though the way they purchase products isn’t the same, the patients they serve often move back and forth from one setting of care to the other.

Last spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new requirements

there is some ambiguity regarding their implementation, APIC believed it was important to provide clarity for healthcare workers, said APIC CEO Devin Jopp, EdD.

In December, APIC, in collaboration with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN), released a practice guidance tool and resource guide to help healthcare personnel in skilled long-term care facilities implement enhanced barrier precautions (EBP).

“The new tools from APIC and AAPACN are intended to assist healthcare professionals in carrying out the new EBP requirement, with the goal of safeguarding nursing

home residents from infection,” Jopp said.

Vulnerable population

Residents in long-term care facilities often have weakened immune systems due to age, chronic illnesses, or other health conditions, making them more susceptible to infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Close living quarters and shared spaces – for long periods of time – increase the risk of spreading infections among residents and staff.

“With long-term care, even a short-stay patient, rehab patient can have up to a hundred days sometimes, depending on what’s wrong with them,” Burdsall said. “There are more short-stay patients now than there were 15 to 20 years ago. But it’s still a situation where for a lot of people, it’s their home, because that was the original focus of long-term care. A lot of the rules and regulations focus on personcentered care, home-like, least restrictive environments.”

EBP measures are used specifically in the skilled long-term care setting to allow for flexibility in the care of residents while also minimizing the risk of transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

According to CMS, EBP are indicated for residents with any of the following:

 Infection or colonization with a CDC-targeted MDRO when Contact Precautions do not otherwise apply; or

 Wounds and/or indwelling medical devices even if the resident is not known to be infected or colonized with a MDRO.

Wounds generally include chronic wounds, not shorter-lasting wounds, such as skin breaks or skin tears covered with an adhesive bandage like a Band-Aid or similar dressing. Examples of chronic wounds include, but are not limited to, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, unhealed surgical wounds, and venous stasis ulcers. Indwelling medical device examples include central lines, urinary catheters, feeding tubes, and tracheostomies. A peripheral intravenous line (not a peripherally inserted central catheter) is not considered an indwelling medical device for the purpose of EBP. EBP should be used for any residents who meet the above criteria, wherever they reside in the facility.

Facilities have discretion in using EBP for residents who do not have a chronic wound or indwelling medical device and are infected or colonized with an MDRO that is not currently targeted by CDC, CMS said.

APIC and AAPACN saw that EBPs require a lot of critical thinking at the point of care, thus their issuing of guidelines.

“If you’re in contact precautions, you put a gown and gloves on before you go in the room,” Burdsall said. “If the person is on EBP and you’re going to go in to drop off a tray, hand somebody some mail or talk to them, all you need is hand hygiene; whereas if you need to get up close and personal, then you need to put a gown and gloves on. This is a challenge to teach, a challenge to train, and a challenge for the surveyors to survey.”

Certain states and their surveyors have gotten black and

Infection control resources

APIC resources for healthcare professionals working in long-term care include LTC Certification; LTC Essentials Training; the APIC Text, a comprehensive, 125-chapter, infection prevention and control (IPC) reference reflecting the latest guidance in the field; and PolicyPro, which includes customizable IPC policy templates developed by infection prevention and regulatory experts. For more information, visit apic.org

white about EBP, so AAPACN partnered on the guidelines and gained approval from both CMS and the CDC, Burdsall said. “So now there’s some guidance for the surveyors when they go in that’s short, sweet and to-thepoint ... The goal is to create the least restrictive environment for person-centered care, isolating the germs and not the person.”

APIC’s practice guidance tool outlines when EBP should be implemented for residents, provides infection control recommendations for routine care activities, and includes case study examples with a selfquiz to help reinforce learning. The resource guide provides a comprehensive list of infection control websites and references. Both tools are available free from the APIC website.

The need for more dedication

Infection prevention in long-term care has traditionally been an additional responsibility assigned to nurses without specialized training, Burdsall said. Fortunately for her, she loved and found a vocational calling in the role and responsibilities. But others assigned to infection preventionist duties may not be as passionate or

have the time necessary to dedicate to the position.

However, dedicated infection preventionists are now recognized as crucial, with rules in many states mandating proper training and time allocation for these roles.

Long-term care facilities must use cleaning and disinfecting products that are healthcare-rated, as generic products from big-box stores may not be effective or safe for healthcare environments. Staff must be trained on the proper use of these products.

Infection preventionists should work with suppliers to find cost-effective solutions for cleaning products. It’s important to avoid purchasing cheaper, non-healthcare-grade products based on personal relationships with distributors.

Education on proper environmental cleaning and disinfecting is critical, as it’s not something typically covered in nursing school. This education helps ensure that cleaning protocols are followed correctly to prevent the spread of infections.

“We’re slowly getting to where people realize that they need somebody who’s dedicated to that position, that it’s not just designated,” she said.

Ansell’s GAMMEX® PI Plus Glove-In-Glove™ System

Glove perforations are a common occurrence during surgical procedures regardless of the specialty. The risk only increases with the number of instruments used, the time of wear, and complexity of the procedure.

Fortunately, double-gloving enhances protection for healthcare workers by improving breach detection and reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This level of safety is easily achieved with the industry’s only pre-donned glove system designed to meet clinical double-gloving standards.

Ansell’s GAMMEX® PI Plus Glove-In-Glove™ System features a pre-donned outer glove and an inner glove aligned at the fingertips, streamlining the process of

selecting and donning compatible gloves. This system enhances double-gloving SKU utilization while supporting clinical doublegloving initiatives. By ensuring pre-selected compatibility for optimal clinical compliance, it removes the challenges of selecting the right gloves and encourages seamless double-gloving adoption.

Increased double gloving compliance through the GAMMEX® PI Plus Glove-InGlove™ System creates provides better visual identification in the event of a breach, allowing healthcare workers to respond sooner. The darker colored inner glove, combined with the white semi-translucent outer glove, elevates focus on safe surgery by highlighting a bright color indication contrast, notifying the glove

wearer that a glove-change is needed. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination or exposure to harmful pathogens, such as bloodborne viruses, particularly in high-risk procedures.

Despite the dual-layer construction, the system is designed to offer a high level of ergonomic comfort and tactile sensitivity by using U.S. Ergonomic Certified gloves. Healthcare providers can maintain dexterity and control, essential for performing delicate tasks while benefiting from the additional protection.

The gloves are also made from synthetic polyisoprene materials, making them latex-free. This is beneficial for both healthcare workers and patients who may have latex allergies, ensuring a safer and more comfortable experience for all parties involved.

These benefits make Ansell’s GAMMEX® PI Plus GloveIn-Glove™ System an ideal choice for healthcare providers focused on minimizing risks and optimizing safety during critical medical procedures.

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Keeping Health Information Human

How Health Information Professionals work with and protect the traditional and digital medical information that is a vital part of providing patient care.

Â In a healthcare industry dominated by ever-increasing technology usage, the humans behind secure health data are more crucial than ever for utilizing and safeguarding patient’s personal health information.

These individuals, known as Health Information Professionals (HIPs), work behind the scenes in healthcare every day to advance health information systems and transform the industry through technological solutions. The expertise and skills of HIPs are essential to the healthcare industry for improving patient outcomes, making administrative and organizational

processes easier and more streamlined, and looking after patient’s sensitive health information and data.

HIPs are responsible for certifying that patient health information is accurate, complete, and protected, according to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). HIPs also ensure that facilities adhere to HIPPA rules to

protect patient information, provide clinicians with the most upto-date information for healthcare decision-making, and work on the classification of diseases to verify that they are standardized for clinical, financial, and legal uses.

HIPs are experts on both workflow processes in healthcare provider organizations and electronic health records (EHRs), serving to link clinical staff and physicians to the health data that they work with each day.

Employed in hospitals, private physician practices, nursing homes, government agencies, and more, HIPs have a wide variety of career focuses within healthcare. The profession is expected to be in high demand as the health sector continues to expand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) cites medical records and health information technicians as one of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., with an anticipated growth of 11% between 2018-2028.

Bridging clinical and administrative processes

Health information technology advancement is largely being sought by hospitals and health systems as a major component to streamlining the process of providing healthcare, improving care quality, and harnessing costs to lead to a more cost-efficient healthcare system.

Health Information Professionals specifically work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, as the “business managers and custodians of data and information” in healthcare, according to the National Library of Medicine’s “Redefining the Roles of Health Information Management

Professionals in Health Information Technology” report and provide a “bridge” between clinical decision-making and efficient administrative processes.

According to the report, health information technology is the basis for more patient-centered, value-based healthcare, as these technologies provide highquality, on-demand virtual health and medical information. As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, more Health Information Professionals will be needed to provide their extensive technical knowledge within the sector.

AHIMA supports professionals

AHIMA is a global nonprofit association that represents and supports career health information professionals. HIPs connect people, systems, and processes to help make sure that sensitive health data remains accurate, accessible, protected, and complete. As healthcare technology continues to grow, AHIMA asserts that career opportunities for HIPs in healthcare will increase and that the number of people employed in the profession will continue to grow.

According to AHIMA, a career as an HI professional may be a good fit if you:

 Like diverse opportunities

 Enjoy working in healthcare but not directly with patients

 Have an aptitude for science and management, law, and technology

 Enjoy working with physicians, nurses, lawyers, administrators, and executives

Typical job titles for HIPs include Medical Records Specialist,

Technician and Registrar, Clinical Data Manager, Data Scientist, and Medical and Health Service Manager, and much more, according to AHIMA.

Educational programs for the career path incorporate the disciplines of medicine, management, finance, information technology, records management, and more, according to AHIMA. As a result of this extensive knowledge base, graduates of health information management programs can choose from a wide range of career opportunities across many types of healthcare settings.

April 15-19) to highlight healthcare technology careers and call attention to the work of the healthcare industry’s decisive data professionals.

Health Information Professionals week highlights the importance of the HIP career to the industry overall and seeks to disseminate information about the career path, recognize current HIPs’ contribution to the industry, and encourages staff that are already employed in healthcare to reach out to the professionals in their organizations to discuss how teams can work together on their common goals, according to AHIMA.

The Health Information Professional career has grown and evolved alongside healthcare, and it is set to evolve and change further, welcoming new career possibilities as healthcare tech develops.

Industries that currently have a demand for health information professionals include healthcare organizations, academic institutions, consulting agencies, government agencies, and healthcare software companies. Health information practitioners also continue to be critical component of the electronic health record (EHR) workforce.

Driving the industry forward

The Health Information Professional career has grown and evolved alongside healthcare, and it is set to evolve and change further, welcoming new career possibilities as healthcare tech develops.

AHIMA’s main HIP recognition event, Health Information Professionals Week, occurs in April annually (in 2025, it will be held

The healthcare industry is currently undergoing great structural changes by aligning health information technology with the delivery of care to enhance the efficiency of the system, according to the National Library of Medicine. This process of change and development will require the continued behindthe-scenes data and technology work of Health Information Professionals to support an evergrowing industry.

According to AHIMA, highlighting the careers of Health Information Professionals (HIPs) Week across the nation advances the profession and “keeps our health information human,” while serving to emphasize the influence of HIPs in driving the healthcare technology industry forward.

Supply Chain Leader Spotlight

Susan Schrupp, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Chief Purchasing Officer for Community Health Systems.

Â As the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Chief Purchasing Officer for Community Health Systems, Susan Schrupp oversees supply and purchased services expenses for the company. Her primary focus in support of the mission to provide quality care to patients is to manage an efficient and effective supply chain of product, equipment, and services. This involves overseeing corporate supply chain, partnering with their Shared Business Operations for the Procure to Pay function and their hospital supply chain departments. They engage with clinical and operational leaders to align on getting the right products at the right price. Schrupp also oversees the biomedical engineering service line, which is a unique aspect of her role. They’re developing a standardized service line for the organization by leveraging technology and services to optimize life-cycle management of assets. Schrupp is excited about building this out as a full-fledged service line in partnership with our clinical teams which requires a clear strategy and stakeholder alignment with their mission and vision of the company.

What is a recent or current project you’ve been excited to work on?

One of the most exciting projects is the implementation of the Oracle cloud-based ERP system across 67 hospitals within one year. This significant achievement involved converting data from five legacy systems and standardizing our processes. I’m particularly excited about the next phase, where we’ll optimize the system to drive further efficiencies in our requisitioning, sourcing, procure-to-pay process, and receiving processes, which will benefit our team members, clinicians, suppliers and GPO partner, HealthTrust. This standardization will allow us to streamline payments, implement automation and minimize touches, leading to endto-end improvements in how we do business. I’m thrilled we are on

Susan Schrupp

As a mother of two adult children with disabilities, I’m passionate about tapping into the potential of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace. While the industry has made strides in gender and racial diversity, broadening the scope to include people with different abilities represents a significant opportunity.

a single system and working with our hospital team members to drive benefits so our clinicians can have greater focus on patient care.

What industry level trends are you keeping an eye on as we head into the close of 2024 and beginning of 2025?

As we approach 2025, our team is closely monitoring several key trends in the healthcare supply chain and especially IV solutions. Right now, we’re focused on disaster response, particularly considering recent hurricanes affecting our communities and hospitals. It’s critical our teams stay alert on how these developments evolve and how we can provide support to the affected communities and health systems during crises.

I’m also excited about advancements in data mining capabilities, which enhances our inventory visibility and decision-making processes. We are always focused on finding ways to be more efficient, and awareness of supply risk areas through our HealthTrust global sourcing team is crucial for monitoring and mitigating strategies. The ways that we are innovating and automating business processes, like those from our partnership with Oracle, continue to be essential for keeping our operations streamlined in a rapidly changing environment.

When it comes to diversity in the U.S. healthcare supply chain workforce, has the industry improved since you started your career? If so, in what ways? And what work remains to be done?

There has certainly been significant progress in diversity in this field since I began my career. There’s been a notable increase in women and individuals from various backgrounds taking on leadership roles. Early in my career, especially in a field like purchasing, we did not see many women represented. But today, I’m proud to be in a leadership role and that I get to witness the strides that we’ve made.

My personal journey, influenced by my parents’ careers in purchasing and healthcare, has given me a unique perspective on both healthcare and supply chain, while also demonstrating that with the right support and determination, anyone can rise and thrive in their roles.

However, there’s still work to be done, particularly in creating inclusive environments for individuals with disabilities. As a mother of two adult children with disabilities, I’m passionate about tapping into the potential of neurodiverse individuals in the workplace. While the industry has made strides in gender and racial diversity, broadening the scope to include people with different abilities represents a significant opportunity. I believe this is the next step to move forward and create impact with diversity and inclusion within our industry.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I received was from a former boss who encouraged me to be clear and concise in communication, especially during uncomfortable conversations. This guidance has significantly impacted my career – emphasizing the importance of providing helpful feedback to drive growth and innovation within organizations. It’s crucial to maintain a strong and confident voice while also remaining open to continuous learning and improvement. I’ve learned that giving feedback is a skill that requires thoughtfulness and responsibility, particularly for women in professional environments where our input may be perceived differently. By cultivating courage and clarity in communication, we can positively impact our teams and organizations, fostering a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

I’d also add, moving to Nashville, and always maxing out your 401K contributions were both outstanding runner up advice provided to me.

Virtua Health Recognized for Warehouse Operation Changes

The New Jersey health system is minimizing redundancies, reducing inventory and standardizing product lines.

By Daniel Beaird

Â HealthTrust Performance Group bestowed one of its highest honors on Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health last August with its Operational Excellence Award for revamping its warehouse operations by minimizing inventory redundancies, reducing expired inventory and standardizing product lines. The academic health system’s presence in South Jersey includes five hospitals, more than 400 locations, seven emergency departments and eight urgent care centers.

Virtua partners with Penn Medicine for both cancer care and neurosurgery, while clinicians from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia provide pediatric care to kids and newborns at Virtua. The Journal of Healthcare Contracting ( JHC ) spoke with Ana Victoria Sanchez, vice president of Supply Chain and Support Services for Virtua, about its warehouse improvements that resulted in increased efficiency, resiliency and streamlined workflows.

“When I came on board about two years ago, we had gotten to that critical mass state of 2,500 items at our warehouse, but with the expectation to reach 5,000 SKUs in a short period of time,” Sanchez said. “We were using an ERP rather than a warehouse management system, so we implemented a five-year plan that included a warehouse management system.”

That was the first piece of technology to support greater volume, modernization and improved efficiency. HealthTrust recognized Virtua for implementing foundational practices ahead of launching its new warehouse management technology system.

The system was implemented last March, Sanchez said, and it took four months to stabilize, but Virtua is seeing the output of productivity, accuracy rate, put away and outbound, and it’s starting to experience enhanced efficiencies between 15-20%.

“We will have the capacity to manage over 5,000 SKUs and three times the volume in 75,000 square feet, combining the footprint expansion and the purchase of the Perfect Pick® automated storage and retrieval system that uses iBOT® wireless robots to deliver inventory directly to operators,” she said.

Acute and non-acute

And it’s not just Virtua’s acute settings that the warehouse transformation will help. Eighteen ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) affiliated with Virtua were recently recognized by Newsweek for being among the best ASCs in the nation in 2025 based on quality of care, performance data, patient experience and peer recommendations.

“We’re also looking to run additional ASC business through our warehouse,” Sanchez said. “These are big aspiring plans and we’re moving quickly as it keeps growing.”

“Think of the time and effort spent by nurse managers having to call procurement to ask, ‘where’s my order,’” Sanchez assessed. “With this warehouse expansion, we will improve the experience of our colleagues by reducing time spent managing and tracking orders.

Greater efficiency means greater expansion into medical offices and our joint ventures with ASCs.”

Technology takes center stage on all projects

Virtua has almost 70 supply chain projects happening simultaneously and technology is at the center of them all. An ERP change is scheduled for July and inventory management on nursing floors will go live with it. Perioperative departments will go through clinical inventory management changes, which will enable inventory and consumption accuracy. This will integrate with Epic and begin Virtua’s most expansive hospital work revamp to date. It’s also changing the way it schedules orders to make sure they aren’t delivered during the busiest times on the nursing floors and perioperative departments.

“The product information has to be accurate,” Sanchez said. “That’s part of our perioperative inventory system interfacing with Epic. By scanning all items, we have a more robust operative record and that drives additional revenue. The data, the governance, the technology – it’s all like the parts of a complex machine.”

Virtua is also shifting the way it categorizes products from its past standard to the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). Classifying what’s an implant and what type of implant it is, for example, can greatly help the health system achieve the right kind of data, including mitigating insurance claim denials.

“Supply Chain is often the leader on the data we’re using for clinical decision-making,” she said.

“The combination of the technology implementations and warehouse automation investments will yield greater accuracy and throughput, and help to forecast how much growth we can take on in inventory planning.”

“We started it with the perioperative labs, and we’ll go live with the OR in January at our Camden, N.J., hospital, Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes,” Sanchez said.

Once the ERP and warehouse management systems are implemented across the entire organization, the health system will have visibility into consumption and where everything is at a nursing unit level and department level. “The combination of the technology implementations and warehouse automation investments will yield greater accuracy and throughput, and help to forecast how much growth we can take on in inventory planning. It’s helped us look at the operational and logistics side of the hospital and lay the foundation for the use of AI.”

“Never underestimate the process,” Sanchez added. “You can implement technology, but if it doesn’t align with your process, you won’t get the output from it.”

Supply side data and staff adoption

On the supply chain side, Virtua is working with its GPO – HealthTrust – on resiliency and better visibility from its vendors. It participates in HealthTrust’s technology advisory committee, which is on the journey of linking technology and visibility for better resilience and inventory planning.

“It’s critical to have a change management approach at the mid-management level because they’re the ones who are often on the front lines.”

Sanchez said Virtua’s supply chain team aspires to develop internal talent and recruit external talent with experience in inventory, planning, forecasting and product standardization to manage big data and data governance structure. Internships are also part of the plan to meet the future needs of the organization.

As is often the case, major changes also impacted staff retention. “We experienced a turnover rate of about 25%. We’re not an especially large team, so it was challenging. We incorporated temporary staffing and hired the best performers seeking permanent work. We knew the benefits would outweigh the difficulties.”

New team members and veteran staff can’t imagine going back to the old system. They even enjoy competing with one another on productivity.

“Our team is embracing new ways of working together to best support the organization,” she explained. “One of our goals is to provide that Amazon-level of visibility for clients so that everyone feels informed and empowered every step along the way. There’s no going back to the old ways. Not when the future is so promising.”

Foot Health: A Lifelong Journey

Foot Health Awareness Month in April promotes foot health and highlights the critical role of podiatrists in treating the feet and ankles.

Â By the time the average American reaches the age of 50, they’ve logged nearly 75,000 miles walking on their feet, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). The muscles, bones, and joints in the feet carry an individual throughout their entire life and are a crucial component to overall health and well-being.

The feet are complex anatomical structures that require expert care. Regular, professional foot care from a certified podiatrist can detect foot and ankle problems early and ensure that the feet and ankles remain healthy.

Foot Health Awareness Month is recognized each April to shed light on foot and ankle health, educate the public on the importance of healthy feet, and to highlight the role podiatrists and surgeons play in keeping Americans healthy, active, and on their feet.

The intricacies of foot health

The feet are an intricate, complex part of the body, with each foot having 26 bones, 33 joints, over 100 muscles and connectors, and a network of nerves and blood vessels, according to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) ‘News in Health.’

People often go through life without thinking about their feet and ankles until something goes wrong, according to the NIH. Staying alert to foot pain can allow individuals to get critical treatment from an experienced doctor sooner rather than later.

Foot pain is often caused by improper foot function and underlying diseases and medical issues. Common foot issues and diseases, according to APMA, include diabetic foot problems, arthritis, fractures, skin conditions affecting the feet and toenails, tendonitis, structural problems such as hammertoes and bunions, and more.

Podiatrists, or Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs), complete four years of training in a podiatric medical school and three years of hospital residency

training, similar to the education track of many other types of physicians. Podiatrists can go on to focus on many fields within medicine, including surgery, sports medicine, wound care, pediatrics, and diabetic care, and more according to APMA.

Podiatrists may earn further board certifications through advanced training, clinical experience, and by taking an exam administered by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine, the certifying boards for the field.

Podiatrists are experienced in treating common foot and ankle conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, foot and ankle issues, muscle and tendon problems, skin disorders, toe joint and nerve disorders, and toenail issues.

Treating ankle and foot issues

Individuals should see a podiatrist as soon as possible if they experience any symptoms or changes in their feet such as pain, discoloration or redness, swelling, a feeling of warmth or heat, or new growth or bumps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Sudden or chronic foot health issues are often a warning sign to pay closer attention to one’s overall health. Take note of any new or worsening changes in the feet or ankles such as joint stiffness, tingling, numbness, or swelling.

Treatment for foot pain, injury, and health issues often include prescription custom orthotics (specially designed devices to support and comfort the feet), shoe inserts, and surgery when pain or deformity persists in the foot.

Individuals with diabetes should pay special attention to their feet. Most people with diabetes, about 60% to 70% –develop nerve problems, according to the NIH, which can range from mild to severe. Diabetic nerve damage can make certain patients lose feeling in their feet, which can lead to a greater risk of infection and injury.

adults, and choosing footwear designed specifically for certain types of sports including running, basketball, soccer, football and lacrosse. Parents of young children should also ensure their kids are wearing properly sized and fitted shoes to ensure their feet are growing properly. The American Podiatric Medical Association has an online guide to proper foot -

Wearing proper shoes and taking care of the feet through illness and injury can bring an individual one step closer to maintaining lifelong healthy feet and ankles.

When visiting a podiatrist for foot pain, chronic illness, or injury, be sure to make a list of all symptoms, previous surgeries, medical conditions, and any questions. Bring any exercise or sports shoes to the appointment if visiting for exercise or walking-related foot issues. According to APMA, preparation can assist a podiatrist in being the most informed possible to treat each patient’s specific conditions.

Maintaining healthy feet for life

Foot health is essential for mobility and well-being, and many healthy practices and behaviors contribute to long-term foot and ankle health. Examine your feet regularly, wear properly fitted, comfortable shoes, wash feet daily with soap and water, and trim toenails straight across and not too short, the National Library of Medicine advises.

Maintaining healthy feet also includes wearing proper footwear for each season of the year, footwear that supports balance and movement, especially for older

wear that is uniquely tailored to an individual’s specific daily activities, arch height, and health needs.

Foot Health Awareness Month encourages healthy feet and ankles for all Americans. It is recognized in April each year by the American Podiatric Medical Association to emphasize that each person’s feet are unique to them foot health, to communicate with the public about the importance of healthy feet and highlights the critical work of podiatrists in foot and ankle health.

APMA podiatric physicians also approve certain footwear types and brands, as well as shoes, socks, insoles, materials, and equipment with an “APMA Seal of Acceptance,” based on the product’s safety, quality control, and other data so that consumers can make informed, healthy choices that promote proper foot health. Wearing proper shoes and taking care of the feet through illness and injury can bring an individual one step closer to maintaining lifelong healthy feet and ankles.

Talking Transportation: Shipping Outlook For 2025

Â At HIDA’s MedSupplyChain Conference, healthcare distributors heard an update from Lars Jensen, global shipping subject matter expert and CEO of Vespucci Maritime. Jensen returned to the conference for the third year in a row with his insights on global shipping trends for the next 12 months.

Jensen described the state of global shipping as a case of “some certainty, overshadowed by even greater uncertainty.” For every problem that has been resolved, twice as many sources of uncertainty have appeared.

Resolution of East Coast port labor dispute

Despite a three-day strike in October 2024, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a labor agreement in January 2025. The six-year agreement enhanced worker benefits and offered concessions to slow the pace of port automation. The resolution of the dispute was significant, as a prolonged strike could have severely disrupted supply chains.

Tariffs loom over freight market

Apart from the obvious impact on costs, the threat of tariffs has increased uncertainty on shipping schedules and volumes.

In September 2024, President Biden imposed tariffs on Chinese masks, gloves, and syringes. In response, shippers frontloaded their cargo, pushing out larger volumes to arrive in the United States before the tariffs took effect. According to Jensen, increased tariffs may skew competition and change trade patterns, while retaliatory sanctions will make compliance more difficult.

Shipping lanes subject to geopolitical uncertainty

The Red Sea crisis caused ships to be rerouted around Africa and caused shipping

By Christina Lavoie, Director of Policy, Health Industry Distributors Association

delays as far away as Singapore. Although Houthi rebels in Yemen began to observe a ceasefire in January 2025, any further regional instability could reignite the crisis and shut down shipping lanes again. Meanwhile, President Trump has renewed his interest in the Panama Canal, especially the role of the Chinese logistics and port management companies in the region. This scrutiny is bound to affect the future of the Central American canal, which accounts for 40% of all U.S. container traffic.

Fast

Pass?

Passed

Fast Pass – the Facilitating Access to Swiftly Transport Goods during a Publicly Announced State of

Emergency Situation Act – is now the law of the land. Just before the end of last year, Congress approved, and President Biden signed into law language to study the “Fast Pass” of medical cargo through U.S. ports. This is a bipartisan victory for the medical supply chain. Under the new law, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will study the transportation of personal protective equipment (PPE) through vessels and ports onto trucks or rail, and the role played by the Department of Transportation and other relevant federal agencies to expedite the transportation of PPE. GAO will report back to Congress by the end of 2026.

NDC-Supplier Summit_HalfPage_wCrops.pdf 1 3/12/25 2:11 PM

NDC-Supplier Summit_HalfPage_wCrops.pdf 1 3/12/25 2:11 PM for suppliers to engage with the NDC Sales Team, exchange key insights, and develop strategies for the 2nd half of the year This unique event was designed

HIDA Shipping Work Group running strong

HIDA members were our strongest and best advocates for Fast Pass. Members of our Shipping & Logistics Work Group provided persuasive evidence of cargo delays and the impact they had on patients and providers. They demonstrated that transportation is a healthcare issue. A Shipping Work Group analysis of the medical supply chain found that during the West Coast port backlog of 2021-22, approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system.

SHAPE YOUR SUCCESS IN 2025

Where Are They Now?

Catching up with Midmark’s Chris Huppert, Excellence in Sales Award winner from 2016.

Â Chris Huppert has had a busy few years since winning the Excellence in Sales Award in 2016. He and his wife Jennifer celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year. In the spring of 2022, he was promoted to the role of Enterprise Specialist for Integrated Diagnostic Devices for the Southeast Region. And of course, several years ago Huppert was busy helping clients navigate the disruptions and challenges caused by the COVID pandemic.

Repertoire Magazine caught up with Huppert recently on those topics, as well as what he sees as key industry trends in the coming months and years.

Can you fill us in on your current role and responsibilities?

In the spring of 2022, I was promoted to the role of Enterprise Specialist for Integrated Diagnostic Devices for the Southeast Region, covering five states. The role is designed to position the value Midmark brings through EMR-integrated diagnostic device solutions with our partners.

What exactly does an Enterprise Specialist for Integrated Diagnostic Devices do?

The main responsibility is to represent our portfolio of medical devices, software and services which drive clinical workflow efficiencies for our customers, in both acute and ambulatory markets. This can be accomplished in several ways including proactively targeting and engaging IT, EMR and clinical operations personas in key customers. We’ve also had a great deal of success through the Midmark Exam Room Design Insights Workshops. Naturally

Chris Huppert

on-site product demonstrations are still effective in some scenarios.

Update us on what you have been up to since we interviewed you for the Excellence in Sales award in 2016. Any big life moments you wanted to share?

My wife Jennifer and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last year and enjoyed a memorable trip to Paris and London. I wouldn’t consider this a big life moment but like many people these days, we have caught the pickleball bug which we both enjoy. Lastly, we still have our golden retrievers, Hendrix and Banks, but are no longer competing.

What about professionally?

Obviously the pandemic was a huge event. What’s it like calling on customers in a post pandemic marketplace?

Many of us in the medical field, be it in sales or in non-patient facing roles at the end-user level became accustomed to working remotely. One difference between my previous role and my current Enterprise Specialist role is the amount of engagement I have with IT and EMR personnel, many of whom still work remotely, so becoming proficient in the use of virtual meeting tools has been important. However, when we are in person at a health system or clinic, things tend to be back to pre-pandemic conditions, but sill with a conscious awareness of the surroundings in which case we adapt as needed.

What do they want out of their industry partners?

The pandemic significantly affected clinical staff as well as

the patient experience. At Midmark, we take a focused approach to the patient-caregiver experience. A shortage of clinical personnel has placed a significant amount of stress on staff, which in turn can have adverse effects on the patient experience. Through our understanding of lean process improvement, we can engage with our partners to uncover inefficiencies in their workflow and assist them in improving those areas. Our integrated diagnostic devices would be a perfect example of how, by eliminating the need to manually transcribe data into a patient’s chart, the clinical team can regain valuable time while also reducing transcription errors.

What trends or industry issues are you keeping an eye on in 2025 as far as how they may affect your job or your clients’ business?

That’s a great question. There are certainly many trends and issues we’re seeing daily in our industry. One of the biggest issues is the fact that heart disease remains the number one cause of death in America. Controlling hypertension is at the foundation of improving this statistic, and that starts with understanding the importance of a proper blood pressure acquisition. Value-based care can have a positive impact on hypertension control, so I continue to follow that trend to see where it leads.

The US Access Board recently announced new guidelines for

Through our understanding of lean process improvement, we can engage with our partners to uncover inefficiencies in their workflow and assist them in improving those areas.

We hear you are still volunteering at The Players Championship. Please tell us about that.

This March will mark my nineteenth year of volunteering at The Players Championship. I’ve been fortunate to have held the same position during that time as the First Tee Announcer, where I am responsible for, among other things, introducing each player to the fans prior to hitting their first tee shot. It’s arguably the best seat in the house to be inside the ropes watching the best golfers in the world at their craft.

accessible medical equipment for patients which happens to include examination chairs. That’s something we at Midmark have had a steady focus on for some time now. Obviously with a new administration in Washington, there will be plenty of news to follow regarding funding for CMS and the Veterans Administration which can have an impact on our business.

From a different perspective, interest rates play a significant role on the business side, not just in the procurement of equipment at the clinic level but also from a real estate perspective.

Industry News

Henry Schein acquires R. Weinstein, Inc., a medical distributor serving Hawaii’s health care sector; Henry Schein Medical strengthens SolutionsHub with DoctorLogic Henry Schein, Inc. announced that it has acquired R. Weinstein, Inc. (R. Weinstein), a provider of vaccines, medical-surgical products, and equipment to Hawaiibased health care facilities and practitioners. Headquartered in Honolulu, R. Weinstein was established in 1984 and reported sales of approximately $11 million in 2024. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of R. Weinstein strengthens Henry Schein’s presence across the Hawaiian Islands while offering R. Weinstein’s customers access to the Company’s expanded distribution network and comprehensive portfolio of products, services, technology, and supply chain solutions.

Also, the company announced that Henry Schein Medical will expand its SolutionsHub with the addition of DoctorLogic, a digital marketing service and website platform for health care practices. The DoctorLogic platform’s suite of features includes website design, search engine optimization (SEO), reputation management, and AI tools for optimizing marketing performance.

The DoctorLogic platform’s suite of features includes website design, search engine optimization (SEO), reputation manage-

ment, and AI tools for optimizing marketing performance.

“We are excited to be a part of Henry Schein’s SolutionsHub,” said Stuart Lloyd, Head of Strategy, DoctorLogic. “DoctorLogic’s platform is designed to help health care providers attract and retain patients by optimizing a practice’s online presence, delivering data-driven marketing insights, and providing content-rich, patient-friendly websites. Together, we can help practices increase their online presence, connect with more patients, and offer an enhanced patient experience.”

This collaboration reinforces Henry Schein Medical’s commitment to providing innovative solutions that support practice growth and enhance patient experience.

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to anticipate their needs and find new ways to help practices succeed,” said Emily Jimenez, Director of Solution Sales, Henry Schein Medical. “Adding DoctorLogic to our SolutionsHub portfolio enhances the range of services we offer to help health care professionals attract and retain patients, and further demonstrates Henry Schein’s commitment to supporting the growth of our customers. Health care professionals will benefit from access to DoctorLogic’s suite of digital marketing and practice growth solutions through the Henry Schein SolutionsHub, a one-stop destination for innovative practice management resources.

New BD fingertip blood collection device has equivalent testing accuracy of highervolume draws from vein

BD announced the results of new studies demonstrating that blood tests commonly used in wellness checks and chronic disease management are just as accurate when using several drops of blood collected from a finger prick as when the sample is taken from a vein. The novel BD® MiniDraw™ Capillary Blood Collection technology used in the studies, which is a key enabler in Babson’s BetterWay™ blood testing service, provides a patient-friendly alternative to venipuncture and expands access to more convenient locations.

Three studies evaluated accuracy and within-tube stability over time for fingertip capillary blood samples collected, processed, transported and stored using the BD® MiniDraw™ Capillary Blood Collection System along with BD® MiniDraw™ SST™ Capillary Blood Collection Tube versus blood samples obtained via venous and conventional capillary collection methods by a licensed phlebotomist. A peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine showed that capillary collection using the BD® MiniDraw™ Capillary Blood Collection System was clinically equivalent to conventional collection methods for selected general chemistry analytes used frequently in wellness checks and for diagnosing and monitoring some chronic conditions, including kidney, liver and cardiac diseases.

Midmark is the first and only manufacturer in the market to have both a procedure chair and an examination chair that comply with the US Access Board Standard.

Getting to know the standard

01 Seat Height: <17" low and >25" high

02 Transfer Surface: 21" wide and 17" deep

03 Base Clearance: <26" wide

04 Transfer Supports: Compliant to the US Access Board Standard

Learn more at: midmark.com/GoLower

15.5" 17"

Midmark 626 Barrier-Free® Examination Chair

Midmark® 631 Procedure Chair

SPOTLIGHT ON SEEING RESULTS CLEARLY

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References:

1. “80% of Visual Impairment Can Be Avoided or Cured.” Central European Journal of Public Health 12, no. 1 (March 2004): 31.

2. Crescioni M, Miller JM, Harvey EM. Accuracy of the Spot and Plusoptix photoscreeners for detection of astigmatism. J AAPOS. 2015 Oct; 19(5):435-40. Baxter, Spot and Welch Allyn are trademarks of Baxter International Inc. or its subsidiaries.